Austin FC will look to continue a strong start to their season on Sunday, as they welcome Inter Miami to Q2 Stadium in week two of MLS action.
MLS betting lines have Austin FC as a -156 favorite on the moneyline after a tremendously impressive opening day win. Lowly Miami, in the early stages of a full-scale rebuild, come back at +399.
Here are our free MLS picks and predictions for Austin FC vs. Inter Miami, with kickoff on March 6.
Austin FC vs Inter Miami match odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLS odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Austin FC vs Inter Miami betting tips
Predictions made on 2/26/2022 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Austin FC vs Inter Miami game info
• Location: Q2 Stadium, Austin, TX
• Date: Sunday, March 6, 2022
• Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Austin FC vs Inter Miami betting preview
Weather
Rain and scattered thunderstorms will subside by kickoff, with just a 20% chance of rain in a cloudy afternoon. Temperatures are expected around 80 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% humidity.
Injuries
Austin FC: No injuries to report.
Inter Miami: No injuries to report.
Austin FC vs Inter Miami predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Side analysis
Last year's expansion season for Austin FC was entirely underwhelming, as they came out swinging and whiffed en route to finishing as the league's fourth-worst team. Like their foe on Sunday, major changes were made in an attempt to kickstart the franchise's success. Unlike Sunday's foe, the early returns were promising.
Opening weekend in MLS belonged to Austin FC, as they dominated FC Cincinnati in a 5-0 win. Austin brought in striker Maxi Urruti and winger Ethan Finlay, two long-time MLS players, to revamp an attack and it seemingly has worked wonders. Cecilio Dominguez, who led the team in goals last year, was able to be moved to his preferred position out wide as a result of the additions and the early returns were great, with Dominguez scoring twice last weekend.
The changes Austin FC made enabled them to take advantage of a poor Cincinnati team, and now they have a similar opportunity against another floundering MLS outfit in Miami. David Beckham's franchise has been a circus off the field and terrible on it since joining, and are at the start of a complete refresh — something that will likely take several years as they deal with financial penalties.
Inter Miami certainly looked far away to begin the season, playing to a 0-0 draw in a home-opener in which they were roundly outplayed and out-created by Chicago. The gap in quality between Austin and Miami was evident on opening day in their respective results, and it'll be evident as they come up against one another in Texas.
Prediction: Austin FC (-156)
Over/Under analysis
Austin FC just scored five goals, have a revamped, balanced, and talented attack, and are now facing one of the league's worst teams. With a total of 2.5 set we are looking at the Over and could see Austin score three alone.
The home side's attacking numbers were just as impressive as the scoreline a week ago, with Austin totaling 26 shot-creating actions and six goal-creating actions. On a per-game basis, those would have easily led the league last year, besting even the averages of the Revolution, who were among the most prolific attacks in league history.
Though Inter Miami kept a clean sheet last weekend, a more potent attack would have punished them. They conceded 1.5 expected goals against while Chicago totaled 25 shot-creating actions, forcing four saves. With such a talent-poor defense, there's a high probability of Austin creating a similar total of chances — and it will capitalize.
Prediction: Over 2.5 (-123)
Best bet
Austin FC will score in this game, in all likelihood several times. So, we look to the goalscorer market for our best bet and land on striker Maxi Urruti.
While Dominguez is their best attacker and found the back of the net twice last weekend, he'll be defended tightly tomorrow as he comes up against right-back DeAndre Yedlin. The long-time USMNT player has a wealth of pace to stick with Dominguez and grew as a 1-on-1 defender considerably during his time in Europe.
The other wing, however, could be more profitable for Austin with Finlay coming up against either 17-year-old Noah Allen or journeyman winger-turned-left-back Brek Shea. That should lead the attack to play through Finlay, who at his peak was among the league's best playmakers for the wing.
Finlay's impact should lead to plenty of goalscoring opportunities for Urruti through the middle, and he's a good bet to capitalize on those chances.
Pick: Maxi Urruti anytime goal (+160)
