MLS Anytime Goal Scorer Picks, Odds, Predictions for Saturday, April 18, 2026

By Phil West | Apr 17, 2026, 6:20pm

Matchweek 8 in the 2026 MLS season features 13 different matchups, including three cross-conference tilts, following much of the league being in Open Cup play. Looking at the slate of matches, three anytime goal scorers jump out as either proving their mettle in the early part of the season or being due to score against teams that look like they might give up goals.

Let’s get to the best goal scorers to consider for an anytime goal on Saturday. Be sure to also visit our daily soccer trends page for match insights, odds and data.

Saturday’s Best MLS Anytime Goal Scorers

Josh Sargent, Toronto FC +165
Julian Hall, Red Bull New York
Guilherme, Houston Dynamo

Josh Sargent (TFC) +165

Toronto spent considerable time and energy to bring in the sometimes U.S. men’s national team striker – who now has a door open to making the 2026 World Cup squad following Patrick Agmeyang’s horrific Achilles injury last week. While his full integration into the team hasn’t been immediate, he’s started and gone the full 90 the last two matches, and got his first goal of the season in a wild 3-2 match against Colorado that featured three red cards and an epic own-goal blasted from near midfield.

Meanwhile, Austin FC will limp into Toronto winless in six, including Tuesday’s shocking Open Cup ouster to Louisville City after hosting last year’s final. Five of the 11 goals given up by Verde have come in the final 15 minutes of a match, and though goalkeeper Brad Stuver has Austin second in saves per match, they’re toward the bottom of the league in a number of statistical categories. Sargent’s the type of forward that could give Verde’s back line issues … especially if it’s late in the match.

Julian Hall (RBNY)

The 18-year-old is a surprising addition to the Golden Boot race, already with five goals this season, tying him for fourth in a group that includes Lionel Messi. While he couldn’t score against Messi’s team last week in a draw that ended up being head coach Javier Mascherano’s final game with the club, he did bag a brace in Red Bull’s 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in Open Cup play on Wednesday

Mascherano wasn’t the only MLS coach to lose his job in the last week — Montréal’s Marco Donadel was dismissed on Sunday after his team went 1-6-0 to start the season, in large part because his team’s already given up 19 goals though seven matches. A coaching change by itself won’t fix a leaky defense, and if the visitors are going to score, Hall’s a good bet to be among the scorers if not the one.

Guilherme (HOU)

Guilherme is brand new to MLS, having come over from Santos — best known as Pele’s club — but the 31-year-old is adjusting well, which doesn’t always happen with players arriving from other leagues. In just six matches, he’s scored five goals and four assists, and while he might not be able to keep that record-threatening pace all season, he’s got a good chance to do it against Orlando.

Orlando’s given up 24 goals through seven matches, which puts them on pace to ship 117 goals this season — 39 more than the record-setting San Jose Earthquakes in 2024. While, like Guilherme, they won’t be likely to maintain such a pace, they’re probably good for letting in at least a goal, as they haven’t recorded a shutout in league play all season. And given that Guilherme’s scored exactly half of Houston’s goals on the season, he’s the most obvious choice of possible scorers in orange.

Photo Credit: AP/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Phil West

Phil West is a writer based in Austin, Texas, whose work has appeared in a wide range of outlets, including MLSSoccer.com, Backheeled, and Howler, as well as major publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin Chronicle, and San Antonio Express-News. He also wrote two books on soccer for The Overlook Press.