We are rolling into the weekend with a full slate of MLS action after the international break (not that they stopped at all during the break). Everyone is back at their clubs and are focused on the club season again.
MLS Teams in-form
There are only a few teams on solid form at the moment. NYCFC, Seattle, Inter Miami and LAFC are the clubs performing well and they’ve got some interesting matchups this weekend.
Defending MLS Champions at home
New York is hosting Colorado Rapids at Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon. Colorado have dropped 3 of their last 5 matches but with 2 wins in between so there’s still a chance they could walk away with the points but NYCFC look the favourites in this one.
Southeast Showdown
Elsewhere in the east, Inter Miami visit a struggling Atlanta United who have been leaky at the back despite decent goal scoring form this season. Miami have been on a good run lately after a poor start to the season so this one should be hotly contested. Miami don’t have the firepower that Atlanta has going forward so you never know in this one who will come out on top.
Marquee Matchup
Maybe in the marquee matchup of the weekend, LAFC take on Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field. Both teams are coming off back-to-back wins and have an early kick off Saturday afternoon, which should be a great occasion for the fans in Seattle. Hopefully the weather cooperates! Carlos Vela has been pulling the strings and scoring the goals for LAFC, so it makes you wonder, is he passing it to himself for all his goals? I kid. But over-reliance on him could be an issue for LA further into the season if he goes down with an injury. Kellyn Acosta also has been a key player for them and one to watch on Saturday. Seattle are coming off a 4-0 drubbing of Vancouver on Tuesday night, but LAFC are top of the West and the Supporter’s Shield at the time of writing, so they should still be favourites away from home against Seattle.
The San Jose Conundrum
One interesting case study this season has been the San Jose Earthquakes. They boast the current joint top scorer in MLS in Jeremy Ebolo, with 9 goals in 15 games. But they have been shipping goals all year so far. Last week they are coming off a 0-0 away to Nashville, so I think they need to continue to focus on defence to start climbing the table. They clearly have a special player that can give them goals when they need it, but they need to right the ship first.
More matches to check out
The final key matchup this weekend is Montreal v Austin FC at Stade Saputo. Both teams in playoff contention, Montréal being the top Canadian team at the moment. This should be a fun and exciting match on Saturday. There are plenty of other matches happening as well Saturday and Sunday so you can get your footy fix wherever you please. Enjoy all the action!