مدير عام كرة القدم
They’re back! Friday Night Lights returns as MLS hosts a six-match slate Friday evening to kick off three days of league action following the All-Star break for Matchday 27. The biggest match of the night to kickstart things? An #MLSAfterDark showcase between two of the best in the league, and a potential MLS Cup meeting as San Diego FC hosts Nashville SC Friday evening.
MVP candidates Anders Dreyer and Sam Surridge will go head-to-head, kickstarting a weekend of action across the league.
Come Saturday, Wilfried Zaha and red-hot Charlotte FC will look to continue their upward trajectory when they host Toronto FC, who are looking to turn a new leaf themselves following the departures of Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. Then, in the West, Real Salt Lake and budding USMNT star Diego Luna host Cristian Espinoza and the San Jose Earthquakes in a match between two teams fighting for a playoff spot in the conference.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami clashes with FC Cincinnati in a top-tier Eastern Conference match, though the Herons could be shorthanded for the contest. Defender Maxi Falcon is already suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation, and both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have been suspended after their controversial decision to skip the MLS All-Star Game.
بالجم dives into all that and more in The Kickoff a weekly preview of each MLS Matchday.
They’re back! Friday Night Lights returns as MLS hosts a six-match slate Friday evening to kick off three days of league action following the All-Star break for Matchday 27. The biggest match of the night to kickstart things? An #MLSAfterDark showcase between two of the best in the league, and a potential MLS Cup meeting as San Diego FC hosts Nashville SC Friday evening.
MVP candidates Anders Dreyer and Sam Surridge will go head-to-head, kickstarting a weekend of action across the league.
Come Saturday, Wilfried Zaha and red-hot Charlotte FC will look to continue their upward trajectory when they host Toronto FC, who are looking to turn a new leaf themselves following the departures of Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. Then, in the West, Real Salt Lake and budding USMNT star Diego Luna host Cristian Espinoza and the San Jose Earthquakes in a match between two teams fighting for a playoff spot in the conference.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami clashes with FC Cincinnati in a top-tier Eastern Conference match, though the Herons could be shorthanded for the contest. Defender Maxi Falcon is already suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation, and both Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba have been suspended after their controversial decision to skip the MLS All-Star Game.
بالجم dives into all that and more in The Kickoff a weekly preview of each MLS Matchday.
Are Charlotte back in the mix in the East?
In four matches this July, Charlotte are unbeaten after going the entire month of June without a victory. In three of those four matches, Zaha has recorded a goal contribution, while in his last seven total matches, the Ivory Coast international has recorded one as well.
Both the club and their star winger are back to form, and it’s led to a fantastic stretch of late.
Saturday, they host a Toronto side coming off a narrow 1-0 loss to Nashville SC, looking to make it five straight without a loss while continuing their undefeated stretch across the month. Without striker Patrick Agyemang at the club now due to his transfer to Derby County in England, forward Idan Toklomati has stepped up in recent weeks, with two goals this month.
A win could see them climb as high as sixth, while moving up to 38 points on the season.
After representing the MLS All-Stars midweek, U.S. international Diego Luna will take the pitch this weekend once again as he leads Real Salt Lake out against Bruce Arena’s San Jose Earthquakes in Sandy, Utah.
RSL and the Earthquakes sit just one point away from each other in the table, and both are in the middle of a fight for postseason soccer this fall, meaning this Saturday’s match could have massive playoff implications come October. It will be a must-watch match between two teams that have shown glimpses of promise at different points this campaign, but the full product has yet to arrive.
For Luna, who sits on eight goals and four assists for RSL, the 21-year-old will look to snap a four-match streak in MLS action without a goal contribution. If he does so, there’s a good chance it will result in RSL pushing for a result in front of their home fans.
Two MVP candidates clashing is always fun, but when the supporting cast around them is just as good on both teams, it becomes a blockbuster.
The Western Conference hosts in SDFC, and Dreyer hosts the No. 2 team in the East in Nashville and Surridge. Dreyer, a Denmark international, is the frontrunner for MLS Newcomer of the Year and is a certified MVP candidate with 11 goals and 15 assists this campaign. Surridge, who is having a career season, is tied with Messi for leading the league in scoring with 18 goals.
SDFC have stumbled in recent weeks, with just one win in their last four, while Nashville have just one loss in their last 18 matches across all competitions. It’s an important home match for San Diego to try and set things straight in the West, while Nashville looks to maintain course as they fight for an Eastern Conference title and, potentially, an MLS Supporters’ Shield.
+ With one shot on target against San Diego FC on Saturday, Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar will be the first player in MLS this season to register 50 attempts on frame.
+ FC Cincinnati’s Evander, who scored twice against Inter Miami last week, could draw level with Messi atop the Golden Boot race with a hat-trick against the Herons on Saturday.
