The Pitch (Matchdays 29 & 30): Top Things to Watch in MLS This Week

New-Look LA Galaxy & Charlotte FC Aim for Six Points this Week

Two teams coming off important Saturday night wins – the LA Galaxy and Charlotte FC – both look for crucial six-point weeks in the race for the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. With the international break starting next Monday, both clubs have a terrific opportunity to jump into a postseason position with matches on Wednesday and Saturday.

Each club utilized the summer to revamp and retool their rosters ahead of the season’s final stretch. Charlotte’s experienced summer signings came through against defending MLS Cup champions LAFC in Saturday’s 2-1 win at home. Midfielder Brecht Dejaegere impressed in his MLS debut, while Scott Arfield came off the bench to score his first career MLS goal in game-winning fashion just 15 minutes from the final whistle.

Over on the West Coast, the Galaxy immediately benefited from the leadership of free agent signing and Japan National Team legend Maya Yoshida as they won 3-0 over Chicago Fire FC – their first clean sheet since June 24. LA also saw debuts from new acquisitions Edwin Cerillo and Michael Barrios, but former Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp made the biggest impact with a goal in his MLS debut from the penalty spot.

The attention turns to a six-point week now as Charlotte host Orlando City SC and then travel to Nashville SC, while the Galaxy face rivals San Jose Earthquakes and then the in-form Houston Dynamo FC. With two back-to-back conference battles, both clubs have a big chance to make this a signature week in their 2023 seasons.

Duncan McGuire Inspiring Orlando City’s Strong Road Record

The most productive player from the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas has undoubtedly been Orlando City SC forward Duncan McGuire. A former Creighton BlueJay, McGuire has been clutch for Orlando on the road, as his five goals have been important in the club-best 6-3-3 record on the road in 2023.

Away from home, the Lions’ six wins have helped propel them to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. Additionally, Orlando’s wins have been impressive, including victories against the Philadelphia Union, Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United. The tests will continue as they travel to face Charlotte FC on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) before looking to bring down FC Cincinnati and their unbeaten home record (12-0-1) this Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

For McGuire, he has relied on his family to inspire success in his first professional season. The big forward has always been very close to his little brother, Holden, who has Down Syndrome, and the two used to constantly hang out when home together. Now, Duncan and Holden FaceTime almost every day, and the younger McGuire is starting to learn the names of each of his Orlando teammates. Duncan, with the support of Holden from afar, will look to continue his strong start away from home this week for the Lions.

Race Intensifies for the Golden Boot Presented by Audi

The race for the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi continues to intensify as the 2023 MLS season enters its final stretch. With 13 goals, defending scoring champion Hany Mukhtar currently leads the pack as he aims to become the first player in MLS history to repeat as the league’s top scorer. However, the competition remains tight, as four players – FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta, LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga, the San Joe Earthquakes’ Cristian Espinoza, and Atlanta United’s Giorgos Giakoumakis – sit just one goal behind Mukhtar with 12 apiece, with an additional seven scorers sitting at 10 goals on the season.

Eighteen players representing 14 different MLS clubs sit in or within four goals of the Golden Boot, including four clubs with two players each – Atlanta United (Thiago Almada and Giakoumakis), LAFC (Bouanga and Carlos Vela), the Philadelphia Union (Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag), and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Ryan Gauld and Brian White).

Two of those players are 22 years old – Almada and FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira – and will look to join current Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi as the only players aged 22 or younger to win the award. At 22 years old, Rossi led MLS with 14 goals scored across 19 matches for LAFC in 2020, becoming the youngest player to take home the award.

As the race for the Golden Boot continues to ramp up, leaders will also be looking to pad their assist figures, as total assists remain the primary tiebreaker for the league’s top scoring honor. Three players near the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard have also accumulated 10 or more helpers this season – Acosta (12 goals, 10 assists), Almada (nine goals, 13 assists), and Gazdag (10 goals, 10 assists).

With a spot in the history books on the line, the league’s offensive stars will look to continue to state their case as the scoring champ.

End-of-Year Awards Watchlist: MLS Newcomer of the Year

As clubs around MLS enter the home stretch to earn their spots in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, players are continuing to pad their 2023 year-end awards résumés with game-changing performances from around the league, especially from potential MLS Newcomer of the Year candidates who have become integral parts of their teams in their first MLS season,

Below are five stand-out players eligible to be nominated for the award to keep an eye on throughout the remaining two months of the 2023 MLS regular season:

Giorgos Giakoumakis (ATL) – The Greece international forward has answered The Five Stripes’ calling card for a goal scorer in his first MLS season, scoring 12 goals in just under 1,200 minutes this season, and he sits just one goal off reigning MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi winner Hany Mukhtar for most in the league season.

Aaron Boupendza (CIN) – Another first-year forward from the Eastern Conference potentially vying for MLS Newcomer of the Year is FC Cincinnati club-record signing Boupendza. He has scored twice in three regular season appearances since arriving during the Secondary Transfer Window, adding another weapon to the Supporters’ Shield-leading side’s offense.

Mateusz Bogusz (LAFC) – LAFC’s Polish midfielder has earned his starting role after fighting his way through a talented midfield group with his individual performances. Bogusz has impressed with his ability to dictate the tempo of matches with his speed of play and continues to create and score chances with three goals and two assists this season.

Eduard Löwen (STL) – Löwen has been one of the major reasons behind St. Louis CITY SC’s historic inaugural MLS season, providing a quick-minded chance creator in midfield for the Western Conference leaders. The German ranks in the top-10 for the most assists in MLS with nine but sits just four off Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada’s league-leading 13.

Lionel Messi (MIA) – Inter Miami CF’s biggest addition during the Secondary Transfer Window delivered on his MLS debut, creating and scoring his first MLS goal in a 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls to start what the club hopes is the start of their climb from bottom of the Eastern Conference to a playoff position.

Player Spotlight: Inter Miami’s Drake Callender

After a midweek game on Wednesday against Nashville SC (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV - Free), Drake Callender and his Inter Miami CF squad head west to face off against LAFC (10 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

It will be a homecoming of sorts for the California native, who was born in Sacramento and played collegiately at Cal. Callender was a four-year letterwinner for the Golden Bears and in 54 appearances recorded 16 shoutouts.

Callender joined Inter Miami CF ahead of their inaugural season after the club acquired his Homegrown Rights from the San Jose Earthquakes. After two seasons with Inter Miami CF II, he joined the First Team in 2022, elevating his game with every minute played. This season, he has emerged as a key line of defense – doing just about anything including taking and saving penalty kicks to keep Inter Miami CF’s opponents at bay. For his efforts in MLS play, Callender is among the top five goalkeepers in the league with 90 saves and is one clean sheet away from tying a career-high (4).

In the inaugural Leagues Cup this month, he aided his team in capturing the title with 26 saves and two clean sheets and named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament. Days later his team advanced in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after his penalty shootout heroics and will look to capture a second crown when they face off against the Houston Dynamo FC next month in the final.

Callender’s caliber of play hasn’t gone unnoticed on the international stage. Callender has been called up by the USMNT twice and could be one of several MLS player names selected when the upcoming international window roster is announced.