Soccer Saturday
A full slate of games today. Highlights include RSL-Orlando, LA-Philadelphia and San Jose-LAFC. What I’m trying to say is, get a nap in if you’re on the East Coast. Hydrate if you’re on the West Coast. Check out the full schedule here.
Fall returns to LAFC after Villarreal loan
LAFC center back Mamadou Fall has returned from his loan to LaLiga side Villarreal CF and is eligible for selection pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Senegalese defender, 20, initially joined the Spanish club in August 2022. He scored three times in 25 appearances (22 starts) for Villarreal B and played twice for Villarreal’s senior squad.
New York Red Bulls transfer Cásseres Jr. to Ligue 1 club
The New York Red Bulls have transferred midfielder Cristian Cásseres Jr. to Ligue 1 side Toulouse FC. The Venezuelan international’s contract was set to expire after the 2023 MLS season, and now he fulfills his dream of playing European top-flight soccer while RBNY net a transfer fee.
2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster updated
New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil and Philadelphia Union center back Jakob Glesnes have been added to the 2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster as coach’s picks. These two standouts, chosen by head coach Wayne Rooney, will join their 26 fellow MLS All-Stars for the July 19 showdown (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) versus 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup champions Arsenal FC at D.C. United’s Audi Field.
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Another full day of games. The schedule is a bit backloaded tonight. But there’s still plenty to keep an eye on in the early time slots…
Last week we talked about seven teams in the East that may have already locked down Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spots. If we’re putting the final tally needed to be above the line at around 45 points, seventh-place Atlanta need just one point per game from here on out. Which, of course, means everyone above them needs even less than that. Basically, 46% of the East can mess around and be as good as the LA Galaxy have been all year and make the playoffs.
Today, that gap between the top seven and everyone else can get a little wider. There’s just one game between Eastern Conference teams above the playoff line, and it’s Atlanta and ninth-place CF Montréal. We can even throw eighth-place D.C. United into the mix as they take on a very not-good Inter Miami side. D.C. need about 1.33 points per game to hit that 45-point mark, but they’re playing good ball and the underlying numbers love them. I’d expect them to at least keep up the 1.32 points per game pace they’re already on over the last 12 games.
The flip side of that, of course, is that the teams below the line are truly fighting to stay above water here. In particular it seems like the New York teams are running out of time to live up to their standards. NYCFC haven’t missed the playoffs since their inaugural season. Red Bulls haven’t missed the playoffs since the Black Eyed Peas had two songs in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. To reach that 45-point threshold, NYCFC need to be at a 1.67 points per game (Columbus’ current pace) and RBNY need to be at a 1.57 points-per-game pace (a little better than Seattle and Atlanta’s current pace).
That’s not impossible, of course. Somewhere deep down, I really do believe there are good teams hidden in there. But they’re officially running out of time. NYCFC have a tough task ahead of them in Columbus tonight and the Red Bulls are hosting New England. It feels like a big ask to get one point, let alone three.
Real Salt Lake host Orlando tonight. You may have noticed lately I’m high on both teams. Orlando seem to be clicking in a way they haven’t in a long time. They’re putting together beautiful passages of play at times and controlling games from start to finish more consistently. It’s a solid and balanced roster that may not have true match-winners, but has been doing pretty well with a “match-winner by committee” approach. Someone seems to step up each game.
RSL have largely had the same approach this year. It’s not a bad way to live. But you’d rather have someone you can turn to in a moment of need. They’ll have that player tonight. Chicho Arango will make his debut for RSL a few months after leaving LAFC and a few weeks after RSL brought him in for a club-record transfer fee. In his time in LA, Arango put together one of the best goal-scoring records in the league. RSL don’t have quite the same makeup as LAFC, of course, but Arango should still be able to find plenty of success on a team that’s just five points behind first-place St. Louis in the West.
If he clicks quickly, RSL could easily end up in a home playoff spot. Considering the state of the West, there’s even a world where they find themselves at the top of the conference by the end of the year. It’s a long shot, but it’s certainly in play. A win over a good Orlando team tonight could go a long way toward that.
Which… hey, speaking of the rest of the West…
I won’t get into it again, but I’ll go ahead and remind you that the West is a big mess right now. The standings are extremely crowded, and no one feels safe and cozy in their current position. Tonight, some teams at the top could earn some needed security. LAFC host San Jose and Vancouver host Seattle. Neither LAFC or Seattle are worried about missing out on a playoff spot or anything, but there is always the danger they get pulled into the gravity of the middle of the conference. A loss tonight could put them closer to the center of the standings, and that is not a place you want to be right now. So much could go so wrong so quickly when you’re jostling eight different teams for position. Seattle and LAFC could really use a few points tonight to stay ahead of the pack.
Postponed Rapids vs. Timbers match set for July 12: The postponed Matchday 23 contest between the Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers Per league policy, the Western Conference matchup will recommence with the same players on the field and substitutes available as when the match was initially postponed. Play will resume in the 46th minute after being halted at halftime with the score 0-0.
Rosters announced for 2023 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Game: MLS WORKS, Major League Soccer’s social responsibility platform, and Coke Zero Sugar have announced the rosters for the 2023 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game.
- Minnesota United are touting Teemu Pukki as their "biggest signing in club history."
- MVP Power Rankings.
- Normal Power Rankings.
- LA Galaxy's Tyler Boyd won AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday.
Good luck out there. Show up just to spite one team in particular.
