Soccer
It’s a small but fun slate tonight. Check out the full schedule here.
Things always get a bit weird during international breaks. A few teams always need to catch up and play a game or two, so we end up with clubs going into matches missing some of their best players. You could even say the secret to surviving an international break in MLS is to have players who are good, but aren’t good enough to break into their national team.
Life is going to be a little harder today for some really good teams. Here’s who may step up in tonight’s biggest games while a key player or two spends time abroad.
Christian Ramírez - Columbus Crew
With both Cucho Hernández and Jacen Russell-Rowe gone, the Crew are heading into tonight’s high-profile matchup with Seattle shorthanded at striker… and several other positions too. Wingback Mo Farsi, defender Steven Moreira and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte are all away on international duty. A number of players will have to step up tonight in their absence, but it will be on Christian Ramírez to carry the load up top.
There are far worse players to have to rely on in a pinch. Ramírez has been outstanding over the last couple of seasons in a limited role. Last year he put up eight goals and four assists in 1,618 minutes and has followed that up with an even more efficient seven-goal, five-assist performance over 1,042 minutes in 2024. He’s been a key, but underrated part of the Crew’s ride to the top over the last year.
Josh Atencio and Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders
The good news for Columbus is that Seattle are also missing a few key pieces tonight. Obed Vargas and Nouhou are away on international duty while João Paulo and Stefan Frei are out due to injuries. With Vargas and João Paulo out, they’ll need to put together a makeshift double-pivot in their preferred 4-2-3-1 setup. Against Portland last week, they opted to put Josh Atencio and Cristian Roldan in those spots.
Against the Crew, finding any way to gain control in midfield is critical. If Darlington Nagbe and company start dictating things as they please, you’re pretty much doomed. With Seattle holding things together in midfield with duct tape, a young backup and a versatile (but still not first-choice in midfield) veteran will have to put in a heckuva shift.
Sebastián Ferreira - Houston Dynamo FC
The good news for Houston is they aren’t missing any starters due to international duty for tonight’s meeting with LAFC. The bad news is we have to bring up how much of a disaster new U22 winger Lawrence Ennali’s ACL tear is. It really seemed like he would tip the scales for this attack. Now, they have to find answers elsewhere for the rest of the season.
The obvious candidate to provide those answers is new DP Ezequiel Ponce. We already knew he needed to be The Guy though. What we don’t know is if Houston have the supporting cast members to make this work. It’s a bit weird to call a DP a supporting cast member, but that’s where we’re at with Sebas Ferreira.
To be frank, it’s not even clear if he’s going to play tonight… or at all going forward. But he’s worth talking about. Despite making just five starts this year, he’s the Dynamo’s second-leading scorer with five goals on the season. At what point do you bite the bullet and send him out there for extended minutes just to have as much attacking talent on the field as you can? It’s clear he’s not a long-term fit, but man, you’re asking Ponce to bench four plates by himself right now.
Olivier Giroud - LAFC
Y’all are going to think this is a cop-out, but to be honest he’s like the only guy left. Mateusz Bogusz, Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera are all out tonight. There were only a couple of attackers to even pick from.
So, yeah, LAFC are going to have to kick the ball up and at some tall guys tonight it seems like. Either Giroud or Kei Kamara will have to make something happen against a Houston team that’s likely to have the majority of possession. With Bogusz, Bouanga and Olivera missing, it’s honestly hard to see exactly how LAFC are going to be able to counter effectively. It feels like this is a game where they try and steal a goal or two off a set piece and call it a day.
We’ll see how it goes, but don’t forget LAFC couldn’t even score against Houston last week when they had all three of Bogusz, Bouanga and Olivera in the starting lineup. LAFC’s approach to tonight and the effectiveness of that approach is the single most interesting tactical storyline of the weekend.
Stuart Armstong - Vancouver Whitecaps
Again, it feels like cheating to pick a DP, but, again, he’s like the only guy left. Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite and Fafà Picault are all out for tonight’s meeting with FC Dallas. The Whitecaps could have really used half their starting lineup as they chase a top-four spot in the West, in my opinion. But, oh well.
Anyway, that means they may have to turn to new DP Stuart Armstrong a little earlier than they probably expected. It doesn’t seem likely he’ll start, but, then again, who else will? It seems like some genuine minutes could be in the cards tonight and that means the Whitecaps will need him to immediately look like the player who put up outstanding numbers for Southampton in the Championship last season.
- Luis Suárez ended his international career with an emotional farewell.
- Schuyler Redpath has your MLS Fantasy Round 25 positional rankings and Pick’em advice.
- The good folks at This Is MLS discussed the best path forward for Atlanta United.
- Jesse Marsch is set to lead Canada into tests against the USMNT and Mexico.
- Here’s the player availability report for today.
Good luck out there. Head to the top.
