Rosters for 2023 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G are here
Major League Soccer and Arsenal FC announced their 10-player rosters and lineups for the 2023 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G. Take a look at the full roster and events.
Minnesota United sign winger Tajouri-Shradi
Minnesota United FC kept the attacking reinforcements coming Thursday, announcing the signing of veteran MLS winger Ismael Tajouri-Shradi. The 29-year-old Libyan international, who last played for Cypriot first-division club AC Omonia, joins through 2023 with club options for 2024-25. The Loons are his fourth team in the league, following previous stints with New York City FC, the New England Revolution and LAFC. Tajouri-Shradi will not occupy an international roster slot.
Gutiérrez returns to Sporting Kansas City
Felipe Gutiérrez is back for a second Sporting Kansas City run, as the club announced Thursday they have signed the Chilean midfielder through the 2023 MLS season with an option for 2024. Gutiérrez, 32, previously had a three-year stint (2018-20) as a Designated Player for SKC, though missed the 2020 MLS season due to a knee injury. When healthy, he landed Sporting KC's Golden Boot honors in 2019 and was named MLS Player of the Month in March 2018.
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Watchgridometer back. Another big weekend ahead. An increasing amount of new player names to learn. MLS.
Anyway, just a quick recommendation from your friendly neighborhood Daily Kickoff: Get some caffeine or a nap in if you’re on the East Coast. The best stuff is at the end of the night on Saturday.
The Plusometer is a scientific way to quantify the potential watchability of any given game on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, but can and will also be used for all other channels. Using the elements of "Potential for very good/entertainingly bad soccer," "Chances created," "Narrative," "Aesthetics" and "Totally subjective bonus points," I assign each element a score out of 10 and each game a score out of 50. Twenty-five is average potential. Fifty is greatest game of all-time potential. Yes, I do actually calculate each game. No, I don't know why. Respect for the form, maybe?
Charlotte FC vs. FC Cincinnati - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 29/50
Charlotte get some incredible crowds, but haven’t really rewarded them with too many moments to be excited about at home this year. A win over the Supporters’ Shield leaders would make up for some of that and, more importantly, it might push Charlotte back over the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line. That’s right folks, we’re officially at the “genuinely worrying about where teams are relative to the playoff line” portion of the season already. I feel comfortable saying that considering the fact Cincy have already essentially clinched a playoff spot.
Anyway, a Charlotte win wouldn’t just push them over the line – it would potentially draw Cincy even closer to the rest of the pack in the Supporters’ Shield race. That race is probably pretty much done at this point, but it’s fun to think we might have some drama down the line.
D.C. United vs. Inter Miami CF - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 27/50
D.C. United, a good soccer team (we keep trying to tell y’all this), are the latest challenger in Inter Miami’s LBM (Life Before Messi) gauntlet. The Herons have pulled out back-to-back draws and are at least a little bit closer to the 45 points or so they’ll probably need to make the playoffs. From here on out, they essentially need to be on a two-points-per-game pace. That seems hard.
Either way, big game for the Herons. And a big game for D.C. as they look to put some space between themselves and the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
CF Montréal vs. Atlanta United - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 26/50
NYCFC took some of the shine off of CF Montréal’s remarkable home record last week. Still, it won’t be easy for Atlanta to come in and take points off a team fighting to stay above the line in the East. It wouldn’t have been easy even if Atlanta did have their full allotment of starters but, uh, they’ve already traded away Andrew Gutman and are set to loan out Franco Ibarra. The team is changing rapidly and it’s going to be a heckuva three-game stretch for the Five Stripes to navigate over the next week as they undergo some remodeling.
Toronto FC vs. St. Louis CITY SC - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 26/50
I’ll be real here: I don’t have this as an above-average game because I think Toronto are playing great soccer. It’s more like “whoo boy, you’re telling me they accidentally made a hole in the drywall and now 25 to 30 snakes are coming out of that same hole and also there might be a fire and also the 25 to 30 snakes are now on fire?” A bad situation isn’t getting better right now. Going up against a St. Louis team that loves to wail on teams who are down bad, it’s not hard to predict where this could go.
Of course, per the MLS bylaws, everything I just wrote probably means Toronto will now beat the Western Conference leaders. But even that outcome is extremely interesting!
Chicago Fire FC vs. Nashville SC - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 21/50
Hany Mukhtar will be here!
Minnesota United FC vs. Austin FC - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 27/50
It may seem like a high rating for two teams near the bottom of the Western Conference (I keep telling everyone it’s one of the most mediocre we’ve seen in a while), but I’m genuinely interested in both teams’ prospects as potential “got hot at the right time” groups. Austin are looking a bit more cohesive and less doomed by their lack of center backs, and Minnesota have great underlying numbers and an increasingly talented attack with the additions of Teemu Pukki and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi to go along with Emanuel Reynoso and Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Sporting Kansas City - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 29/50
In the Western Conference, games between the seventh-place (Houston) and 10th-place (SKC) teams can have major consequences for the playoff picture down the road. Either of these teams making it over the line at the end of the year would feel like a tremendous accomplishment for various reasons. This one has some weight to it.
Colorado Rapids vs. FC Dallas - Sat., 9:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 17/50
I mean, Dallas are technically just six points out of first place in the Western Conference.
Columbus Crew vs. New York City FC - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 33/50
The Crew are pretty much automatically in Tier Two at this point. They’re either scoring great team goals or individual AT&T 5G Goal of the Year contenders in every game. NYCFC are…not doing that. But at least they finally picked up a win last week. That was their first since April 22. They then followed that up with yet another draw, their sixth in the last seven games, but still. They’ve at least reminded us and themselves that they are in fact capable of winning. They should at least give Columbus a strong test.
New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 31/50
I’m not bailing on the Red Bulls yet. The underlying numbers still like them too much for me to bail. But I am getting worried. They just can’t get their best XI on the field. At this point, it’s starting to feel like it might be too late to get this turned around without Lewis Morgan. A win over a New England side that’s still in the Supporters’ Shield race (though is Carles Gil-less this weekend) would do a lot to change my mind.
LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes - Sat., 10:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 34/50
The Earthquakes have fallen off a bit as of late, in large part because they just can’t win away from home. They have one win on the season outside of San Jose. The good news is LAFC aren’t exactly themselves right now. They’ve lost three straight, including Tuesday’s defeat to the Galaxy in front of over 82,000 people. This one could be critical for both teams’ hopes of securing a home playoff spot.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC - Sat., 10:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 31/50
Both of these teams have experienced frustrating seasons where it feels like the results haven’t matched the underlying numbers. Something has to give here. Because there’s only so many times I can tell folks these teams are good before Vancouver go out and get destroyed by Sporting KC or something. I need this to be a well-played and exciting game, please and thank you.
Real Salt Lake vs. Orlando City SC - Sat., 9:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 42/50
Someone at MLS did me a solid and put the two teams I keep telling y’all to buy stock in head-to-head. RSL and Orlando have been two of the hottest teams in the league as of late; RSL keep adding quality pieces and Orlando keep figuring out how to connect multiple passes in a single sequence. This one could be really fun. Even more so if RSL figure out that they’re the home team and home teams are supposed to win in MLS. They’re somehow just 2W-4L-4D at America First Field this season despite being fourth in the West. Meanwhile, Orlando are tied for the lead in road wins (four) in the East.
LA Galaxy vs. Philadelphia Union - Sat., 10:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 40/50
This might be recency bias after that incredible El Tráfico on Tuesday, but the Galaxy have some life in them. Or, at least Riqui Puig does. Watching him take on the Union midfield should be a blast. Which means the game might just be one as well. And, hey, the Galaxy are only six points out of ninth place. I’m just saying.
LA Galaxy's Puig named Player of the Matchday: LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig has been recognized as the MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire for Matchday 23. Puig assisted on teammate Tyler Boyd's opener in the 26th minute of El Tráfico, then scored the game-winner in the 73rd minute.
Good luck out there. Here is a video of some good dogs.
