A full slate of games (for free)
Every game is free this weekend on Apple TV. Check out the full schedule here.
11 MLS players called to 2024 Summer Olympics camp
Eleven MLS players are part of a 22-man US U-23 men’s national team training camp roster that will gather this month in Spain and France, continuing preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Take a look at the full list here.
Sign up for The Daily Kickoff in your inbox! The Daily Kickoff is more than an article – it can be delivered to your email account as well.
It’s a weekend full of big games and you can watch them all for free on Apple TV. Here’s a few things to keep an eye on.
Minnesota United welcome a new manager against LAFC
The Loons have been one of the best stories of the early season. They’ve picked up seven points through three games despite missing Bebelo Reynoso due to injury and despite not having a permanent manager due to ???. They haven’t looked like a juggernaut, but they have looked energetic and engaged.
Today, things will look a little different. First and foremost, Reynoso is available. If you subscribe to the DKO’s general philosophy of “most managers don’t really make that much difference either way,” Minnesota’s manager-less success didn’t surprise you. Winning without Reynoso, though? Well, that’s an entirely different deal. Few players, if any, mean as much to their team.
Reynoso’s presence will make new manager Eric Ramsay’s job a little easier today. The 32-year-old should head into his first match in charge of… well, any team with a straightforward task: Don’t touch anything. There will be time to start implementing a game model that differs from the team’s approach the first few games. Playing against LAFC with Reynoso back in the lineup is not that time.
Whatever tactical decisions are made, the Loons have something to prove today. We know they have attacking talent, we know that having Robin Lod healthy has been a major boost, we know they have the ability to beat good teams. What we don’t know is if they can win at home. For some reason, they couldn’t get the job done in Minnesota last season. Maybe the players aren’t Oasis fans?
CF Montréal’s road trip rolls on
We haven’t talked enough about Montréal’s six-game road trip to start the season. Y’all should know the drill by now. Road games are a hefty task in MLS for even the best teams. Playing six in a row to start the year under a new manager could have been disastrous. Instead, Montréal have gotten the job done against Orlando, Dallas and Inter Miami to pile up seven points in their first three games. That’s an excellent stretch for a team playing at home, let alone one playing on the road to start the season.
Today, they get a bit of reprieve. They’re still on the road, but they have a chance to take down a Chicago side that’s unfortunately looked like Chicago so far. Even if they only come away with a point, it would be fair to call this early-season road trip a tremendous success. That would give them two wins and two draws on the road in four games. Last year, they had two wins and two draws on the road in 17 games.
I’m not sure how legit this team actually is, but there are quality pieces from front to back and it seems that new signings like forward Matías Cóccaro have been immediate fits. No matter what, it’s going to be tougher and tougher to count out a team with so many home games ahead of them if they continue to pile up points on this road trip.
Messi-less Miami head on the road
Speaking of road trips, Inter Miami head on the road today following their Concacaf Champions Cup win over Nashville on Wednesday. They’ll likely be doing so without Lionel Messi in tow as they monitor an injury.
Y’all should know the drill here by now. The big question around Inter Miami this year is if they can continue to earn points at a high level while dealing with travel, multiple competitions and injury. It’s going to be the difference between them being one the best teams we’ve seen in MLS or the best team we’ve ever seen in MLS. D.C., with striker Christian Benteke available, could potentially provide a genuine test, and the Herons better be ready for it.
Columbus try to survive against Energy Drink Soccer
A poet and heavy metal drummer are walking into a room for 90 minutes here and are going to try and make some kind of art for us to enjoy. Either this will be a mix of styles that form something engaging and beautiful, or we’ll get the more likely outcome of the drums being really, really loud.
Either way, it’s a fun test for both teams. We know about the Crew, but New York’s stock is rising rapidly as we get a sense of how good attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg can be and how healthy attacking midfielder Lewis Morgan is. If the Red Bulls can take down the champs, we may need to start reconsidering where this team’s ceiling can be.
The Galaxy face a new challenge
The Galaxy will also be tasked with creating against a high press today as they welcome St. Louis CITY SC to LA. We’re still learning how good this Galaxy team can be. A win against last year’s top-seeded team in the West would be another data point in the right direction. It’s just a small narrative piece for one of the better games of the weekend.
Atlanta United need to capitalize (and keep capitalizing)
Atlanta United and Orlando get together for a rivalry game in Atlanta this weekend. It’s the best combination of rosters in the history of this series, but the Lions are limping into this one. They’ve yet to pick up a win against someone not named Cavalry FC this year and are heading back on the road after getting run over by Tigres at El Volcán. It’s the kind of thing Atlanta United have to capitalize on. Not just in this game, but in a broader sense throughout the conference. Earning early points while some of the East’s best deal with or recover from CCC feels critical to their positioning in the standings at the end of the year. It’s time to take advantage of having a little more time to themselves. Otherwise, they could regret it down the line.
Messi "practically ruled out" as Inter Miami visit DC United: Inter Miami CF have all but ruled out Lionel Messi for Saturday’s Matchday 5 visit to D.C. United (2 pm ET | Apple TV - Free) as they await word on the superstar No. 10’s injury status. Messi, who guided the Herons to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals mid-week against Nashville SC, left Wednesday’s game with discomfort in his right leg.
- Kevin Egan (!!) provided a 360 view on the Galaxy and Red Bulls.
- Dejan Joveljic is aiming for legend status in LA, Serbian stardom and chess mastery.
- D.C. United manager Troy Lesesne spoke to the good folks at Extratime.
- Schuyler Redpath has your MLS Fantasy Round 4 positional rankings & Pick'em advice
Good luck out there. Take it all in.
