🔮 MLS Matchday 28 Preview

We’re really starting to come down to the wire in Major League Soccer, and we’ve got another weekend of highly-anticipated fixtures to sink our teeth into. Let’s dig into some of the biggest stories.

Fixture of the matchday

There are two high-profile showdowns between Cascadia and Los Angeles clubs this weekend, but we’ll zoom in on Lumen Field as Seattle host LAFC.

While the Black and Gold come into the northwest showdown having dropped point in their last two games, they remain in pole position to finish top of the West if they get back to winning ways.

Seattle, on the other hand, have won five straight games and have raced their way into the top-seven in the conference.

Despite being in fine form, Brian Schmetzer’s men need a signature win to remind everybody that the Western Conference still runs through the Pacific Northwest.

Meanwhile, LAFC will be desperate to right the wrongs of the last few weeks, and a win in front of a packed Lumen Field would be the perfect tonic.

Player to watch

Inter Miami’s youngsters are beginning to show that they can play a role in Tata Martino’s side when the superstars are out of commission.

Federico Redondo has continually shown that he can run the midfield for the Herons, and even popped up with two goals against Toronto during the week.

With Leo Messi on the physio’s table and Luis Suárez slowly working his way back from Copa América duties, the supporting cast will need to step up if Miami are to continue on the path towards the Supporters Shield.

Two questions ahead of the matchday

Can Montréal get revenge on their rivals? 

In the last edition of the Canadian Classique, Toronto put on a show for their home crowd with a staggering 5-1 win, but John Herdman’s side have been inconsistent since that day at BMO Field.

Meanwhile, Montréal have seemingly righted the ship in relative fashion, climbing up into the final playoff spot, now level on points with Toronto with a game in hand.

The two Canadian clubs appeared to be miles apart in quality in the opening weeks of the season, but Montréal come into the clash at the Stade Saputo with a chance to leapfrog their bitter rivals.

Can Cincinnati rediscover their solidity? 

Cincinnati are beginning to become an enigma. Since thumping Inter Miami 6-1 to seemingly announce their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference, Pat Noonan’s side have dropped two straight games and the mood in the camp is poor.

A reliance on Lucho Acosta has become apparent, but their creaking rearguard is what ails them the most. Without Miles Robinson and Matt Miazga, the Orange and Blue have become easy to press, and mistakes tend to get capitalized on in this league. To make matters worse, they will be without Alvas Powell against New York Red Bulls this weekend thanks to his meltdown leading to a red-card.

Despite all of that, the Queen city side can be spectacular on their day and only seem to be 90 minutes away from righting the ship at any given time.