WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
THE KEY PLAYERS OF A SLIGHTLY SMALLER SATURDAY
Don't worry, there's still MLS today. It would have been too jarring to make everyone quit cold turkey for a weekend. There's plenty here to keep you going until a full slate of games returns on Wednesday. There may be fewer games, but there isn't a bad one on the schedule. It's worth tuning into all of them today. When you do, here's a player to keep a close eye on for each team.
NYCFC vs. Columbus Crew - Sat., 3:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
It's straight-up shocking how bad NYCFC have been over the last couple of months. Their last win came on April 22. Since then, they've been the worst team in the league in points per game. Worse than all of the worst teams in the league over that span. Worse than Colorado, worse than Chicago, worse than the Galaxy, worse than… uh… Seattle, apparently. Look, it's been a weird stretch for a lot of teams. But NYCFC have been struggling more than anyone. Why? Well… it's honestly really weird and stressing me out. There's so much talent on this team that's clearly not clicking. So much talent in fact that when you go to pick out a key player, it actually becomes really difficult to do.
But for now, we'll land on do-it-all midfielder Keaton Parks, one of the most underrated players in the league. He'll not only play a key role in ball progression but he'll also be tasked with slowing down Columbus's outstanding attack.
On the other side, Aidan Morris will be doing a lot of the same for Columbus. Like Parks, he's a midfielder who doesn't get enough praise for the critical role he plays for his team. Per FBref Morris is currently in the 95th percentile in passes attempted among midfielders and in the 99th (!) percentile in pass completion percentage. He's also in the 99th (!) percentile in tackles and the 89th percentile in interceptions. He's been one of the single most influential midfielders in the league this year and deserves more credit for the Crew's success this year.
D.C. United vs. Real Salt Lake - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
It may not be the most high-profile game of the weekend, but it should still have a few decent moments. Mainly because I'm increasingly interested in what D.C. are putting together, and you should be too. Over the last couple of months, just two teams have a better expected points projection than D.C. United. Essentially, the underlying numbers think they've been the third-best team in the league over a pretty lengthy stretch here.
In general though, this feels like the kind of game that gets decided on set pieces. Keep an eye on D.C. center back Donovan Pines if there's a dead ball opportunity for the Black and Red. He's scored twice in the last three games, all from corners. According to his D.C. United bio he's only 6' 1", but the University of Maryland has him listed at 6' 5". I know which one I'm leaning towards. At the very least, he plays like he's 6' 5". That could make the difference in this one.
On the other side, we'll pick out Damir Kreilach as a key player for RSL. He's understandably been a bit slow to become a major piece for RSL after returning from a back injury that kept him out long-term. He scored twice in a US Open Cup win against the Galaxy 10 days ago, though, and it feels like as good a time as any for him to start making the kind of impact we're used to seeing from him.
New England Revolution vs. Orlando City - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
A playoff preview for you here. You're probably pretty familiar with most of the cast here, so I'll just say to keep an eye on Revs striker Bobby Wood as he continues to quietly put together an excellent year. He has six goals and three assists, already highs for his three years in MLS. Wood has three goals and an assist over the last four games and is turning into a key piece for New England.
On the Orlando side, we'll recommend the delightfully direct winger Iván Angulo. The general sense I get from afar is that, for better or worse, he's constantly trying to make things happen when he gets on the ball. When it pays off, it can result in performances like the one he put together against the Red Bulls a couple of games ago. He scored a gorgeous goal and bagged an assist in a big 3-0 win.
Sporting KC vs. LAFC - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Hey, Sporting KC have been something like the third-hottest team in the league over the last couple of months. It helps to have your full allotment of DPs available I guess. That includes midfielder Gadi Kinda, who makes everything so much easier for Sporting KC in attack. He'll play a major role in this one as SKC try to create opportunities by working through the LAFC press…if he plays. He hasn't started the last couple of games. If Kinda's not out there, the obvious choice is forward Alan Pulido. Pulido has three goals and an assist in the last couple of matches.
For LAFC, keep an eye on, well, Carlos Vela. But not for the normal "he could do something incredible" reasons. I'm not saying it's time to worry or anything. Just maybe time to wonder if LAFC are a much more effective pressing team without him starting and what that might mean for a team trying to navigate like 70 games in 15 days or whatever they're doing after CCL.
Nashville SC vs. St. Louis CITY SC - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
The question with Nashville is always "who can I pick besides Hany?" We'll go with forward Jacob Shaffelburg this time. It's been a quiet stretch for Shaffelburg, but it still feels like he's thriving in Nashville. He's grown something resembling a mullet and is Nashville's third-leading scorer on the season. If it's not Hany, it might be Shaffelburg off the bench.
For St. Louis, it's time to start giving forward Nicholas Gioacchini some attention. He's scored three times in the last five games and has overtaken Joao Klauss as St. Louis' leading scorer.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers - Sat., 10:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Close out the weekend with a solid Western Conference matchup (that kind of feels destined to end 1-0, which means it'll be like 7-6 or something). I'd pay attention to midfielder Carlos Gruezo and all he does to solidify things for San Jose. And then, on Portland's side, Franck Boli is the leading scorer after scoring twice in the last three games. It's kind of hard to see him keeping that up, but, then again, there's either one or 13 goals in this game. If it's the latter, someone has to score, right?
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