Rivalry Week Continues During Six-Point Week
MLS Rivalry Week continues this Wednesday, May 17 as expansion siblings go head-to-head on Matchday 13 with Orlando City hosting New York City FC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) in the 21st meeting between these sides since they entered the league in 2015 while Inter Miami CF travels to Nashville SC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) in an expansion class of 2020 showdown.
The action continues Saturday, May 20 during the 7:30 p.m. ET window on MLS Season Pass as soccer down South heats up when Nashville travel to Charlotte FC, FC Cincinnati hosts the Columbus Crew in the first “Hell is Real” derby of 2023, and the battle for Florida kicks off between Miami and Orlando. The MLS Rivalry Week games kicking off later that evening on Matchday 14 include:
- FC Dallas vs Houston Dynamo FC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
- Colorado Rapids vs Real Salt Lake (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
- St. Louis CITY SC vs Sporting Kansas City (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass / FS1)
- Los Angeles Football Club vs San Jose Earthquakes (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Seattle Sounders FC (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
Teams Eye a Climb as Six-Point Week Awaits
In the first week of the 2023 MLS season to feature two Matchdays, six points will be on the line for teams looking to climb the early-season table. Three teams who were victorious on Matchday 12 – Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire FC, and the New York Red Bulls – will look to ride their newfound momentum in what could be a season-shifting pair of games on Matchday 13 (Wednesday, May 17) and Matchday 14 (Saturday, May 20).
Winners of three of their last four, Charlotte FC (15 points, 4-5-3) have climbed into the postseason picture behind the play of newcomer Enzo Copetti (four goals), Karol Swiderski (three goals), and midfielder Justin Meram, who sparked the club with two goals against his former squad in Atlanta United last week. This trio of goal scorers will look to help the club continue their Eastern Conference climb with consecutive home matches against Chicago on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and Nashville SC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
The Fire, who were 1-0 victors over St. Louis CITY SC in their first match under interim head coach Frank Klopas on Matchday 12, are looking to stop Charlotte and kickstart a run of their own this week. A shift in the lineup with 19-year-old standout Brian Gutiérrez starting on the left wing and Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri playing centrally paid immediate dividends for the club in the victory. The pair, combined with the club’s leading goal scorer Kei Kamara (four goals), will look to capture six points, and keep on their upward trajectory against Charlotte on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and Atlanta United on Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Like the Fire, the Red Bulls found new energy under interim head coach Troy Lesesne, while capturing a win against NYCFC in the Hudson River Derby last week. A late-game goal from Omir Fernandez helped the club to their first MLS victory since Matchday 4 and coupled with a 1-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over D.C. United last Wednesday, Lesesne’s Red Bulls are once against looking to charge. A Canadian twofer – at Toronto FC on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and a home match vs. CF Montréal on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) – could be monumental as the club looks to chart the path towards their 14th consecutive playoff berth.
AAPI Player Spotlight: Colorado Rapids 2 Midfielder Yosuke Hanya
Colorado Rapids 2’s scorching hot start to the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season has been fueled by the play of 24-year-old midfielder Yosuke Hanya, who has quickly shot to the top of the Golden Boot race in the process. Â
Hanya, a Japanese international, has played in and started seven of his club’s eight matches this season, scoring in his first six straight appearances. His seven goals rank first in MLS NEXT Pro, and his scoring has played a significant role in Rapids 2 boasting the best record in the League (7-0-1, 22 points; tied with Crown Legacy FC). Colorado is one of only two clubs in MLS NEXT Pro to remain undefeated through Matchday 8 – a vast difference from last year’s ninth-place finish in the Western Conference (7-11-6, 31 points). Â
Hanya’s stellar performances recently earned him the first MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month honors of the 2023 season.Â
Said Colorado head coach Erik Bushey about his star player: “If I could have Yosuke on my team, whether in years past or years to come, I would take him in a heartbeat. You are talking about a player who is thoughtful in how he plays, technically gifted and is blue collar. He will work as long as the day is.”
Following a bye this week, Hanya and Rapids 2 will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday, May 25 (vs. North Texas SC, MLS Season Pass, 8:30p.m. ET).
Expansion Siblings Battle for Eastern Conference Positioning
The MLS expansion classes of 2015 and 2020 take center stage on Matchday 13, as Orlando City SC welcomes NYCFC to Exploria Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and Nashville SC takes on Inter Miami CF at GEODIS Park (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) on Wednesday night.
NYCFC and Orlando are two of the seven teams in the Eastern Conference currently sitting on 15 points and both clubs are looking to get back in the win column after recent challenging stretches. Since entering the league in 2015, NYCFC ranks third in MLS with 121 victories and cemented their place in MLS lore with their 2021 MLS Cup victory. Orlando City has their sights set on making similar history and hope a victory over their fellow 2015 expansion side will jumpstart a push to the postseason. The two sides are neck-and-neck in their all-time regular season history, splitting the 20 previous matches with seven wins and six draws apiece.
Two of the newest entrants to MLS play – Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF – meet for just the sixth time in regular season history since joining MLS in 2020, with Nashville holding a 2-1-2 series advantage. Perennial Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar, who is tied for second in the league with 11 goal contributions this season, has two goals and an assist across his last two against Inter Miami and will look to outduel fellow MVP, Josef MartĂnez of Inter Miami. MartĂnez has been rejuvenated across his past two matches, scoring three times to bring his career goal total to 101 across seven MLS seasons. Both clubs will turn to their standout performers as they look to gain early-season ground in the Eastern Conference.
By The Numbers: U-20 World Cup
With rosters unveiled last week for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, players across MLS and MLS NEXT Pro will head to Argentina for the first edition of the tournament since 2019. That year, plenty of MLS talent shined or came to the league following the conclusion of the competition, including José Cifuentes (Ecuador), Diego Palacios (Ecuador), and Andrés Perea (Colombia).
Below is a sampling of notable stats and figures entering the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which begins on Saturday, May 20.
- 6: MLS players will feature across six different countries at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup – Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, New Zealand, and the United States. The U.S. leads all countries with 14 MLS players, while the Dominican Republic ranks second with three players.
- 8: Eight different players at the U-20 World Cup have already scored in MLS – Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union), Kevin Paredes (D.C. United), David Ruiz (Inter Miami CF), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC), and Owen Wolff (Austin FC). Among the eight, four have scored multiple goals (Cowell, Paredes, Sullivan, and Wiley), with Cowell leading that group at nine.
- 15: Of the 29 MLS clubs, 15 will be sending at least one player to the U-20 World Cup this week. Among the 15 teams with a player competing, Inter Miami CF (Edison Azcona, Israel Boatwright, David Ruiz) and the Philadelphia Union (Brandan Craig, Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan) are the lone clubs with three different players attending.
- 17: The 2023 edition marks the first U-20 World Cup since the foundation of MLS NEXT and the program has touchpoints across the tournament. 17 players have competed in MLS NEXT, including Israel Boatwright (Dominican Republic, Inter Miami CF), who was an MLS NEXT All-Star in 2022.
- 30: Across all rosters, 30 different players will have played in MLS or spent time in an MLS academy. The 30 players are six more than the 2019 tournament, in which MLS had 24 touchpoints to the rosters.
Tap-ins:Â Matchday 13
A look at other headlines and activity around Major League Soccer ahead of Matchday 13 and 14:
- “Seattle helped raise our young dragon”: The stories behind the Sounders’ Bruce Lee kit (MLSsoccer.com)
- FC Dallas hosts Support for Allen auction with proceeds benefitting the Support for Allen Fund (FC Dallas Community on Twitter)
- Caden Glover’s St. Louis City SC debut makes history as he’s first MLS player born in 2007 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Noel Caliskan, newly signed to Portland Timbers’ first team, has soccer in his veins (The Oregonian)
MLS Season Pass Broadcast Schedule: Matchday 13
Below is the MLS Season Pass broadcast schedule for Matchday 13, including English-language commentators for each match with the play-by-play talent listed first, followed by the match analyst. The Matchday 14 broadcast schedule and commentator information will be available later this week.
