July 4th is for soccer
Five games tonight, including what’s expected to be the most attended MLS match of all time as El Trafico heads to the Rose Bowl. Check out the full schedule here.
Toronto FC unveils new third uniform
Toronto FC revealed their newest uniform, the Energy Kit. The club is one of four selected by Major League Soccer and adidas to don a third jersey for 2023, which are new to MLS this season.
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The very first Daily Kickoff I ever did came out three years ago just in time for MLS Is Back. Since then, we’ve put together 999 of these things. It’s 1000 newsletters. Not only that, it’s 1000 straight newsletters. That’s right, I haven’t missed a single scheduled day. This is Ripken-esque stuff we’re talking about here.
To celebrate, I thought we could take a look back at all the Daily Kickoffs people said were either particularly insightful, especially moving, or outright changed their views on the sport for the better. Starting with…
… One second here… lot of newsletters to look through…
… There was….um…
Ugh, let’s just do another Watchgridometer.
A condensed version of the Watchgridometer today. A few intriguing games to take in today and tomorrow though.
*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?
Inter Miami CF vs. Columbus Crew - Tue., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 30/50
The pre-Messi watch is back! And this time, it’s happening against one of the hottest teams in the league. Few games to go for Inter Miami to improve on the 16 points they have so far before major support arrives. It’s going to take a heckuva effort to get past Columbus. Either way, it’s extremely entertaining.
Orlando City SC vs. Toronto FC - Tue., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 22/50
It doesn’t feel totally patriotic to spend Fourth of July watching two teams from foreign countries, but Orlando are playing good ball as of late and Toronto are…well, I mean, they definitely keep going out there and that’s half the battle, right? Right?
FC Dallas vs. D.C. United - Tue., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 32/50
This might actually end up as the most well-played game of the night. Both teams are hovering right in the "pretty good not really good" zone where they seem destined for a playoff spot and maybe not much more than that. Still, it has the potential to turn into something very scoresy.
Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers - Tue., 9:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 20/50
The Timbers aren't doomed or anything yet, but they are falling further below the playoff line than I imagine anyone is comfortable with despite Portland's general tendency to just eventually show up in the playoffs no matter what. If they don't win tonight, they'll have 12 games left to make up a growing gap between them and ninth place. And it's Colorado. So. They really need to win tonight. Even if it's a road game.
LA Galaxy vs. LAFC - Tue., 10:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - Free**
Plusometer Score: 45/50
The first time we tried to play this game, I gave it a 50/50. The only 50/50 I’ve ever given in 1000 newsletters.
Naturally, it got canceled.
A little less naturally, both the Galaxy and LAFC have somewhat underperformed expectations this year. That’s harsh on LAFC, but it feels that way after coming up short in CCL and struggling to put together wins afterward. It went from seeming like every possible trophy was on the table to wondering about the next time we’ll see LAFC at their best again.
That’s letting the Galaxy off easy. They’ve been a total disaster this season and even that feels like a gentle assessment. They should have been better. They haven’t been. And it’s only gotten worse with time.
But if there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s never count out El Trafico. And never ever ever count out an El Trafico centered around a major event. El Trafico always delivers. El Trafico at the Rose Bowl with a record crowd? We’re destined for something. Something bigger than ourselves.
NYCFC vs. Charlotte FC - Wed., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: **Apple TV - MLS Season Pass**
Plusometer Score: 31/50
It’s not quite time to start measuring the playoffocity of games, but this one feels like it has stakes. Both of these teams are right on the edge of the playoff line in the East and could really use a win to keep pace. You may not believe it, but some teams are about to start running out of time. It already feels like avoiding the play-in game is slowly slipping out of the picture.
Austin FC loan Djitté to Turkish club: Austin FC have loaned striker Moussa Djitté to Turkish second-division side Bandirmaspor through the end of the 2023-24 European season. The 23-year-old Senegal native most recently was on loan at AC Ajaccio, failing to score in six appearances as they got relegated from Ligue 1. He originally joined the French side last January on a half-year loan.
Nashville SC's Leal named Player of the Matchday: For the third time in the 2023 MLS season, a Nashville SC player has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire. Nashville midfielder Randall Leal took home Matchday 22 honors as the calendar flipped to July, adding to two past awards for star playmaker Hany Mukhtar in Matchdays 11 and 19.
Colorado Rapids sign, loan out defender Chacón: The Colorado Rapids have signed defender Daniel Chacón from their MLS NEXT Pro side through the 2025 MLS season with an option for 2026. In a corresponding move, Colorado have loaned the 22-year-old to Costa Rican powerhouse side Alajuelense for the remainder of the 2023 season.
- Jon Arnold wrote about how community and heritage define both sides of El Trafico fandom.
- The MLS attendance record is expected to be broken for El Tráfico at the Rose Bowl.
- Here’s what to know and how to watch for Matchday 23.
- Voting for the AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday is now open.
- Here’s how to watch and stream Canada versus Cuba.
Good luck out there. Just think where we’ll be 1000 more newsletters from now.
