US Open Cup resumes tonight
The 2024 US Open Cup quarterfinals will be broadcast for free via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV this Tuesday and Wednesday. Eight teams remain, including five from MLS. The eventual winner claims the trophy and prize money, plus qualifies for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Canada take on Argentina
Argentina are one game away from formally defending their Copa América title, but first must overcome upset-minded Canada in Tuesday's semifinal at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 pm ET on FS1, TUDN, Univision and TSN.
LAFC transfer Biuk to Real Valladolid
LAFC have transferred Stipe Biuk to Real Valladolid after the Spanish top-flight side exercised their purchase option for the 21-year-old winger. Biuk originally joined Valladolid last January on a six-month loan and helped los Blanquivioletas earn promotion to LaLiga for the 2024-25 season.
The US Open Cup resumes tonight and five MLS teams are in the quarterfinal round. The winner gets a trophy and a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup. For most of the remaining teams, this is their only real shot at either.
The Five Stripes can’t take tonight lightly. They’ll face Indy Eleven, a USL Championship side that’s sitting third in the USL-C’s Eastern Conference and has a serious chip on its shoulder in this competition. They’re a solid side. And Atlanta will have to face them shorthanded and on short rest.
Atlanta are coming off a rough road trip to Real Salt Lake and a week that saw them lose twice while also losing Thiago Almada. Even if they wanted to be at full strength, they won’t be. But the good news is the Five Stripes are almost certainly about to drop some serious cash to bring in two new DPs. They should both be in town by the time the semifinal round comes on either Aug. 27 or 28. If they can survive tonight, they’ll face either FC Dallas or Sporting KC with a potentially revamped roster. They have by far the easiest path to the final.
Again though, they’re on serious alert tonight. Let’s be clear.
Great news for Sporting KC. They beat tonight’s opponent, FC Dallas, two days ago. No, really, two days ago. Dallas didn’t even have time to go back to Dallas. SKC pulled out a 3-2 win on Sunday thanks to a brace from Willy Agada and a late goal from Memo RodrÃguez. They even found time to get in a hilarious fight that earned Zorhan Bassong a red card after he tried to play NBA-style defense on a Paul Arriola throw-in. Advantage SKC.
That being said, Dallas are technically having a better season, definitely have a better defense and may have a bit of an edge to them after Sunday’s result. On top of that, it seems likely both teams will roll with very different lineups on two days rest. Plus, in general, It can be tough to beat a team twice in a row.
Either way, neither team will be favored against any of the remaining MLS sides. They just haven’t had good enough years and don’t have good enough rosters. But anything can happen over three games. And this is by far the best chance for SKC or Dallas to make 2024 even a little bit successful.
Seattle technically got the easiest USL Championship draw based on points. But Sacramento Republic FC have a tendency to make MLS teams regret overlooking them in this competition. They made a run to the USOC Final a couple of years ago and they’ve already taken down San Jose this year.
Seattle have been looking a little more like themselves lately though. The Sounders have won four of their last five and are all the way up to seventh in the Western Conference standings. Admittedly, they haven’t faced the stiffest competition in that stretch - Minnesota, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New England - but they’re getting the job done now in the way we expected them to at the start of the year. They’re even getting minutes out of Pedro de la Vega now. Not many minutes. But some minutes. That’s progress.
If they can make it through Sacramento tonight, get healthy between now and the semifinals, and add a new piece or two during the summer window, they could easily be lifting a trophy at the end of this. There’s one very big problem here though…
The best team left in this competition and it’s not close. For my money, they’re the best team in MLS right now. That’s a little closer, but they’ve taken 28 points from their last 30 and they’re only going to get better by the time the semifinals roll around and Olivier Giroud is in the lineup. A treble is totally on the table for this group.
To be fair, they have to make their way past New Mexico United first. They’re on top of the USL-C’s Western Conference and are led by a coaching name to know: Eric Quill. They play some excellent ball and could ambush a rotated LAFC lineup if they’re not careful.
But if LAFC take care of business here, they’ll keep on being heavy favorites in this competition. If they make it to the final, no one will be jumping to bet on one of Atlanta, Sporting KC or Dallas. On paper, it seems like the only team standing in their way is one of the most underwhelming Seattle sides in recent memory.
Real Salt Lake's Luna named Player of the Matchday: Diego Luna's three-assist, one-goal performance for Real Salt Lake earned the midfielder MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors for Matchday 25.
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- Sacha Kljestan looked at whose stock is up and whose stock is down.
- Joe Lowery picked out 10 MLS players you should be watching.
- Which young players stepped up last week?
- Here’s your Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Good luck out there. Connect with works of art.
