Week 20 in Major League Soccer is set to bring several emotions for those watchin live or online, and it is our duty to give you a bigger picturer of what's in play.
Standings in the Eastern conference are dominared by FC Cincinnati, who have a five-point lead over Nashville and a seven-point advantage over former leaders New England Revolution. Their fixtures on Wednesday should keep fans interested in what goes on for the top spots, but those who are getting familiar with the league will also want to keep an eye on Inter Miami, who are yet to leave the bottom of the table prior to Lionel Messi's arrival.
Meanwhile, the Western Conference is still living the duel between LAFC and St Louis City, where both teams are level on points (29 per club), but with the defending champions having games in hand. Things could get really interesting with the game between the Black and Gold and the Seattle Sounders, one of the big games taking place on Wednesday.
Without further ado, here's what you should keep in mind before Wednesday's games in the MLS begin.
How to watch Week 20 in the MLS season?
The games set to take place this week will feature interesting matches to stream or to watch on live television channels. Speaking of the latter, the first of those available on traditional TV will be CF Montreal vs Nashville, where the away side will aim to keep their second spot untouched while getting closer to Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati FC. Hours later, Colorado Rapids vs Vancouver Whitecaps will see the hosts trying to leave the bottom spot of the Western Conference and Vancouver aiming to get close to playoff spots. The rest of the fixtures will be available to be streamed in over 100 countries via MLS Season Pass.
Here is the full list of games being played on Wednesday.
Top news of the week in Major League Soccer
Eleven footballers set to miss this Wednesday's matches
Whether it was due to a second yellow card in the same game, or if they accumulated bookings over a period of time, there will be quite a few players that will not be available for their teams. The team that will have to deal with more of these absences will be Colorado, with Lalas Abubakar and Braian Galván set to miss the match against Vancouver.
Suspended for Yellow Card accumulation: Giorgos Giakoumakis, Miguel Navarro, Yerson Mosquera, Derrick Jones, Jader Obrian, Maxime Chanot.
Suspended for straight red card: Lalas Abubakar, Braian Galvan, Andres Reyes, Steven Birnbaum, Kyle Hiebert.
Pablo Ruiz earns Goal of the Week honors
The poll to determine the winner of the best goal of the past weekend had record-breaking numbers, with Real Salt Lake footballer Pablo Ruiz winning the nod by a landslide. Over 81 percent of those who voted did it for the Argentine midfielder, who scored his fourth goal of the tournament and helped his side to a 2-1 win against D.C. United.
Here is the goal that earned Ruiz the gong for this past weekend (Image might be geo-restricted).
We think we know who's going to win.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 19, 2023
Vote now for the @ATT 5G Goal of the Matchday.
MLS teams dealing with CONCACAF Gold Cup absences
The upcoming Gold Cup will bring serious issues for some MLS clubs who will have to borrow their footballers to the national teams involved in the continental tournament. Teams such as the USMNT, Canada, and Jamaica will be hit the hardest by those call-ups, as players such as Brandon Vazquez, Matt Miazga, and Jordan Morris (USMNT) among others will not be available to play several games for their respective teams. Only time will tell how this reflects on the rest of the season, but this will be quite challenging for the squads that will be hit with those absences.
For additional details regarding Major League Soccer's schedule, top scorers, and more, visit our bespoke MLS website here.
