Your Saturday Kickoff: Philadelphia vs. LAFC is the rematch both teams need right now

Soccer Saturday

Twelve games today, including an MLS Cup rematch between Philadelphia and LAFC. You’re welcome. Take a look at the full schedule here.

FC Cincinnati sign Acosta to contract extension

FC Cincinnati have signed midfielder and captain Luciano Acosta to a contract extension through the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027. Acosta is a 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP frontrunner, posting 14 goals and 11 assists in 27 games for the Supporters’ Shield leaders. The 29-year-old Argentine playmaker leads the league in goal contributions (25) and is second in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race.

New York Red Bulls forward Vanzeir out for season with injury

New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir has suffered a lumbar spine injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2023 season. Vanzeir sustained the injury in RBNY's 1-1 draw vs. Austin FC at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday. The 25-year-old made 19 MLS appearances (eight starts) this season, finishing with two goals and one assist in 745 minutes.

FC Cincinnati's Barreal nominated for FIFA Púskas Award

FC Cincinnati left wingback Álvaro Barreal has been nominated for the 2023 FIFA Púskas Award, joining 10 other players on the shortlist. The Púskas Award is given to the player, man or woman, judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant goal regardless of league or nationality.

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The Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs picture is starting to become a little bit clearer, but there’s still plenty to learn before we get to the postseason. Maybe we’ll figure some of this out by taking a look at the most important games and storylines to keep an eye on this weekend. Maybe.

Tonight’s matchup between Philadelphia and LAFC comes at a perfect time for both teams. This is Fight Club. Both teams need this to feel alive. 

It’s been an odd year for both teams after dropping out of Concacaf Champions League (now Concacaf Champions Cup). Both have seemed like muted versions of last year’s Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup-caliber teams. Good, but not a juggernaut. That’s understandable considering the extra load management they’ve had to do, but it seems like there’s more to it than having a few extra miles on their legs. Beyond tactical and personnel changes, you have to wonder if they’ve been a little bored this year. 

Coming down from the intensity of last year’s Shield battle, followed by the greatest MLS game of all time, followed by a run to the CCL semifinal for both teams, can you blame them for not being as invested in a trip to Charlotte for a game that might or might not determine whether they get a slightly different home playoff spot? You’re asking an F1 driver to be excited about merging onto I-85. 

That’s where this game comes in. Philadelphia are carrying a grudge into this one. To put it lightly. LAFC have taken away their shot at three different trophies in the last calendar year. Two of those trophies were swiped away by the thinnest possible margins. I think that means this Union team is going to be at their most physical simply because they’ll be powered by spite. That puts us one highly probable José Martinez orange card foul away from LAFC being woken up and eager to play their best ball. 

This all comes at the best possible time for both teams. They can recover from today’s wounds in time for the playoffs while still getting a chance to ratchet up to playoff intensity as they enter the homestretch of the season. What I’m saying is that even though they don’t like each other, these two need each other. They’ll never admit it, but they’re better off because the other exists.

They got trap-gamed against NYCFC. There’s no other good explanation. They had Miami up next, they were coming off the biggest regular season win of the year and they got caught looking ahead. Or, ya know, road games are hard and there’s a crazy amount of variance in MLS. But this is the weekend storylines, not the weekend hedging on hot takes out of a sense of reverence for rationality.

So, yeah, trap game. They knew the big one was this weekend. It would have been better to win in Queens, but no one will remember it in a few weeks. If they can beat up on the Messi-less Herons on Sunday and be a primary reason Inter Miami eventually miss the playoffs, the folks in Orlando will never let Miami forget it.

There’s so much incentive here for the Lions to go out and try and win by six goals you almost have to worry about them coming out a little too hot. But either way, I’m betting we get an Orlando team looking to grind Miami into a pulp. It’s not just that they can push the Herons a little further away from reaching the postseason, it’s that they can send a message to everyone in Florida and to the league at large.

One team in Florida is putting together a season where they’ve consistently improved month over month to become one of the league’s best teams. The other figured out how to stop being the league’s worst team overnight and still has a long way to go before they truly catch up. I mean, there’s a 19-point gap between Orlando and Miami right now. One team is getting coverage and buzz that the other just isn’t.

Of course, it’s totally clear why that’s happening and it would be wild to pretend like that isn’t exactly what should be happening. But that isn’t going to stop Orlando fans or the team itself from feeling slighted. They’ll have an extra edge to them on Sunday. Which is saying something for Orlando. Will it translate into success?

Other than our two biggest storylines, there aren’t many best-on-best matchups this weekend. For a lot of teams at the top of the standings, it’s a weekend where you either take care of your you-know-what or be in danger of missing out on a top-four playoff spot. Atlanta take on CF Montréal, New England travel to Chicago, Columbus head to Dallas, Houston face Sporting KC, and Cincy and St. Louis both face teams below the playoff line. If you don’t know how to take care of business at this point in the season, it might be a reason to worry. It’s time to start getting the job done and putting yourself in the best possible position in the postseason.

• Here’s who can
• Lucho Acosta has vowed to "go for everything" after his contract extension.
• Inter Miami's Robert Taylor won the AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday.
• The Crew told Taylor Twellman they’re an MLS Cup-caliber team.

Good luck out there. Take a swing at it.