Rivalry Week Saturday
So many games. So much dislike. Check out the full schedule here.
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A whole handful of games that feel a little more important than normal. I figured we could check in on the state of some of the rivalries, see how intense things have been as of late, look at where each team is heading, and what a win today might mean. Starting with a new oneā¦
Chicago Fire FC vs. St. Louis CITY SC - Sat., 1:00 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - Free
Heat check: From afar, there seems to be some serious sporting-based animosity between these two Midwest cities. It may not register for St. Louis fans the same way a matchup with Sporting KC eventually will, but thereās potential here.Ā
Bragging rights (?): Iām not sure how much this will mean to either team, especially with Chicago in such a strange place. For some reason, Ezra Hendrickson is gone as Fire head coach. And itās doubtful the team is any better because of that in the long term. It just kind of makes everything weird. Will a St. Louis team thatās immediately on pace to make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and match the total number of playoff appearances for the Fire in the last decade in year one, really care about this one in the end?
Atlanta United vs. Charlotte FC - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - Free
Heat check: Thereās a ābig brother meets little brotherā feel to the relationship between these two cities. It hasnāt really manifested yet on the field. But there have certainly been some interesting moments.
Bragging rights (?): Atlanta fans will see this as a must-win after a couple of not-very-fun weeks. Charlotte fans would relish ramping up the anxiety in The A. Thatās going to be a tough ask for The Crown, especially on the road against a mostly healthy Atlanta team. Theyāve pulled out some big wins in Charlotte as of late, but road games have been kind of a disaster. With DP striker Enzo Copetti unavailable, theyāre going to need something special to make this happen.
CF MontrƩal vs. Toronto FC - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Heat check: Uhhhhhā¦ as hot as itās ever been? Iām not trying to make light of two totally unacceptable situations from Wednesdayās meeting in the Canadian Championship that you can look up if you want, but weāll just say everyone will be a bit more on edge than normal.Ā
Bragging rights (?): Both teams should be very up for this one after CFMTL took down Toronto earlier in the week. That being said, both teams are trending in different directions. MontrĆ©al are suddenly playing some decent ball here, winning three straight in MLS and five straight in all competitions. Theyāve even technically leapfrogged Toronto in the standings. Torontoā¦ should feel some type of way about that. Things arenāt great right now The 6.Ā
New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC - Sat., 7:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Heat check: General derby tensions and relative dislike between the good folks of New York. This one has staying power.
Bragging rights (?): This is somehow the second game of a rivalry week where one team is heading into it with a new coach (RBNY mutually parted ways with Gerhard Struber and gave the reins to Troy Lesesne). The āfingers crossed for a new-coach bounce and if we donāt get it we can shrug it off by pointing out this is the new managerās first league gameā approach just might work. New York might need it to work. The Red Bulls are last in the Eastern Conference despite playing some of the best defense in the league. Weāll see if it can slow down all the talent NYCFC have on the field.
Austin FC vs. FC Dallas - Sat., 8:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass
Heat check: This is an in-state rivalry that blossomed last year thanks to both teams being two of the Western Conferenceās best. Dallas havenāt moved an inch either way. Austin certainly have. Both teams should definitely still care about this one either way.Ā
Bragging rights (?): Yeah, like I said, theyāre heading in different directions here. Dallas donāt want to be embarrassed and Austin could really, really use a big win.Ā
LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes - Sun., 9:30 pm ET
WATCH ON: Apple TV - Free, FS1
Heat check: Itās a Cali ClĆ”sico. Itās destined to get heated. And it has the extremely high potential to get chaotic. Even ifā¦
Bragging rights (?): So many rivalries, so many teams heading in different directions. This is maybe the biggest difference of them all at this point. The Galaxy are practically last in the league with everyone rubbernecking at the downturn of one of the biggest clubs in the league. San Jose are a popular upstart pick to make a playoff run and even make some noise once they get there for the first time in over a decade. A wire-to-wire win over their biggest rival would be another sign that something special is happening for the Earthquakes. And that things maybe havenāt ever been quite so bad for the Galaxy.
Timothy Tillman reportedly switches to USMNT: LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman has filed a one-time switch of association to represent the United States in international soccer instead of Germany, according to a report from The Athleticās Elias Burke. Born and raised in Germany, Tillman has been a standout for the Black & Gold since arriving in February from German second-division side Greuther FĆ¼rth, posting three goals and two assists in 13 matches across all competitions.
MLS NEXT Flex 2023 streaming schedule: Fans can watch following MLS NEXT Flex matches on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. See the full schedule.
- Jonathan Sigal explained what to know and how to watch for every Matchday 12 game.
- Schuyler Redpath has your MLS Fantasy and Gaming Round 12 guide.
Good luck out there. Bring the passion.