Still got a bitter taste in your mouth from the US national team’s disappointing defeat to Argentina?
Don’t worry – MLS is here to wash Tuesday night away.
Three midweek matches will be played on Wednesday night, with the Philadelphia Union playing host to the Chicago Fire, Real Salt Lake welcoming the New York Red Bulls and the LA Galaxy taking on the Colorado Rapids.
All three contests have several compelling storylines. Here are a couple from each:
Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire – 7 pm ET, MLS LIVE
The Union are still in first-place in the Eastern Conference, but Saturday’s 3-2 loss at New York City FC brought a couple of major concerns to light.
Philadelphia have no ready-made replacement for recently departed midfielder Vincent Nogueira and it showed against NYCFC, when the Union really, really struggled to play through the midfield. They could’ve mitigated that a bit by going direct to target striker C.J. Sapong, but he missed last weekend’s contest due to an ankle injury. He’ll likely be out again on Wednesday night.
The Union, who will likely stay in their 4-2-3-1 formation, will have to figure out a way to improve through the middle, at least until Sapong gets back. Whatever that involves (more Roland Alberg, perhaps?), the work will start in earnest on Wednesday night.
Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls – 10 pm ET, MLS LIVE Game of the Week
The red-hot Red Bulls will take their four-game win/shutout streak west for what should be an excellent match at Real Salt Lake. No MLS team is hotter than New York, who have outscored their opposition 13-0 on their current run to move within one point of the Union for the East lead.
New York might be red hot, but RSL aren’t exactly slouching around. The Claret-and-Cobalt currently have the second best points per game average in the league, and are third in the West with 24 points through 14 games. They’ll look to hold serve at home (where they’re 4-0-1 on the year following Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Portland) against New York on Wednesday.
LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids – 10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE
The first-place Rapids will face the high-profile Galaxy in what could be viewed as a midseason litmus test for Pablo Mastroeni’s surprising squad.
Colorado have, of course, been excellent this season. They rocketed out of the gate and currently lead the Supporters’ Shield standings with an astounding 9-2-4 record through 15 games. While they’ve been wildly impressive, the Rapids still have more than their fair share of doubters. They would convert a few of those naysayers into believers with a win at StubHub Center, where sixth-place LA are 39-5-14 since the start of 2014.
