The Pitch: Lodeiro and Suárez Reunite in Florida Rivalry Game

MLS Communications

Rivalries and Reunions Highlight Second Week of Action

The second week of action kicks off on Saturday with Real Salt Lake, led by Cristian 'Chicho' Arango, hosting the Colombian forward’s former club, Los Angeles Football Club (2 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). Arango scored the game-winning goal the last time these two sides met, and he’ll look to do the same here in RSL’s first home game of 2024.

Back on the East coast, Inter Miami CF forward Luis Suárez and Orlando City SC midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro will be on the same field together for the first time since they started for Uruguay at the 2019 Copa América. Both newcomers to their respective clubs this season, a full circle moment awaits these old friends during their first tastes of this rivalry match (4:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass / FOX).

Saturday night’s slate of fixtures comes to an end with a trio of 10:30 p.m. ET games, including the storied Cali Clasico between the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes (MLS Season Pass). The Earthquakes are winless in their last four against the Galaxy but with the energy of a home-opening crowd behind them, this could be their moment to reclaim bragging rights.

Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will also celebrate their 50th anniversaries as professional soccer clubs at their home openers this weekend. Both clubs will look to earn their first wins of the season as the Whitecaps welcome Charlotte FC (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) and the Sounders host Austin FC (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

Reunion in Rivalry - Lodeiro & Suarez Meet Again

A bond of brotherhood will face the heat of a rivalry for the first time as Orlando City’s Nicolás Lodeiro squares off against fellow countryman and close friend Luis Suárez and his Inter Miami squad on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). The Uruguayan duo competed together for the national team and were teammates during the early stages of their careers at AFC Ajax of the Netherlands’ Eredivisie from 2010-11.

Loderio, who arrived in Orlando during the offseason, has long been recruiting his compatriot to play in Major League Soccer, even presenting the dynamic striker with a Seattle Sounders jersey while on international duty together in 2017. However, it was Suárez who helped make Lodeiro’s initial contract in Seattle happen. When chatting with then-Sounders general manager Garth Lagerway during his MLS recruitment in 2016, language would often be a point of frustration for Lodeiro. On one occasion, Suárez overhead one of Lodeiro and Lagerwey’s calls during Copa America in 2016, and, after Lodeiro grew frustrated with his own English, it was the international sensation who picked up the phone and helped to translate both sides of the conversation. The rest was history for Lodeiro and Seattle.

Friendship will be put to the test as Lodeiro and Suárez face off in their intrastate rivalry on Saturday. Said Suárez during his introductory media session, “I spoke to Nico very often because I watched his games. We have a great relationship. Now we're going to be rivals. That's beautiful.”

The 2024 MLS Primary Transfer Window has seen 84 players entered MLS from the world as of Feb. 26, setting new club-record transfer fees and looking to make their names in the league. The incoming signings range from up-and-coming international stars from South America as well as the globally renowned names who were standouts from the CONMEBOL Olympic Qualifiers, have won the FIFA World Cup, and lifted many other prestigious club and international trophies.

Young players and Designated Players have been the stories of the transfer window thus far. The average age of all players signed is currently 24.32 with 10 young talents joining MLS via the U22 Initiative already. Eleven Designated Players will look to make a splash this season, including the likes of Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire FC), Petar Musa (FC Dallas), Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy), and Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids) -- all who are club-record signings.

During the current primary transfer window, players signed represent 38 different countries.
50 players were reportedly acquired by transfer fees during the Primary Transfer Window. Of those 50 players:
- The average age was 24.32-years-old
- 32 players were aged 25 or younger
- 17 players are aged 22 or younger
10 players have been signed via the U-22 Initiative, with an average age of 19.33.
- These 10 players have arrived from eight different international leagues (Argentine Primera División, Brazilian Serie A, Eliteserien (Norway), LIGA MX, Romanian First Division, Serbian First Division, Sweden First Division, and Venezuelan Primera División).
MLS clubs have found talent from across the globe, but significantly in Europe, as more than 60% of incoming players in the Primary transfer window were from UEFA-based teams.
- Teams signed players from 25 different leagues in Europe.
- Of the 84 total players that have been brought in, approximately 25% have seen action in the UEFA Champions League and qualification stages.

From the Spot - Portland Timbers' Eryk Williamson

Portland Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson’s return from injury this past weekend was as storybook as it could get. After suffering a season-ending ACL injury on April 1, 2023, the Timbers midfielder bounced back with the Timbers’ first goal of the 2024 season (WATCH HERE) and an assist in their season-opening 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. The goal was Williamson’s fifth in MLS play and marked 1,029 days since his last goal in May of 2021.

“I mean, this is something you dream of” Williamson said in a post-game interview this weekend. It's long rehab, a long process coming back and first game at home, first game of the season, I couldn't be happier with the goal….A lot of the rehab is kind of the mental side… Phil [Neville] came in and you know, right away we met and he set the standard high and I think, you know, guys, guys know that we're here to battle, we're here to win and I think even in a 4-1 win, we're, you know, disappointed we gave a goal up. That's kind of the mentality of the group and it's great and, and I know it's going to be a big year for us.”

Since bursting onto the scene with Portland in 2018, Williamson has been the heartbeat of the Timbers’ midfield and earned international recognition by winning the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Now with the 2024 Summer Olympics on the horizon and a new head coach in Phil Neville leading the Timbers, Williamson will look to rekindle the fire to his international career and earn a roster spot for the Olympics by driving the Timbers back to the top of the Western Conference.

Kim Kardashian shared a video of Messi and her son Saint West taking the field on Sunday night at the LA Galaxy vs Inter Miami game. Kardashian posted to Twitter that Saint is “living the absolute dream!”
In this Black History Month feature, 5-a-Side Media looked at the style and nationality of players leading the fashion charge, including Kellyn Acosta, Deandre Yedlin, and Sebastien Ibeagha, among more.
Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will each celebrate their 50th anniversaries as professional soccer clubs this weekend during their respective home openers to the 2024 regular season.

To assist in your coverage of the 2024 MLS season, the MLS Communications staff has provided the following media resources, all of which are available on MLSsoccer.com/Media-Resources.