It's another day full of MLS action on Wednesday, as six games will be packed into the midweek slate. Both of this year's first-year expansion sides will be in action, as well as a handful of clubs from both conferences carrying playoff expectations.
Here's what to look out for when the teams take the pitch.
Orlando City SC vs. Nashville SC
7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; DAZN in Canada (local tv)
Nashville SC will look to get their second MLS win when they hit the road to take on the Lions at Exploria Stadium, against an Orlando side trying to bounce back after a tough 3-2 rivalry defeat to Inter Miami CF in their last match.
It was certainly a letdown for Orlando in their first match coming off their run to the final of the MLS is Back Tournament, where they looked to be a much-improved side from years past under new head coach Oscar Pareja. While they're no doubt disappointed to ship three goals and take no points while yielding Miami its first win as an MLS club, there's still plenty of reason to believe the strides we saw at the tournament are real.
Nani remains one of the most in-form attackers in the league, and is one of the most fun players to watch every week. Nashville, meanwhile, followed up their four-points-in-two-game haul against FC Dallas with a 2-0 defeat to Atlanta United, but Gary Smith's side have been competitive in pretty much all their games despite just the one win to show for it. It'll be interesting to see if this is the week they finally put together a complete attacking performance to compliment what has been a largely sound defense.
Inter Miami CF vs. Atlanta United
8 pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+ in US; TSN2 in Canada (local tv)
Hello, Pity Martinez. The Argentine hasn't put up the stats many thought he would when he arrived to MLS ahead of last season, but if his performance against Nashville is any indication, his breakout might finally be here. And that's a scary thought for the rest of the league. Pity scored both goals in the 2-0 victory, the second of which was a legitimate golazo that earned him MLS Goal of the Week honors. That's the kind of thing he's capable of, and if he can start performing like that on a weekly basis, the Five Stripes might have hope yet without the injured Josef Martinez.
They'll have to deal with an Inter Miami side riding high, though, coming off that first MLS victory over Orlando. Aside from getting the monkey off their back, Diego Alonso's men also took down their in-state rivals in Orlando City. Forward Julian Carranza is probably the player to watch here, coming off his brace of his own against the Lions. The big-money 20-year-old clearly has the talent to perform in this league, and if he starts banging in goals, it changes everything for this group that had struggled to give help to star Mexican international Rodolfo Pizarro.
Oh yeah, and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who has left his leg in on more than a few tackles, meets his former club for the first time.
FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids (local tv)
8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; DAZN in Canada
The third matchup of the evening features two clubs that currently find themselves below the playoff line in the Western Conference in FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids.
It'll be a duel of teams with contrasting struggles. For FC Dallas, it'll simply be about figuring out how to put the ball in the back of the net. Luchi Gonzalez's side has scored just four times five games en route to their 1-1-3 record, and the coach himself has said the attacking play simply hasn't been good enough. New forward Franco Jara has yet to put up a goal or an assist in 221 MLS minutes so far, but integrating new attackers does tend to take time, and he has the pedigree coming from Liga MX. FC Dallas will hope this is the week he gets rolling.
Conversely, the Rapids haven't been doing a good enough job defending, shipping 13 goals in six games — the second highest total in the West. Robin Fraser's group is currently right on the bubble in terms of playoff positioning, so three points in this one could go a long way in getting some positive vibes back after their deflating 4-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake in their last matchup.
Real Salt Lake vs. LAFC
9:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; DAZN in Canada (local tv)
Another pair of Western Conference foes continue the action, as LAFC take on Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium.
LAFC haven't found themselves in this situation very often over the past couple of years, but they'll be looking to bounce back from the worst performance we've seen from them in a while in a 2-0 El Trafico defeat to the LA Galaxy. They'll be operating without injured star Carlos Vela, who is out with an MCL injury suffered against the Galaxy, as well as midfield rock Eduard Atuesta (foot). Still, this is one of the deeper rosters, if not the deepest, in MLS. Look for Bradley Wright-Phillips and Diego Rossi to carry the load in attack.
Real Salt Lake fell behind 1-0 to Colorado before exploding for four unanswered, beginning with this Damir Kreilach beauty below to take home the emphatic Rocky Mountain Cup victory. RSL had scored just three league goals coming into that matchup, so head coach Freddy Juarez will hope that was a sign his attack is coming together. For as dynamic as LAFC remain attacking, they've also shipped 12 goals this year, so they figure to at least have their opportunities.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers
10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+; DAZN in Canada (local tv)
The Timbers were given a reminder of how quickly reality can hit sometimes, as they were greeted in their first game back since lifting the MLS is Back Tournament trophy with a 3-0 defeat to their Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders. While it was a disappointing first result back in league play, it also was arguably a bit harsh on Portland, who were in a hotly-contested battle with Seattle at Providence Park until Raul Ruidiaz scored a pair of late goals and the Sounders added another just five minutes from full time. Head coach Gio Saverese said it was a "wake-up call" so this will be an important one for Portland to put the bitterness of that defeat behind them.
It'll be a tough task for the Quakes, who haven't played yet since their semifinal run in the tournament, but they were one of the darlings in Orlando and are looking to show their strong performance wasn't a fluke. A win here would go a long way in demonstrating just that for Matias Almeyda's group, which will play without Magnus Eriksson for the first time since he transferred back to Sweden.
LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders
11 pm ET | Unimas/TUDN in US; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada (local tv)
It'll all be rounded off with two teams looking to keep the good vibes rolling after huge rivalry victories when the Galaxy take on the Sounders at Dignity Health Sports Park.
It can't be overstated how badly the Galaxy needed that performance against LAFC after their poor showing at MLS is Back. The goals from Ethan Zubak and Sebastian Lletget were nice, but the clean sheet was arguably the most important takeaway for a group that has had its well-documented share of defensive issues dating back to last season.
It won't be easy against an always-tough Seattle side, though, that managed to put a lackluster showing of their own in Orlando squarely in the rearview mirror with a massive win in Portland. Ruidiaz has an argument as the most lethal in-the-box forward in the league, especially with Josef Martinez out, so Brian Schmetzer will be hoping the brace against the Timbers is a sign the Peruvian striker is about to embark on one of the goal-scoring binges he's shown he's capable of.
