Contrary to popular belief, Major League Soccer is going to be a huge challenge for Lionel Messi, who caught everyone by surprise when he joined Inter Miami earlier this summer.
Yes, Messi’s American adventure is not, by any means, a retirement tour. Rather, he is tasked with a daunting rebuilding job in South Beach, and he is set to make his Major League Soccer debut when they face the NY Red Bulls a week from now.
Elsewhere, defending champions LAFC will square off with Charlotte, while last season’s runners-up, Philadelphia, are going to pay a visit to the nation’s capital, where they’ll take on D.C. United.
Learn more about these matches in today’s SBOTOP preview.
Charlotte vs LAFC
LAFC will resume their 2023 campaign with a road game against Charlotte, who are playing catch-up in the Eastern Conference.
Major League Soccer is similar to the NBA, where the top seven seeded teams will make it to the first round while the eighth and ninth seeds will compete in a final series play-off, which is like the NBA play-in tournament.
LAFC are in a good place, sitting as the second-placed team in the Western Conference. On the flip side, Charlotte are the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Black and Gold fell to second because of a three-game losing streak they had in early July, but they bounced back with positive outings against San Jose, St. Louis, and Minnesota.
As always, Carlos Vela is spearheading LAFC’s charge with eight league goals, but his fitness is in question since he hasn’t played in a while after picking up an injury during their 7-1 Leagues Cup victory against Juarez earlier this August.
Still, LAFC are a huge roadblock for Charlotte because Denis Bouanga has picked up the scoring load with Vela out, while former Juventus man Giorgio Chiellini has been a steadying presence for the Black and Gold.
Charlotte’s best player right now is their top scorer, Karol Swiderski, with seven league goals. He will need help from others if they are going to break their poor run of Major League Soccer 2023 results.
D.C. United vs Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Union are third in the Eastern Conference, while D.C. United are hanging on to the ninth position, making this Major League Soccer tiff big for these two sides.
After a two-game losing streak in early July, Philadelphia recorded back-to-back wins against Nashville and New York City. The Nashville victory, in particular, was the reason why they moved into the top three.
The Union Zolos have a three-headed monster in the final third, as Julian Carranza, Daniel Gazdag, and Mikael Uhre are getting it done with 26 league goals combined, making them a handful to deal with against D.C. United.
D.C. United’s main focus is to avoid ending the 2023 campaign at the bottom of the Eastern Conference like last season. The Wayne Rooney-mentored team has improved drastically with the addition of Mateusz Klich, who was signed as a Designated Player in January.
Klich’s instant impact with the club is best described by his playmaking, as he has the most assists in the squad with seven.
Following the departure of their top scorer, Taxi Fountas, last week, the former Leeds United star will be tasked with shouldering a bigger load on offence.
NY Red Bulls vs Inter Miami
Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets were supposed to make their debuts against Charlotte, but their game was postponed due to both clubs facing off in the Leagues Cup quarter-final, which Inter Miami won.
Inter Miami are set to face Nashville in the Leagues Cup final, which was the original date of the Charlotte match.
Since his arrival, Messi has been enjoying a dream run in the Leagues Cup, painting the soccer world pink with nine goals in six games.
But while he can win his first trophy in South Beach as early as tomorrow in the Leagues Cup final, he will be under enormous pressure when he makes his MLS bow, as Inter Miami are the current cellar dwellers in the Eastern Conference with only 18 points.
The Major League Soccer 2023 odds don’t expect the Herons to make it to the final series because there are only 12 league matches left for the David Beckham-owned club. However, that won’t stop them from believing that they have a chance with the GOAT on their side. The NY Red Bulls are also playing catch-up since they’re 11th in the Eastern Conference and on a two-game losing streak.
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