Lionel Messi, 37, remains doubtful in Inter Miami’s clash against Philadelphia Union on Sunday and against Atlanta United on Thursday next week.
Despite his extended absence, Inter Miami were able to stay on top of the league’s Eastern Conference, racking up the most points in MLS so far.
And as North America’s premier soccer league continues to heat up, every match becomes crucial, with teams battling to stay in the playoff spots.
Will the South Beach side continue their run atop? Or will their streak end next week, if not this weekend?
Let SBOTOP guide you to find out.
Atlanta United vs Inter Miami
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the best team across North America when they take on the star-studded Inter Miami on September 19.
The Five Stripes—currently sitting just outside the final playoff spots with 31 points—are fighting to stay alive with less than 10 games to go before the post-season starts.
After a win against Charlotte in their last outing, Rob Valentino’s side will be hoping to pile on a two-game winning run as they face bottom-feeders Nashville this Sunday before locking horns with Inter Miami in the following week.
Thiago Almada, Saba Lobjanidze and Daniel Rios (all with six goals each) are favoured by Major League Soccer 2024 odds to break their three-way tie against Nashville, but would perhaps be limited by a stronger Miami squad.
Meanwhile, should Messi get the clearance to play against Philadelphia, then Atlanta United are in for one long night.
Messi has been immense so far, scoring 12 goals and adding 13 assists in only 12 matches played.
Lest we forget about Luis Suarez—who has recently hung up his international boots—who is the team’s top scorer with 16 goals to his name whilst adding five assists as well.
Despite Inter Miami as the apparent favourites, Atlanta United won their last meeting with them (1-3), with Lobjanidze scoring a brace and Jamal Thiare putting up the finishing touches in the 73rd minute.
Nonetheless, this should be an exciting match. Especially if Messi sees action.
Portland Timbers vs LA Galaxy
It’s safe to say that after the thrilling match back in July 21, Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy have a score to settle.
But despite their past matches being close—with little to nothing that separates them in two of their last five outings—the standings reflect otherwise.
LA Galaxy are on top of the Western Conference, four points ahead of their hometown rivals LAFC, whilst Portland are way down in the pecking order at the 10th spot.
Despite the difference, Timbers fans can take solace in the fact that the league leaders aren’t invincible.
Los Angelinos failed to find an equaliser—or a winner—against a lowly St. Louis City side (13th in the West) in a 2-1 loss two days ago.
Portland Timbers’ last five Major League Soccer 2024 results were also better than Galaxy, which included a goalfest with St. Louis (4-4) and a 4-0 thrashing of Colorado Rapids.
For Portland, Felipe Mora and Jonathan Rodriguez will look to improve their goalscoring numbers, whilst Gabriel Pec and Riqui Puig will hope to put on a show away from home.
LAFC vs Austin
There’s still a chance for LAFC to topple their bitter rivals on top of the league’s Western Conference. However, they have to act fast as the chasing pack will be on their tails soon enough.
As things stand, only six points separate the second place all the way to sixth. That means LAFC cannot afford to drop any valuable points from here on out.
For Austin, reaching the playoffs is still manageable. They have seven matches left, and a few bad results from those above them will definitely bring a smile to their faces.
It’s also a good sight that they’ve won their last two matches whilst also keeping a clean sheet.
Both of these teams met in the Leagues Cup last August 8, where LAFC came out victorious (2-0), despite the fact that Austin had 20 shots and controlled 66 per cent of the ball.
Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera netted for LAFC against Austin last time out, and they would be hoping to do the same next week.
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