Once this weekend comes to an end, each team in the MLS will have played ten games. After two months, we are now getting a good idea on which teams could thrive and reach the playoffs, and which ones will have to focus on other tournaments and achievements to make their seasons worthwhile.
This week's matches will offer a variety of stories to follow, starting with the game where the New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati fight for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams are level at 20 points, but the latter's goalscoring record is not as good as the one the current leaders can brag about. It will be a match to keep an eye on and a good parameter for both to see how big are their chances to succeed in this campaign.
The Western Conference is also pretty close to call, as St. Louis City and the Seattle Sounders are on top with 19 points each, but with the 2022 MLS Cup winners, LAFC trailing them by one point. There will be no direct match between these teams this weekend, but St. Louis' match against Portland Timbers will be an interesting clash to keep an eye on due to the repercussions it could have for the top spot in the conference.
Without further ado, here's what you should keep in mind before Matchweek nine kicks off.
How to watch Matchweek 10 in the 2023 MLS season?
Fans in the U.S. and Canada will be able to watch select games on regular TV networks. The first one of those will be Nashville vs Atlanta, where the away side will try to leapfrog the conference leaders with a win. Later on Saturday, fans in Canada will be able to tune in to watch Sporting KC vs Montreal, in a game where both teams will be trying to leave the last spot of their respective conference. The rest of the fixtures for the weekend will be available to be streamed in over 100 countries via MLS Season Pass.
Here is the full list of games for this weekend.
Top news of the week in Major League Soccer
Charlotte's Swiderski bags Goal of the Week honors
In what turned out to be one of the closest polls to decide the best goal of the weekend, Polish footballer Karol Swiderski claimed the gong for himself with his game-winning goal against the Columbus Crew. It was the second goal for the European footballer in the 2023 season, and it could not have come with better timing for his team, as they managed to end a four-game run without a win thanks to his strike.
Have a look at the goal that earned Swiderski this week's honor (Image might be geo-restricted).
Świderski stunner
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 26, 2023
The Polish forward's game-winning strike is the @ATT 5G Goal of the Week. #ForTheCrown https://t.co/RpCxNIkkJU pic.twitter.com/nv4XyOTs8T
FC Cincinnati part ways with Brenner in record-breaking transfer to Serie A side
Brazilian striker Brenner will see his European football dreams coming true this summer, as FC Cincinnati have sealed a deal with Udinese. The former Fluminense and Sao Paulo footballer will be joining the Serie A club after Cincinnati agreed a record-breaking deal of ten million dollars plus a number of add-ons, which make this one of the biggest deals in MLS history. The team snubbed offers from Udinese and Nottingham Forest in January, but the Italian club's resilience to sign the player was enough to see the deal through.
Columbus Crew defender ruled out for 2023 season
Even though we have barely seen two months of competition in this year's MLS season, some footballers have already played their final match. One of those is none other than Will Sands, who came down with the season-ending injury in the team's loss to Charlotte on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Sands earned two assists in seven games for the Crew as their starting left back, who developed his game properly under coach Wilfried Nancy. Even though the team worked out a deal to replace Sands prior to the end of the transfer window, the absence of the rising left back will be missed by a team looking to go back to the MLS playoffs.
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