The 2023 MLS season continues as matchday 28 gets underway this weekend with plenty of great games to keep fans entertained over the next few days.
Here's all you need to know ahead of matchday 28 in MLS.
How to watch Matchday 28 in the 2023 MLS season
Matchday 28 kicks off on Saturday, August 26th with several games taking place at 7.30 pm EST (4.30 pm PST). Among these matches are Eastern Conference leaders Cincinnati, who will welcome New York City as they aim to rebound from a 3-0 loss to Columbus Crew in the last round. Meanwhile, the Crew, who ended a three-game winless streak with that aforementioned win over Cincinnati, will look to build on that positive result when they host a Toronto side who have lost their last five games.
Fans hoping to see Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in action will also be in for a treat as the Herons, who are now into the finals of the US Open Cup, will travel to face New York Red Bulls on Saturday, with a kick-off at 7.30 pm EST. This will be Messi's official MLS debut after featuring in several cup ties for Gerardo "Tata" Martino's side, who currently are last in the Eastern Conference and will hope that their improved form will help them start climbing the league table.
Saturday also features an Eastern vs. Western Conference matchup, with St. Louis City, who are top of the Western Conference, traveling to face fourth-placed Orlando City. Later in the same day, Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo will renew acquaintances following their meeting in the US Open Cup semi-finals, which was won 3-1 by Houston.
Matchday 28's action concludes on Sunday, August 27th with Minnesota United welcoming Seattle Sounders. That match commences at 4.30 pm EST (1.30 pm PST).
Some fans, especially those in the USA and Canada, will be able to follow some of these games on TV. However, for those who can't access MLS games via TV or prefer a more flexible option, MLS Season Pass offers live streaming of MLS matches in over 100 countries worldwide.
Here is the full list of games for this upcoming round.
Top news of the week in Major League Soccer
Cincinnati looking to make history this weekend
Although Cincinnati won't get to feature in the US Open Cup final after they were beaten on penalties by Inter Miami, Pat Noonan's side still have a chance to make history this weekend.
Cincinnati, who are still on top of the Eastern Conference by eight points despite a heavy 3-0 loss to Columbus Crew last time out, will be taking on New York City at home this weekend. Should the Orange and Blue pick up a win, it will make it a 12th home victory for the Eastern Conference leaders, and in doing so, they will become only the 10th side to achieve at least 12 home victories since the league became a 34-match format.
So far, Cincinnati are unbeaten at home, with 11 wins and one draw to date, and naturally, given this, will be the heavy favorites to pick up all three points against their upcoming opponents. They could also potentially beat the record of 43 home point earned by New York Red Bulls back in 2018; currently, the Orange and Blue have 34. Given that there are five home games remaining, Noonan's men do have a great chance to break that five-year record as well.
Real Salt Lake hope to rebound after heavy loss
Real Salt Lake were beaten 3-1 by Houston Dynamo in US Open action midweek, but they still do have a solid run in MLS play. They're currently third in the Western Conference and are unbeaten in their last nine league games, and certainly will be looking for revenge when they face Houston this weekend. Should they win, it will mark the third time they've gone ten games unbeaten in the league - although it still falls quite short of the 18 they managed between July 2010 and April 2011.
However, it may be easier said than done. Houston Dynamo will come into this contest having ended their four match winless streak in MLS by cruising to a 5-0 win over Portland Timbers, and including their confidence-boosting 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake in the US Open Cup, the visitors might give their hosts quite a tough battle this weekend.
Will Inter Miami's uptick in form help them overcome poor start to regular MLS season?
Since Lionel Messi's arrival in July, Inter Miami have been unbeaten in all of their games. However, this has been solely in League Cup and US Open Cup play, and fans will be eager to see the Argentinian superstar, plus his former Barcelona colleagues Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, in action this weekend. At the moment, Inter Miami, who recently won their first ever League Cup title, are in last place in the Eastern Conference, and have failed to win their last five games. They will face a New York Red Bulls side who haven't been in the best form as of late and will naturally hope that their recent resurgence will give them the three points they desperately need to start working their way up the table.
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