🔮 Major League Soccer Weekend Preview | OneFootball

MLS returns once again this weekend as the race towards the postseason begins to heat up. Here is what you can look forward to this weekend.

Fixture of the weekend

Real Salt Lake vs Austin FC

The Western Conference has remained wide open for a number of years now while the heavy-hitters in the East continue to break away from the pack.

With surprise leaders in the form of Real Salt Lake at the top of the West, the table has seen a bit of a shakeup after years of LAFC and Seattle dominance. Lead by MLS MVP candidate Chicho Arango, RSL boast one of the most prolific attacks in the league and don’t appear keen on slowing down any time soon.

Meanwhile, Austin were stunned at home by a struggling Portland Timbers side Wednesday evening, though they have shown they they find results in unlikely circumstances all throughout the campaign, picking up points against the likes of Houston, LA Galaxy and more.

RSL’s lead at the top of the West remains slender, and an Austin “on their day” performance could give them trouble Saturday afternoon in Sandy.

Player to watch

Saba Lobzhanidze

Lobzhanidze has quickly made a name for himself on the biggest stage, scoring a stunning brace away to Inter Miami  in Atlanta’s shocking result down south Wednesday night.

The Georgian (playing in Georgia) is beginning to show signs of potential MLS stardom as the Five Stripes look to turn their season around.

The likes of Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis will typically take the Atlanta headlines, but Saba is one you can’t ignore.

Three questions ahead of the matchday

Has Neville found the recipe in Portland?

Don’t look now, but the Portland Timbers have won three of their last four games and have leaped up into an MLS Cup Playoff spot.

Thanks to a combination of their star attackers, Evander, Felipe Mora, and Jonathan Rodríguez, and finally finding some defensive stability, Phil Neville’s side have become a tough nut to crack in the West.

Despite being rock-bottom just a few weeks ago after a derby defeat against Seattle, the Timbers could jump all the way up to sixth with a win against Houston on Saturday.

A bad day at the office for Messi and company?

The Herons looked a shell of themselves against Atlanta United on Wednesday as the strugglers from Georgia carved through their midfield and defence on numerous occasions.

Finding a balance between attacking thrust and defensive solidity at the back has been tough for Tata Martino, but they’ve remained at the top of the standings since the start of the campaign nonetheless.

Another home match, this time against St. Louis City, could be just what the star-studded south Florida side need to find their feet once again, but another shaky performance at the back could spell trouble.

Are NYCFC the real deal?

Much has been made about Cincinnati and Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference and Supporters Shield standings, but NYCFC sit just behind those two juggernauts with a game in hand.

Wins over New York Red Bulls, Toronto, and D.C. United as of late have shown that the Pigeons are ready to take on high caliber opposition.

As they host strugglers San Jose Friday evening, Nick Cushing’s men could put themselves in pole position to pounce on any slip from the leaders.