NEW YORK (Wednesday, August 16, 2023) – Following the conclusion of Leagues Cup 2023 on Saturday night, the 2023 MLS regular season will recommence on Sunday, August 20, as clubs begin the stretch run to the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and several of the league’s brightest stars look to make their case for the league’s year-end awards.
With a dozen or fewer games remaining for each of the league’s 29 clubs, storylines for the culminating weeks of the 2023 MLS regular season include:
- Will Inter Miami CF Make a Playoff Push?: One of the primary catalysts of Inter Miami CF’s run to the Leagues Cup 2023 Final, international superstar Lionel Messi is anticipated to make his MLS regular season debut on Saturday, August 26 against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena as Miami looks to make a late-season push to the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. With a new 18-team postseason format starting in 2023 and 12 games remaining on their schedule, the new-look Miami squad will look to make a second-half surge from the bottom of the Supporters’ Shield standings and into the playoffs.
- FC Cincinnati Continues Historic Turnaround: With a league-best 51 points (15-2-6), FC Cincinnati leads the Supporters’ Shield standings by eight points over the New England Revolution (43 points) and will look to be one of the first teams in the league to clinch a postseason berth. After finishing with the wooden spoon in each of their first three seasons in MLS, Cincinnati’s storybook turnaround would be a first in North American men’s pro sports history, as no team across MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, or the NHL have ever finished at the bottom of their league in three consecutive seasons and followed that with consecutive winning seasons.
- St. Louis CITY SC Eyes Expansion History: St. Louis CITY SC currently sits atop the Western Conference with 41 points (13-8-2) and eyes to be the first expansion team in MLS history to finish their inaugural season in first place in their respective conference. The 1998 Chicago Fire are the only expansion club in MLS history to capture an MLS Cup victory in their inaugural season, and a strong finish by St. Louis will put them in a prime position entering the postseason.
- Newcomers Set to Debut: With the close of the Secondary Transfer Window, an influx of new stars will make their true MLS debuts on the Matchdays to come. Over 55 new players were acquired by MLS clubs, including six players arriving to Inter Miami CF, headlined by international superstars Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. A slew of impact players are set to make their 2023 regular-season debuts, including Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge, who has goals in each of his three Leagues Cup appearances, the San Jose Earthquakes’ Matthew Hoppe, and the Columbus Crew’s Diego Rossi.
- Stars Campaign for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP: No player in MLS history has ever captured consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP or Golden Boot presented by Audi awards, and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (13 goals, eight assists) is currently in pole position to accomplish both in the same season. It will be no easy path for Mukhtar, however, as FC Cincinnati’s Lucho Acosta (12 goals, eight assists), Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada (eight goals, 10 assists), New England’s Carles Gil (seven goals, 12 assists), and LAFC’s Denis Bouanga (12 goals, three assists) all look to unseat the reigning MVP.
Matchday 27 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app on Sunday, August 20, with 11 matches comprising the return to MLS action. Sunday’s matchups include a “Hell is Real” rivalry match between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET), a Canadian showdown between Toronto FC and CF Montréal (7:30 p.m. ET), and a cross-country battle as the Seattle Sounders host Atlanta United at Lumen Field (10:30 p.m. ET).
