Commentary
The American Soccer Weekend
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Sep 22, 2023
Megan Rapinoe, who won her second world title in 2019 when she was awarded the Ballon d'Or, will make her 203rd and final appearance for the USWNT on Sunday.
Rapinoe, 38, is retiring after an international career that began in 2006 and a pro career that began in 2009 in Chicago, where she played two seasons for the Red Stars in WPS.
• SA Reading: USA-South Africa (3-0) Women's Friendly Player Ratings
No other player on the 2023 U.S. World Cup team has had a longer international or club pro career than Rapinoe.
Rapinoe, who won World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019 and Olympic gold in 2012 and the Ballon d'Or in 2019, announced before the World Cup that she'll be retiring from soccer at the end of the NWSL season with OL Reign.
TNT/UNIVERSO/PEACOCK
USA vs. South Africa 5:30 pm. ET
• MLS
All the attention has been on the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, where Inter Miami is moving on up following is summer haul of imports, led by Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
• SA Reading: Lionel Messi to miss next Miami game
It's even tighter in the Western Conference, where just seven points separate Seattle in second place and FC Dallas in ninth place, and the LA Galaxy in 13th place is just five points below the playoff line.
On Wednesday, FC Dallas leapfrogged Minnesota United and Sporting KC with its 3-1 win at slumping Real Salt Lake. The Loons and Sporting both have tough matches at home on Saturday when they face Houston and St. Louis City, respectively.
Saturday:
APPLE TV/MLS SEASON PASS
Atlanta United vs. CF Montreal 7:30 pm.
FC Cincinnati vs. Charlotte FC 7:30 pm.
DC United vs. NY Red Bulls 7:30 pm.
NYCFC vs. Toronto FC 7:30 pm. (free)
Philadelphia vs. LAFC 7:30 pm. (free)
Chicago vs. New England 8:30 pm. (free)
FC Dallas vs. Columbus 8:30 pm.
Sporting KC vs. Houston 8:30 pm. (free)
Minnesota United vs. St. Louis City 8:30 pm.
Real Salt Lake vs. Vancouver 9:30 pm. (free)
Portland vs. Colorado 10:30 pm.
San Jose vs. Nashville SC 10:30 pm.
Sunday:
APPLE TV/MLS SEASON PASS
*Orlando City vs. Inter Miami 7:30 pm.
*Austin FC vs. LA Galaxy 9:30 pm. (free)
*Also available on FS1 and Fox Deportes.
Note: All times ET.
With four weeks left in the regular season, only four teams have clinched playoff berths: Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Charleston in the Eastern Conference and Sac Republic FC in the Western Conference.
Three more teams can wrap up playoff spots this weekend with the right results: Louisville City and Memphis 901 in the Eastern Conference and defending champion San Antonio FC in the Western Conference.
Further down in the Western Conference standings, Northern California rivals Oakland and Monterey Bay FC have a lot to play for when they meet in Hayward.
They are tied for seventh place, one point ahead of El Paso, right below the playoff line. Monterey Bay has played one more game than Oakland and El Paso, but the Roots are the team in trouble, falling off the pace with four losses in a row.
Saturday:
ESPN+
Loudoun United vs. Louisville City 6:30 pm.
Pittsburgh vs. New Mexico United 7 pm.
Tampa Bay vs. Memphis 901 7:30 pm.
Charleston vs. FC Tulsa 7:30 pm.
Detroit City FC vs. Hartford 7:30 pm.
Colorado Springs vs. Sac Republic FC 8 pm.
San Antonio FC vs. Orange County SC 8:30 pm.
El Paso vs. Phoenix 9:30 pm.
Oakland vs. Monterey Bay FC 10 pm.
Sunday:
ESPN+
Indy Eleven vs. Rio Grande Valley FC 5 pm.
San Diego vs. Las Vegas 6 pm.
Birmingham vs. Miami FC 6:30 pm.
Note: All times ET.
• Americans Abroad
Folarin Balogun (Monaco) and Ricardo Pepi (PSV) both scored their first goals with their new clubs in appearances off the bench last weekend.
Both are playing for teams in first place in their respective leagues — Monaco with three wins and two ties in Ligue 1 and PSV with four wins in four Eredivisie games — but both are playing behind established center forwards.
Gio Reyna dressed for the first time this season in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 loss at Paris St. Germain on Tuesday and will look to see his first action against Wolfsburg. Dortmund and Wolfsburg are sixth and seventh in the Bundesliga, where just two points separate the top seven teams.
In Italy, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie are in a direct battle for playing time at second-place Juventus, which remains unbeaten and has an advantage on its main contenders in that it is not playing in Europe this season due to UEFA sanctions.
Friday:
BeIN SPORTS/BeIN SPORTS en ESPANOL
Monaco (Folarin Balogun) vs. Nice 3 pm.
Saturday:
USA NETWORK/UNIVERSO
Man City vs. Nottingham Forest (Matt Turner) 10 am.
ESPN DEPORTES/ESPN+
Barcelona vs. Celta de Vigo (Luca de la Torre) 12:15 pm.
ESPN+
Union Berlin (Brenden Aaronson) vs. Hoffenheim (John Brooks) 9:20 am.
Borussia Dortmund (Gio Reyna) vs. Wolfsburg (Kevin Paredes) 9:20 am.
Borussia M'Gladbach (Joe Scally, Jordan Pefok) vs. RB Leipzig 9:20 am.
Almere City vs. PSV (Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman) 1:50 pm.
GOLAZO NETWORK
Sassuolo vs. Juventus (Tim Weah, Weston McKennie) Noon.
PARAMOUNT+
AC Milan (Yunus Musah, Christian Pulisic) vs. Hellas Verona 9 am.
PEACOCK
Crystal Palace (Chris Richards) vs. Fulham (Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson) 10 am.
Sunday:
ESPN+
Genk (Mark McKenzie) vs. STVV 7:25 pm.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Heidenheim (Lennard Maloney) 9:20 am.
PEC Zwolle vs. AZ (Djordje Mihailovic)10:40 am.
Eintracht Frankfurt (Paxten Aaronson, Timothy Chandler) vs. Freiburg 11:20 am.
ViX
Toluca vs. Club America (Alejandro Zendejas) 2 pm.
Note: All times ET.
