Minnesota United boasts the third-best record in the West table as it prepares for a Saturday night match at St. Louis City SC.

But it’s not a stretch to say that Minnesota could be leading the conference – in fact, all of MLS – comfortably if it could master the art of holding a lead.

Minnesota (11-5-8, 41 points) trails conference leader San Diego by two points and the second-place Vancouver Whitecaps by one. Five of its eight draws, including one on March 15 in Kansas City where it gassed a 3-0 second-half lead and settled for a 3-3 deadlock, have seen it cede a tying goal. Four of those have come late in the match.

That includes its last outing, a 1-1 tie on July 19 at Portland that saw the Timbers equalize in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.

“We are the team that has been in losing positions least over the course of this entire season,” said Minnesota coach Eric Ramsay. “I think that is a credit to the team in one sense but in another, we have to be much more clinical and ruthless in closing games out.”

While Minnesota tries to refine its ability to finish off matches, St. Louis (4-13-6, 18 points) is back to the drawing board after a discouraging 3-0 loss on July 19 at Dallas. Coming off a rare win on July 13 against Portland, St. Louis couldn’t string together consecutive wins for the first time since March.

St. Louis is beefing up its roster via its Saturday night opponent, ironically enough. It acquired defender Devin Padelford via loan from Minnesota for the year’s remainder and also picked up forward Sangbin Jeong from the Loons, sending them $1.6 million in exchange.

Padelford started 19 matches for Minnesota last year and has played in 36 fixtures over the last two-plus calendar years.

“His ability to get forward from the left side, combined with his defensive instincts, will provide us with another option,” said St. Louis sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.

Minnesota blanked St. Louis 3-0 on May 17 and owns a 4-1-0 lead in the all-time series.

–Field Level Media

A pair of teams fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference meet on Saturday night as the Chicago Fire face the visiting New York Red Bulls.

The Red Bulls (9-9-6, 33 points) and Fire (9-9-5, 32 points) are ninth and 10th in the East standings, respectively. The Fire, though, have a match in hand.

Chicago is coming off a 2-0 win over CF Montreal on July 19 behind goals from Hugo Cuypers and Jack Elliott. Philip Zinckernagel, an MLS All-Star Game selection, added an assist.

The Fire have shown marked improvement under Gregg Berhalter in his first season as head coach and technical director. The next step, though, is Chicago qualifying for its first playoff appearance since 2017, and that includes taking advantage of the transfer window that opened on Thursday.

“It’s a work in progress,” Berhalter said. “We’ve openly stated that we want to add players to the team and keep the team moving forward and progressing. There’s a number of targets that we’ve been speaking to, and now it’s about really honing on a few of them and then pursuing the deal.”

Fire center back Carlos Teran, out since mid-April with an upper leg injury, has returned to training and is “day-to-day,” per Berhalter.

New York last played on July 19 against Inter Miami CF, getting an Alexander Hack opener in the 14th minute before allowing the next five goals – two to Lionel Messi – in a 5-1 defeat.

The Red Bulls will look to bounce back from a heavy loss in its last outing, a win getting them a step closer to an unprecedented 16th-straight playoff appearance.

“We have to play with a high intensity. We have to play with the right mentality. Those are two big things that we have to improve,” Hack said. “We have to be ready from the first minute until the 95th minute, play as a team, support each other, (and) fight for each other.”

The Red Bulls on Wednesday announced that they had signed Swedish midfielder Gustav Berggren from Raków Czestochowa in Poland’s first division.

–Field Level Media

The Colorado Rapids will hope to build off a historic result from the week before when they visit the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night in Chester, Pa.

The Rapids (8-10-6, 30 points) snagged an unlikely draw against the Seattle Sounders on July 16 when forward Darren Yapi dribbled through a maze of defenders and tied the game in the 75th minute, rallying back from a 3-0 deficit. With the result, Colorado became the first team in league history to earn a point after trailing by three goals at Seattle.

“It’s a night that we can feel really proud of the team because they showed a lot of character and heart and grit with a mindset to win the match from the opening whistle,” Rapids manager Chris Armas said after the match.

The draw kept the Rapids firmly in the Western Conference’s crowded middle, as they continue to vie for a playoff spot.

They will have the task of breaking what has been one of the formidable defenses in the league. With help from three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year winner Andre Blake, Philadelphia (14-5-5, 47 points) has conceded 23 goals, the fewest in MLS after 24 matches played.

The Union are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on July 19, in which they fielded something of a rotated eleven. Backup goalkeeper Andrew Rick got his first start in nearly a month.

“We’ve built competition throughout the group,” Philadelphia manager Bradley Carnell said after that match. “We believe in the whole group and I think we’ve shown that.”

That rotation may have to continue as two Union defenders, Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes, will be returning after representing the league at the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, as will forward Tai Baribo, who was named the Most Valuable Player of that match.

It will be the clubs’ first meeting since the third-place match at the 2024 Leagues Cup, where Colorado came out on top in penalties.

The Rapids will be without the services of defender Chidozie Awaziem following his transfer to French side FC Nantes.

–Field Level Media

Wrapping up a three-game homestand, slumping Atlanta United is in desperate need of a rare victory on Saturday against the visiting Seattle Sounders.

Atlanta (4-11-8, 20 points) has gone seven consecutive matches (0-4-3) without a win, last earning the full three points on May 28 in a 3-2 victory over Orlando City SC.

Last time out, Atlanta flirted with a home win against Charlotte FC, jumping out to a 1-0 lead on Tristan Muyumba’s first goal this season, before allowing three straight goals in a 3-2 loss.

In a frustrating season for Atlanta and first-year head coach Ronny Deila, it’s time to start taking blame from all angles.

“We showed no character. That is what I would describe it as. That’s on me,” Deila said of Atlanta’s loss to Charlotte. “You can blame everybody, but in the end, it is me who is responsible for this.”

Atlanta, which has allowed the fourth-most goals (43) in the league and has the fourth-worst goal differential (minus-16), has scored multiple goals in back-to-back outings for the first time since its only winning streak of the year, from May 25-28.

Emmanuel Latte Lath scored against Charlotte and leads the team with seven goals on the season, while Miguel Almiron, Aleksey Miranchuk and Jamal Thiare each add three apiece.

Seattle (10-6-7, 37 points) is on the other side of the spectrum, as the Sounders will look to extend a five-game stretch (3-0-2) without a loss. Seattle has scored three goals in three straight games, including a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

Danny Musovski netted a pair of goals in the win to help propel the Sounders up the Western Conference table. Seattle currently sits fourth in the West, with a chance to inch further against a vulnerable Atlanta defense.

“They are still a dangerous team. They can score goals,” Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer said of Atlanta. “But their defending has been kind of their Achilles heel, and we’ll look to try and exploit that this weekend.”

Saturday will mark the first meeting between the clubs since August 2023, a 2-0 Atlanta win in Seattle.

–Field Level Media

Lionel Messi, handed a one-game suspension by MLS for skipping the MLS All-Star Game, is “extremely upset” about the punishment, Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said Friday.

Messi and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were both sanctioned on Friday for sitting out the MLS All Stars’ 3-1 win against the Liga MX All-Stars on Wednesday in Austin, Texas. Both players were voted into the showcase by the fans and media, but neither featured.

Alba and Messi will be unavailable for Inter Miami’s match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Long-established league rules call for a one-game suspension for players who miss the All-Star Game without permission, but that didn’t prevent Mas for expressing the team’s dismay at the ruling.

Mas said of Messi’s response, “He’s very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. I’m hopeful it doesn’t have an impact long-term. Will it have an impact initially, in the players’ perception of how the league rules work? Absolutely no doubt.”

The owner added about Messi and Alba, “They want to compete. They want to play games. That’s what they’re here for: to play and win. They understand the magnitude of (Saturday) night’s game. So the reaction was exactly as expected out of two competitive players who don’t understand the decision, who don’t understand why not attending an exhibition match leads directly to a suspension.

“The rule is what it is, but they don’t understand it. … I think that the punishment for the rule is frankly draconian.”

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano pointed out Friday morning that his team had “played the most games so far this semester, by far” and that Messi “showed normal fatigue from the number of games and minutes he’s been playing,” per ESPN.

“Look, players always have discomfort, especially when they play every three days. But luckily, (Messi) is returning today,” Mascherano said.

Messi, 38, shares the MLS lead with 18 goals and has 10 assists in 17 league matches this season. The Argentine forward also made six starts in the Concacaf Champions Cup and four in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Alba, 36, has one goal and eight assists in 18 MLS matches. The Spanish defender made seven starts in the Champions Cup and one in the Club World Cup.

–Field Level Media