The 2026 MLS season creeps closer towards the 2026 World Cup.
Just two weeks of MLS remain before the 2026 World Cup. | Jordan Bank/Getty Images, Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images, Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images, Omar Vega/Getty Images, Blake Dahlin/ISI Photos/Getty Images There are just two weekends to go until MLS hits the pause button and sees many of its players take to their national teams for the 2026 World Cup.
After a busy, record-breaking midweek slate that saw 58 goals for the highest scoring matchday in league history, this weekend’s round of action promises to bring some thrilling contests as well. Headlined by the first regular season Hudson River Derby of 2026 and a race atop the Western Conference, the two days of games provide some must-watch soccer, with 12 matches on Saturday and three on Sunday.weren’t supposed to contend for the MLS Cup playoffs in 2026, but with just two games to go until the World Cup break, they’re right in the mix.
Led by Prince Owusu’s six goals and some positive play from Matty Longstaff, they have three wins, a draw and a loss in their last five.are back on the road for the final two weeks ahead of the World Cup, as BMO Field becomes Toronto Stadium while it prepares to host six tournament games this summer. The Reds are coming off a dismal week, losing to Inter Miami and to CPL side Atlético Ottawa, dropping them out of the Canadian Championship.
This week, they remain heavily injured and likely without Josh Sargent, as they hope to break down, who will lean on a frustrated Wilfried Zaha, after he missed out on the Côte d’Ivoire World Cup squad.had a nice spell of two wins and a draw before a midweek loss to Chicago Fire, but will hope to turn things around quickly when they host struggling Western Conference side, Romanian striker Louis Munteanu has four goals this season and is in form, giving D.C. another attacking focus in addition to Tai Baribo heading into this weekend.are off to a record start on home turf at Gillette Stadium.
They won the first six home games before losing 3–0 to Nashville SC on Wednesday and will look to re-establish their fortress form against While Luca Langoni and Carles Gil lead the attack for the Revs, goalkeeper Matt Turner and his backline won’t have to worry about Minnesota’s James Rodríguez, who has now left the club for Colombia’s World Cup training camp and is not expected to return after the tournament.7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT The first MLS Hudson River Derby of the season takes center stage on the Saturday schedule with both teams tied on 18 points in the middle of the Eastern Conference.are in strong form as well, with back-to-back wins over Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC.
They also hold the leg up after winning the U.S. Open Cup battle between the Tri-State sides 3–1 on April 29. For two teams at the bottom end of the Eastern Conference, there’s a surprising amount of potentially World Cup-bound talent between. For Orlando, Maxime Crépeau , Marco Pašalić , and Braian Ojeda are expected to be at the tournament. At the same time, Atlanta’s Paraguayan duo of Miguel Almirón and Matías Galarza could also join them.
If you’re a World Cup fan, especially a Paraguayan one, tune into this game. Otherwise? It’s probably a relative stalemate between two sides that haven’t quite hit their stride this season.matchup would have been must-watch TV between two potential Eastern Conference contenders. Now, it’s a battle for positioning in the middle of the table, with valuable points in the playoff race up for grabs.
The Union are likely already out of playoff contention after one win in 13 games, but can some World Cup-bound players, like Haiti’s Danley Jean Jacques, begin to find some form?. After falling 5–0 to San Diego FC on Wednesday, Los Verdes need a big bounce back, so who better to play than a team that has won just twice this season?
SKC are coming off a win against the LA Galaxy midweek, but do not have many threats outside of Dejan Joveljić, who said, “Can we play them every week? ” when asked about the Galaxy—the only side his team has beaten this season.
USMNT World Cup hopeful, Sebastian Berhalter, where Berhalter will look to ball out against 2025 Gold Cup teammate Jack McGlynn, who is looking for a last-gasp effort at the USMNT World Cup squad.have a Sporting Kansas City problem. SKC have beaten just one team this year, and it’s happened twice, with the Galaxy falling to the worst team in MLS on both occasions, including on Wednesday night.this weekend, holding hopes that Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec can keep up some strong attacking form against an elite Western Conference team, which knocked off San Jose midweek.
Has Zavier Gozo done enough to play himself onto the USMNT as an 18-year-old? After a brace in Wednesday’s win over the Dynamo, the dynamic youngster is up to five goals and four assists this season. He’s leading his, where he likely has a better chance at the national team for the World Cup than opponents Paxten Aaronson and Zack Steffen, who at one point looked like locks for the roster.
Pedro Soma scored one of San Diego's five goals in a beatdown on Austin FC on Wednesday. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Imagesgot exactly what they needed: a big win. After struggling as a sophomore team and dealing with the sidelined, expensive situation surrounding Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, the group finally found an offensive explosion, beating Austin FC 5–0 at home.
With the feeling of scoring still fresh, they’ll hope to continue that this weekend as they face a testingfell for just the second time in 2026 on Wednesday, losing 3–2 in the final minutes to the Seattle Sounders in front of over 28,000 at Lumen Field. The loss and Vancouver’s win saw the Earthquakes fall off the Supporters’ Shield lead, and they will hope to find their way back into the mix this weekend against Yet, manager Bruce Arena’s side will forge ahead without Niko Tsakiris, who is out for several months, as well as Timo Werner while he continues to work his way back from injury.
After dropping Maxi Falcón from the starting center back pairing, Inter Miami has had far fewer defensive lapses, allowing Lionel Messi even more space to provide the spectacular in attack. The 38-year-old Argentine scored a brace in themidweek, bringing him to 11 goals and five assists on the season. There’s no reason that should slow down this weekend either, taking on a strugglingmeet each other at the perfect time.
After enduring deep runs into the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the two sides have struggled with fatigue, injuries and adjustments, as they find their rhythm back in regular-season MLS competition. LAFC lean on Denis Bouanga, given Son Heung-min’s underwhelming form in 2026, while Nashville turn to Hany Mukhtar and Cristian Espinoza, as well as Warren Madrigal and Bryan Acosta, with talismanic striker Sam Surridge unavailable.
It’s two similar sides at this point, with Sunday providing an opportunity for both. Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
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