Midweek U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship and Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup action kicks off a huge week for MLS clubs chasing trophies and an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot.
Friday Night Hudson River Derby Kicks off MLS Weekend
Arguably the biggest game of the MLS weekend will be the first one when New York City FC host Red Bull New York at Yankee Stadium on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV) in a rivalry contest with significant Audi MLS Cup Playoff implications.
Entering this week, New York City sits in eighth place (32 points, 8-9-8) and just two points ahead of their rivals Red Bull New York in 10th place (30 points, 8-11-6). A victory across the river in the Bronx would see Red Bull New York back in a playoff position and potentially push their main rivals out of a postseason place with just eight regular-season games remaining.
In regular-season action, New York City has been dominant recently in the rivalry, going unbeaten in the last six matchups with four wins. They have also lost just once in their last 11 regular-season home games against Red Bull New York. The good news for the visitors is they’re coming off a resilient road win versus the Columbus Crew and will hope their young stars like Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall can push them to a key rivalry win.
St. Louis CITY SC Looking to Reach First Final in Club History
Wednesday night’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals could prove to be historic for all four MLS sides, with a special spotlight for St. Louis CITY SC as they chase their first final in club history.
After a historic inaugural season in MLS, Wednesday night’s clash against the Colorado Rapids marks the best chance the club has had to reach a final in their first four years. Even better news for St. Louis is they are in-form right now, having extended their 15-game regular-season unbeaten run with a 4-2 win over Minnesota United FC. Since returning from the World Cup break, St. Louis has scored 26 goals, including 21 from open play—both among the league's best. However, the club will not have Rafael Navarro who is cup-tied, having already played for Colorado in the competition earlier this year.
On the other side, the Rapids are looking to reach their first final since they won MLS Cup in 2010 and have revamped their attack after trading Navarro to St. Louis for a record fee. That investment went into multiple players, including club-record signing Morgan Whittaker, who looked impressive in his first appearance for the club on Saturday.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park should be rocking on Wednesday night as the Rapids look to spoil a historic first for the visitors from St. Louis.
Levi’s Stadium Hosts Massive San Jose Earthquakes vs. LAFC Contest
The San Jose Earthquakes are heading back to Levi’s Stadium and after back-to-back years of thrilling matches against LAFC, Saturday’s matchup should add another exciting chapter to the history books (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV).
With a club-record 50,978 fans in attendance last season at Levi’s Stadium, San Jose and LAFC played to a thrilling back-and-forth contest with LAFC winning 4-2. Led by star forward Timo Werner and breakout 21-year-old Niko Tsakiris, San Jose will aim to get revenge on LAFC in front of a big crowd and draw on their previous 3-1 victory they had at the stadium just two years ago.
For LAFC, reinforcements have come in the form of new signing Armindo Sieb from FC Bayern and the return of Igor Jesus after his extended injury absence. Their dynamic duo of Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min will relish coming back to Levi’s Stadium after the two combined to score all four goals in last season’s win, punctuated by a Bouanga hat trick. In a supercharged atmosphere, Saturday’s showdown should be one of the best of the evening.
Messi Chases Another Trophy in Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup
The annual Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup, a single match between the reigning MLS and LIGA MX champions, is this Wednesday and features Inter Miami CF taking on Cruz Azul at Nu Stadium (8 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV). It will also be the first championship match hosted at Nu Stadium.
It will mark the first meeting between the clubs since the historic inaugural Leagues Cup tournament match in 2023, which saw Inter Miami defeat Cruz Azul 2-1 on a heroic last-minute free-kick goal by Lionel Messi, who was making his Inter Miami debut. For Messi, this is another chance to add a trophy to his already legendary collection, as the trophy would be his fourth with Inter Miami and the 48th of his career.
For Cruz Azul, they return to the Campeones Cup for the first time since 2021, when they fell to the Columbus Crew. La Máquina is led by several 2026 FIFA World Cup participants, including captain and 2026 LIGA MX All-Star Érik Lira. With a trophy on the line, Nu Stadium should see plenty of fireworks on Wednesday evening.
