Matchday 17 marks the halfway point of the MLS season, while Vancouver reports for the Champions Cup final
We're halfway there, and some teams? Well, they're living on a prayer. Others? No need – they're excelling at a brilliant rate. Matchday 17 marks the official halfway point of the 2025 MLS campaign, and some big storylines are set to unfold.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are looking to become the second MLS team to lift the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but a massive Liga MX foe stands in their way – Cruz Azul. The Canadian outfit travels for a clash at the Estadio Olimpico in Mexico City, as Brian White and Co. look to bring MLS to the top of the continent.
In MLS action, two major conference matchups arrive that could be previews of the postseason.
The Seattle Sounders host Minnesota United Sunday night in the Western Conference, pitting two historic conference rivals in a match that brings two of the league's brightest managers to the touchline.
In the East, it's a showcase of heavyweights, as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami host the Columbus Crew – a rematch of the top-two finishers in the conference during the 2024 postseason.
GOAL dives into all that and more in The Kickoff, a weekly preview of each MLS Matchday.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportVancouver shoots for history
The lone MLS franchise to lift the Champions Cup were the Seattle Sounders in 2022. LAFC in 2023 and the Crew in 2024 both made it to the final, but lost. Vancouver are looking to end the streak.
Led by U.S. men's national team striker Brian White, the Canadian outfit is looking to lift the trophy for the first time in their first appearance in the competition's championship game. The 29-year-old has 10 goals in 12 appearances for the Whitecaps across MLS action this season, while in the Champions Cup, he has bagged six for the club en route to the final.
Cruz Azul, meanwhile, are seeking their seventh title in the tournament, dating back to 1969. last found victory in the tournament in 2013-14, but made a blistering run to this year's final, spearheaded by former LAFC star Mateusz Bogusz.
Notably, it's not the only major match between an MLS and Liga MX side this weekend, either, as LAFC and Club America clash Saturday night in a FIFA Club World Cup playoff game.
AdvertisementGettyMiami's last confidence boost
In their final tune-up ahead of the Club World Cup, Inter Miami clash with the Crew this weekend in a match between two of the East's finest. The sit sixth in the conference, and trail the fourth-placed Crew by just two points with a game in-hand.
Lionel Messi and Co. have had it rough of late, finding just two wins across their last eight in all competitions, but a major midweek performance from the Argentine and Luis Suarez will have them in high spirits. Messi and his Uruguayan compatriot each scored twice as the South Beach club defeated CF Montreal 4-2, snapping a four-game winless streak for the club.
The Crew, meanwhile, are in a bit of a rut. They're winless in five, but have four draws during that span, three of which came against teams that currently occupy spaces above them in the East standings.
By no means have they been poor, but they've struggled to close out matches. With a 1-0 loss to the earlier this campaign, this is Columbus's chance to exact revenge.
Getty Images SportThe West heats up
It's vs. Sounders in the West on Sunday, as two franchises who often find themselves in a tango dance at Lumen Field. Just one point separates them in the conference standings as Minnesota sits third and Seattle fourth.
Seattle has yet to lose at home this season, boasting a record of 5-0-2, while MNUFC has found results in six of their eight road matches, only trailing the Whitecaps in road form across the conference 16 weeks into the campaign.
The are coming off a midweek 0-0 draw with the Whitecaps, while Seattle arrives following an impressive home victory over San Diego FC in which Jesus Ferreira scored his first MLS goal for the club following his blockbuster transfer from FC Dallas in the offseason.
The two clubs have met 17 times since Minnesota joined the league in 2017, and the have only won once. Seattle boasts 14 wins against them.
The Sounders have outscored Minnesota 7-2 in their last three meetings across all competitions, but with the form that Eric Ramsay's men are in, could another road result for Minnesota be brewing? Or will Brian Schmetzer once again have their number?
Getty Images SportWhat's trending?
+ Reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy are still winless through 15 games this season, but they'll look to change that on Saturday when they host Real Salt Lake. RSL has already recorded a 2-0 victory over Greg Vanney's men this season.
+ St. Louis CITY SC will play their first match – Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes – under interim manager David Critchley, following the firing of Olof Mellberg on Tuesday. The club will be looking to snap an 11-match winless streak.