Week seven across what has been a great start to the 2025 MLS season is upon us, with talking points aplenty to mull over in the run-up to all the action this weekend.
As the league continues its celebrations in honor of reaching the 30-year mark, here are some of the key discussion topics to dive into.
Fixture of the weekend
A fitting fixture to bed into this weekend, for many, could well be a clash between MLS original clubs San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United.
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If nostalgia is your thing, then there is no better meeting on the docket to tune into, but in terms of pure entertainment potential, Philadelphia Union’s home clash against Orlando City takes the cake.
Sporting the highest goal return (15) across MLS thus far, Orlando knows how to find the back of the net under Óscar Pareja. But what they still struggle with is how to stop them at the other end.
Having surrendered 12 goals, the joint most allowed across the entire league, the Union manager Bradley Carnell and league-leading goalscorer Tai Baribo may be licking their lips ahead of their meeting along the Delaware River.
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Philadelphia are no slouches in the final third either, with the Union boasting 13 goals of their own.
The question could well end up being just how many goals the two sides will combine for by the end of 90 minutes, and if for nothing else, attacking excellence will always entertain.
Player to watch
It may bore some fans to continue with discourse surrounding Lionel Messi, but with a potential historic appearance on the back of a lackluster performance in midweek, it was too good to pass up.
Messi and Inter Miami labored during their 1-0 loss against LAFC in the first leg of the Champions Cup quarter-finals, with Messi looking off the boil in the process.
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But the diminutive Argentine may have enough motivation given what is at stake Sunday night against visiting Toronto FC.
Should Messi bank a goal or an assist against Toronto, he would become the all-time leading goal contributor in Inter Miami history, passing compatriot Gonzalo Higuaín, who he currently sits alongside.
Already owning club records for assists (20), Messi also has an outside chance of becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, needing seven goals across the rest of the season to surpass Higuaín’s 29.
Two questions ahead of the matchday
Will LA Galaxy finally bank their first win of the season?
While it remains difficult to narrow it down to just two, perhaps the biggest question ahead of matchday seven comes by way of MLS Cup holders LA Galaxy.
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Currently residing in 13th in the Western Conference and just one point ahead of bottom-dwelling Sporting Kansas City, Greg Vanney and the Galaxy are a shadow of themselves in the early doors of the 2025 season.
Thankfully for Galax fans, some measure of reprieve has been found during their run in the Champions Cup which has them 90 minutes away from a semi-final appearance should they claw their way past Mexican outfit Tigres UNAL.
With momentum building in competitive knockout play, can Vanney translate that into MLS when they clash with Real Salt Lake at America First Field?
Can Charlotte FC hit an MLS milestone at home?
Charlotte FC is one of the biggest stories across the MLS landscape as the young 2025 season begins to shake out.
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Under the guidance of Dean Smith, The Crown is gunning for the upper echelons of the Eastern Conference as they jointly sit fifth in the table and just three points off an impressive Inter Miami at the top of the pile.
For Smith, new star man Wilfried Zaha, and the rest of their band of merry men, brilliant home form to begin the new season has been at the core of their results.
Banking three wins from three thus far, Charlotte has a chance to reach a milestone MLS marker should they secure all three points against a tricky Nashville SC side at Bank of America Stadium, becoming the fifth-fastest team in league history to reach 100 points at home.
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Passing the test would go a long way to supplement their resumé as a club with a real shot at a deep playoff run.
📸 Feature image credit: © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
