LA Galaxy forward Miguel Berry (27) dribbles against Inter Miami CF defender Tomas Aviles (6) and defender DeAndre Yedlin (2) during the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
You’ll need to be a night owl depending on what coast you’re on for two of these, but they’re definitely worth staying up for
Whether you’re an MLS aficionado or a newcomer coming courtesy of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, there’s plenty to stay for — specifically in the Western Conference — now that Major League Soccer has returned — and we’re set to head into week No. 2. Not sure which match to tune into? Start by checking out the ones that haven’t been put behind an Apple TV paywall.
One of those is a soon-to-be Florida rivalry between Miami and Orlando on Saturday (4:30 p.m., FOX) at the newly renamed Chase Stadium on Ft. Lauderdale.
But this hit is partial to the matches on the Western Conference side of things and here are three we handpicked as must-watch.
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LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman (11) celebrates with defender Ryan Hollingshead (left) and forward Denis Bouanga (middle) after scoring a goal against the Seattle Sounders FC during the first half at BMO Stadium.
LAFC at Real Salt Lake
Saturday, 2 p.m. Apple TV, MLS Season Pass
OK, so this one you’ll need to have Season Pass to watch, but it’s a good one. Last week, even in the loss to Miami that took heroics from Messi and Co., to pull off, Real Salt Lake showed off a potent attacking corps, spearheaded by designated player Diego Luna.
Luna and Salt Lake will look to get back on their horse against reigning MLS champions LAFC, who had quite the offseason, filled with players moves, and their best player in Denis Bouanga pining for European pastures. Didn’t seem like there was a major hiccup in LAFC’s step opening the season with a 2-1 win over Seattle last Saturday.
Los Angeles Galaxy at San Jose
Saturday, 10:30 p.m., Apple TV, MLS Season Pass
A Cali Claśico in week No. 2? Pretty cool. How about this classic rivalry match in the highly anticipated opening of PayPal Park, San Jose’s shiny new digs? Both go down as the late night special or primetime special for those of you on the West Coast and should be a good one. The Galaxy tied Miami at home last week while San Jose is looking for its first win of the year after a loss in the season opener to Dallas and can’t think of a better way to do so than christening your new building with a W.
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Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei (24) reacts after a goal against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium last season.
Austin at Seattle
Saturday, 10:30 p.m., Apple TV, MLS Season Pass
Normally, we’d try to not suggest two games playing at the same time, but the beauty of Season Pass is that you can relive these game whenever you want. This would be the game to watch later over another California Classic, but Seattle, even after week one has emerged as one of the better teams in MLS — moving up to the No. 5 spot in MLS Power Rankings. When these two met last season each team took home a 2-1 win, splitting the series. New year, similar nucleus … should be interesting to see what unfolds.
