MLS Week 14 Midweek Preview: Zlatan returns, D.C. looks to stay on top of East

Wednesday’s five-game slate in Major League Soccer begins an 11-day stretch in which MLS games will be played on eight days 

Four of Wednesday’s contests take place in Eastern Conference stadiums, but only one of those matchups features a pair of teams from the East. 

The final contest to kick off on Wednesday involves a pair of Western Conference sides who both got out of losing slumps in Week 13. 

Of the 10 teams in action on Wednesday, seven are currently in playoff positions in their respective conferences. 

A major shakeup could occur in the East on Wednesday night since four of the top five teams in the standings take to the field. 

Below is a look at some of the top storylines to watch on Wednesday night. 

Week 14 Wednesday Schedule

Minnesota United at Atlanta United (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Real Salt Lake at Montreal Impact (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN 5, ESPN+)

Colorado Rapids at Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Chicago Fire at D.C. United (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

LA Galaxy at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Storylines to Watch 

1. How Will Minnesota’s Defense Deal Fare Without Metanire? 

May 25, 2019; Saint Paul, MN, Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota United defender Romain Metanire (19) controls the ball as Houston Dynamo midfielder Matias Vera (22) gives chase during the second half of a match at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Romain Metanire has been one of the best defenders in MLS this season, but he will miss Wednesday’s trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium because of yellow-card accumulation. 

The road game at Atlanta is one of the worst for Metanire to miss since he would have been able to limit the production of the Five Stripes in one quadrant of the field. 

Rookie Hassani Dotson, who played well on Saturday against Houston, and veteran Eric Miller will be tasked with limiting the quality runs made by Atlanta’s front four. 

If Pity Martinez, Julian Gressel, Josef Martinez and others are able to interchange spots in the final third right away, the Loons could be overwhelmed. 

But losing Metanire for Wednesday doesn’t cast off Minnesota’s chances of earning points. In stark contrast to previous seasons, the Loons have a positive goal differential and have three road wins through 13 games. 

It’s also worth noting each of the previous three meetings between the two teams have been won by the road side. 

2. Can Piette Limit the Impact of Rusnak? 

May 18, 2019; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Impact midfielder Samuel Piette (6) plays the ball during the second half against the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best individual matchups on Wednesday’s slate isn’t one you’d pay attention to right away. 

Montreal’s Samuel Piette, who has quietly put together a strong MLS career in defensive midfield, is set to square off with Real Salt Lake playmaker Albert Rusnak.

Other players have scored for RSL during its three-game winning streak, but Rusnak is the player who pulls the strings in attack for the majority of the 90 minutes. 

If Piette is able to put the clamps of Rusnak’s productivity, it will make life much harder for Bofo Saucedo, Jefferson Savarino and Corey Baird to create chances.

Piette’s ability to clog up the middle of the field should also help the Impact counter down the field in a fast manner, which is one of the team’s best qualities. 

A victory would be massive for the Impact, who have three games at Stade Saputo in the next week before the Concacaf Gold Cup break. 

3. Can the Union Be More Accurate In Front of Goal? 

May 25, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri (8) celebrates his goal with defender Zarek Valentin (16) against the Philadelphia Union during the second half at Talen Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia’s form in front of goal came to screeching halt in the last two games against Seattle and Portland. 

The Union were frustrated by the bunkered defensive style of the Western Conference opponents, and they are likely to face a similar strategy from the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night. 

While the Rapids aren’t as well-rounded as the Sounders or Timbers, they do come into Talen Energy Stadium off their first two wins of the season. 

Colorado is playing with a new-found confidence under interim manager Conor Casey and it has scored four goals in the last two games.

The problem with the Rapids all season long has been their defending. They’ve given up a league-high 32 goals, which on paper, looks promising for the Union. 

The Union generated 38 shots in the last two games, but only put 11 of them on target and scored one goal. 

In order to remain near the top of the East, the Union need to beat a team like Colorado at home ahead of a tricky Sunday road trip to Minnesota. 

While it won’t be their biggest test of the year, the Union still need to come out and outperform the Rapids in front of goal in order to regain a bit of confidence. 

4. Will D.C. Keep Up Strong Defensive Form at Audi Field? 

Mar 31, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; D.C. United midfielder Chris McCann (16) and defender Steve Birnbaum (15) talk during the first half at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

D.C. United has given up eight goals in seven games at Audi Field in 2019. 

The statistic becomes even more impressive when you realize half of those goals were scored in one game by Los Angeles FC back on April 6. 

The Black-and-Red have four clean sheets in their home stadium, and they have an opportunity to add to that number against the Chicago Fire. 

A home game is a welcome sight to the first-place side in the East, who maneuvered through a tricky three-game road swing in which it earned draws against East foes Toronto and New England and lost to Houston. 

D.C.’s defense appears to have an easy task on its hands to continue the run of form at Audi Field. 

Outside of the five-goal thumping of New England on May 8, the Fire have scored four goals since the start of May and Nemanja Nikolic has struggled to get going in front of net. 

5. What Will Zlatan Produce After Two Games On the Bench? 

May 11, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (9) moves in for a shot on goal against New York City during the second half at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two-game suspension kept him out of the LA Galaxy’s loss to Colorado and win over Orlando.

On Wednesday, Ibrahimovic is expected to make his return to the field to take on a Sporting Kansas City defense that has a renewed sense of confidence after holding on to beat Seattle on Sunday.

However, Sporting KC still conceded twice to the Sounders and Peter Vermes’ side has let in 22 goals through 12 games. 

The opportunity is there for Ibrahimovic to capitalize on his aerial ability from the countless crosses the Galaxy produce on a game-by-game basis, especially with Matt Besler not at full strength yet in his recovery from a hamstring issue. 

Sporting KC is still far from full strength at most positions, and if there was ever a time for the Galaxy to steal points from Children’s Mercy Park, it would be on Wednesday with a fresh Ibrahimovic.

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