Which 7:30pm MLS Game Should You Watch? | OneFootball

This weekend’s MLS slate features 5 games kicking off at 7:30pm ET. Each of them has unique storylines, whether it’s East vs. West or first vs. last. I’m here to preview all 5 fixtures and rank them from best to worst to help you decide which game to watch Saturday night. Let’s get into it, starting with the most enticing match.

Disclaimer: I am not liable if the game you decide to watch ends 0-0.

1. New England Revolution vs. Charlotte FC

The best matchup of the main slate sees a battle of 4th vs. 5th in the Eastern Conference. Both teams come into this after getting knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup midweek and will look to bounce back with full strength lineups. The Revolution fully rotated for their cup match, with all 11 starters from last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami not even in the Wednesday night squad.

The fully rested Revs have a chance to make it 6 matches unbeaten in league play, winning 4 on the bounce before that draw in Miami. Matt Turner has been arguably the best keeper in the league this season and Argentinian winger Luca Langoni is enjoying a breakout season, already registering a goal and 6 assists.

Charlotte began the season well but have now lost 3 games in a row and will try to right the ship in Foxborough. It’s the battle of the Spanish magicians as Charlotte playmaker Pep Biel attempts to snatch the crown from New England’s Carles Gil, who has been one of the best players in MLS since he arrived in 2019.

Biel has been electric himself, following up last year’s 10 goals and 12 assists with 5g/4a in the first 10 matches of 2026. Star winger Wilfried Zaha has been in the headlines recently with heavy rumors of his time in Charlotte coming to an end this summer. He missed their last league game against Nashville but is now off the injury report, so the former Crystal Palace man could be in action this weekend.

Fun fact: The last 2 league wins for both teams came by a scoreline of 2-1. I’m backing that trend to continue here, with the home team narrowly getting it done.

Prediction: New England Revolution 2-1 Charlotte FC

2. Columbus Crew vs. Minnesota United

A very close 2nd is Columbus Crew hosting Minnesota United in an East vs. West clash. Columbus got off to a slow start this season but are building momentum under first year manager Henrik Rydström, winning their last 2 MLS matches. The key player to watch for the Crew is USMNT wingback Max Arfsten, who has been deputizing in a new role as an inverted right winger. It’s working, with Arfsten providing an assist in his first match there against LA Galaxy and then opening the scoring against Philadelphia Union last weekend. Minnesota’s left wingback Anthony Markanich has had a good start to the season, so his 1v1 matchup with Arfsten will be intriguing to watch.

For Minnesota, all the attention will be on new signing James Rodríguez. The former World Cup Golden Boot winner made his first MLS start for the Loons last weekend. He was impressive despite the loss, taking 6 shots and creating 5 chances for his teammates. He’ll be looking to record his first goal contribution with his new club against a Crew team that has been defensively solid, only allowing 1.3 goals per match. Minnesota themselves have struggled to score and I think that will remain the case this weekend.

Prediction: Columbus Crew 1-1 Minnesota United

3. Red Bull New York vs. FC Dallas

Another East vs. West fixture comes in at 3rd. What this game lacks in quality it will make up for in goals, as RBNY games have averaged 4.1 goals and FC Dallas games have averaged 3.3 goals so far this season. Red Bulls made waves with their youth movement early on in the season but have cooled off since and are winless in their last 4 MLS matches. Despite the recent dip in form, teenagers Julian Hall (18) and Adri Mehmeti (17) have been superb. Hall has 9 goals and 2 assists in 12 matches while Mehmeti has been a midfield metronome, ranking 7th in MLS for Goals Added from passing.

However, New York’s leaky defense will be a problem with Golden Boot leader Petar Musa coming to town. The Croatian striker has scored half of Dallas’ goals this season (9/18) and is well positioned to hit double digits against a Red Bull backline that is tied for the 2nd most goals allowed in the league. Dallas has struggled to create chances since Bernard Kamungo went down with a lower leg injury, but offseason acquisition Santiago Moreno just got his first assist last match. He’ll need to be at his best if they want to get their first away win over Red Bulls in 20 years.

Prediction: Red Bull New York 2-2 FC Dallas

4. Atlanta United vs. CF Montréal

In terms of the actual quality of both teams playing, this match ranks last. Atlanta and Montréal sit 13th and 12th in the East respectively with a combined goal difference of -15. However, both clubs have started to pick up form as of late and are both on 2 game win streaks. Atlanta has found success largely through Alexey Miranchuk, who has scored 5 of their 9 MLS goals this season and added another in their Open Cup win over Charlotte midweek. On the other hand, big name signings Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almirón have struggled. Despite shelling out upwards of $30 million on the DP pair, the team has actually played better without them on the pitch.

Montréal only has 3 wins this season and all of them came against the New York teams, beating Red Bulls twice and NYCFC once. Interim manager Philippe Eullaffroy has won both of his matches in charge of the French Canadian side, doing so by a combined score of 5-1. Striker Prince Owusu has been excellent, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists for an average of a goal contribution per game. The last meeting between these teams ended with a 1-1 draw and that’s what I think is going to happen again.

Prediction: Atlanta United 1-1 CF Montréal

5. Philadelphia Union vs. Nashville SC

After winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2025, there was nowhere to go but down for the Philadelphia Union. What no one predicted was how far down they’d actually go. Philly currently sits dead last in the Eastern Conference with just 5 points through 10 games. The offseason departures of Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Tai Baribo, and Mikael Uhre have left gaping holes that the new signings haven’t been able to fill. Striker duo Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh have combined for a whopping 0 goals and 1 assist. Just when it looked like the Union might finally catch a break, they conceded an equalizer to Toronto FC’s goalkeeper in the 96th minute. Last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew encapsulated Philly’s season perfectly, with both goals coming due to defensive errors and the attack looking toothless all night.

If Nashville were playing almost any other team, their game would be ranked first. They’ve been almost unstoppable to start 2026, losing just once in MLS. The duo of Hany Mukhtar and new signing Cristian Espinoza has been the best in the league, scoring 3 goals and providing 5 assists apiece. The only concern for Nashville in this game is that they’re without striker Sam Surridge, who’s tied with the aforementioned Petar Musa for the Golden Boot lead. They also likely have one eye on the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal against Tigres, which will be played on Tuesday.

Prediction: Philadelphia Union 0-3 Nashville SC