Major League Soccer clubs are dealing with roster complications from the international competition schedule, the fixtures roll on as the American soccer schedule continues with MLS Matchday 20. On a busy Saturday featuring twelve MLS matches, many eyes were turned towards Philadelphia to see how Inter Miami performed without its stars.
Meanwhile, across the rest of the league, young stars took center stage in an exciting weekend of football action in the middle of June. Colorado, Montreal, and New England are just a few of the teams that benefited from additional youth in the lineup for MLS Matchday 20.
Inter Miami’s Dramatic 2-Man Down Win In Philly
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In an undisciplined road display, Inter Miami had TWO players sent off the pitch with red cards on Saturday night in Chester, PA. The first red card was shown near the 65th minute David Ruiz accumulated a second yellow card on a tackle of Philly’s Leon Flach. At the 85th minute, a second yellow was flashed to Thomas Aviles for delaying a restart.
Despite the adversity, Leo Afonso scored a stoppage-time game-winner, 2-1, to sink the Union’s battleship on the shores of the Delaware River in MLS Matchday 20.
These Kids Are Alright on MLS Matchday 20
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With the international competition schedule, new opportunities are available for young players who likely would not find the lineup as easily without players like Messi, Oliver Giroud, or Coco Carrasquilla roaming the pitch. Orlando City bench boss Oscar Pareja is trying to keep the same message for his less-than-full-strength squad.
“I always say that opens up opportunities for other players that need more opportunities, more time or more minutes. The national teams, you cannot avoid that, players are with their groups. But the ones that stay here, we’re just trying to become stronger and just review the things we need to.”
In MLS Matchday 20, the next generation of the MLS showed up in a BIG way. Homegrown midfield Cole Bassett, 22, found the back of the net for the 25th time this season claiming the honors as the youngest 25-goal scorer in Rapids history in a 2-0 Colorado win over Austin.
Sticking with the homegrown middie theme, the teenage New England pair of Noel Buck and Esmir Bajrakterovic helped the Revs secure a 3-2 win over Vancouver on MLS Matchday 20.
Finally, 22-year-0ld goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois recorded a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with the top club in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake. With his 15th clean sheet, Sirois becomes the fourth-youngest goaltender in MLS history to reach that milestone.
Acosta Assists Kubo’s Substitution Hat Trick For Cincinnati
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In a ten-minute post-substitution explosion for Cincinnati FC, 30-year-old striker Yuya Kubo’s three goals powered Cincy past San Jose, 4-2. Kuba entered in the 64th minute of the match before proceeding to net the second-speediest hat trick in the last two decades of MLS action.
Not to be outshined, Luciano Acosta assisted on all three of Kuba’s scores. Acosta now tied Lionel Messi for the MLS lead in assists with 13. The remainder of the MLS Matchday 20 scoreboard can be found here.
About The Author
Christopher Babos is a genuine sports & entertainment journalist with diverse credentials in writing, broadcasting, and digital media. He can be located on X for real-time takes (@CBabosWrites). With various roles in the sports industry over two decades, Chris can speak with authority on the topics he covers.
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