We’re watching MLS this weekend, because it’s free on Apple TV.

There’s cold weather all over the Pacific Coast of the United States. Wear layers, drink water, and stay safe so you can enjoy OL Reign on Saturday night, Seattle Sounders on Sunday night and if you want, you can even catch Portland on Monday due to their match being rescheduled.

Timbers MLS home opener postponed to Monday - Stumptown Footy
Due to extreme snow, Portland will now kickoff their 2023 MLS season at 7 p.m. on Monday night.

MLS

ASN article: Western Conference Preview & Predictions: LAFC & Dallas rank high
Seattle predicted at 4th

ASN article: Eastern Conference Preview: Philly Love, Strong in New York, Orlando improved
Philly, the only good team that sells players regularly.

ASN article: McGlynn, Tolkin, & Wiley top list of 20 Young Americans to watch in 2023 MLS season
Only Obed ranks from Seattle, at 4th. But the honorable mentions include three Sounders.

Ranking all 29 MLS teams by tier for 2023 | MLSSoccer.com
Sounders in Tier II, contenders, only clearly behind Philly and LAFC

MLS executives make picks for MLS Cup winner and offer Leagues Cup, playoff format thoughts - The Athletic
Speaking freely on league matters, 20 sporting executives from around the league offer unvarnished takes on the league in 2023

MLS Season Pass Commercial Costing on DirecTV : MLS
$100 for MLS Season Pass, cheaper than other business access to soccer

Timbers home opener against Sporting Kansas City postponed to Monday, February 27 | PTFC
The 2023 season home opener is now set to kick off Monday at 7:00 pm PT at Providence Park.

FC Cincinnati assistant Dominic Kinnear on "formation, freedom, ability, and then opportunity" | US Soccer Players
Charles Boehm talks to FC Cincinnati assistant coach Dominic Kinnear about the club's offense and opportunity in 2023 after a standout season.

MLS Players Association becomes AFL-CIO affiliate
The MLSPA has followed the player associations of MLB, NFL, NWSL, WNBA and the USWNT in joining the AFL-CIO.

The Lantern | A Chicago Soccer Newsletter | Patreon
Support our brethren covering Chicago soccer

other men’s club soccer

Fan punches Sevilla keeper Dmitrovic in Europa League tie
A fan ran onto the field in PSV Eindhoven's match against Sevilla and punched the Spanish team's goalkeeper before being wrestled to the ground.

United States national teams

SheBelieves Cup 2023: 3 things we learned about the USWNT - The Gaming Society
A 3-0 tournament run was inspiring but not without some shades of doubt.

other international soccer

Ali Riley saddened by Visit Saudi World Cup sponsorship, reflects on 150 New Zealand caps - The Athletic
New Zealand captain Ali Riley can't wait to show the world her country and teammates.

How did the 32 nations heading down under fair in the first international break of the year?
Some of the top nations thrived as expected, while others still have work to do, and what of the eight nations preparing for a first shot at a World Cup?

Puget Sound soccer

Five things to know when OL Reign host Club América - Sounder At Heart
The preseason match kicks off at 7:30 PM at Starfire Stadium.

International Recap: International Window Ends with U.S. Victory — OL REIGN: WE ARE THE BOLD

'Everyone has to follow with their lives'. Héber opens up about leaving New York City for the Seattle Sounders - Território MLS
Almost two months after leaving New York towards the Pacific Northwest, the now former New York City's striker Héber opened up a bit about his decision to

Open Flavor Friday

Eight classic board games I'll always play
It's not all about new games around here.

Rough & Tumble: Seattle’s women’s sports destination – Equalizer Soccer ($)

West Seattle Blog… | Inspired by the Duwamish River? Learn to put it into words
In all its roles, the Duwamish can be a source of inspiration, and a writer who grew up in West Seattle wants you to know about a writing workshop he’s leading soon

That d20 in my pocket | Full Moon Storytelling
Maybe by putting a die in my pocket I feel I control chance. Maybe it was to remind me that once I hid my nerd and now I don't.

Fundraiser by Mark Kastner : Funds for folks affected by SBNation shutdowns
On Friday, January 20, Vox Media made the decision to shut down more than… Mark Kastner needs your support for Funds for folks affected by SBNation shutdowns

What to Watch

As always, Major Link Soccer is your MLS open thread for the weekend.

MLS Season Pass is free for everyone this weekend. I’m picking one match per time slot to highlight.

Friday

12:00 pm PT — Fulham men vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on USA Network, Universo and NBCSports.com

5:00 pm PT — Canada U17 men vs USA U17 in the Concacaf U17 semis on FS2, ViX+ and FoxSports.com

Saturday

1:30 pm PT — Nashville SC vs New York City on FOX, Fox Deportes and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The first match of 2023.

4:30 PM — Philadelphia Union vs Columbus Crew on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The Union are fun to watch and Crew have a new coach.

5:30 pm PT — Austin FC vs St. Louis City SC on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Welcome to the league St. Louis (also I’m in Austin for this one).

6:30 pm PT — LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Everyone is hurt and its waaaaaay to cold for SoCal.

7:30 pm PT — Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (I’ve said this too much already and it’s Match Day 1).

7:30 pm PT — OL Reign vs Club América at Starfire and on Fox 13.

Five things to know when OL Reign host Club América

Sunday

11:45 am PT — Olympique Marseille men vs PSG on Fanatiz and beIn Sports

12:00 pm PT — Florida Tropics SC vs Tacoma Stars on Twitch

2:00 pm PT — CONCACAF U17 men: Final on FS2 and FoxSports.com

5:00 pm PT — Seattle Sounders FC (that’s us!) vs Colorado Rapids at Lumen Field and on FS1, Fox Deportes and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.