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• Charlotte FC v D.C. United: Lesesne hoping to tune out distractions ahead of trip to the Crown

  Troy Lesesne is confident that D.C. United have the right players to get a result against a "difficult" Charlotte FC on Saturday.

  D.C. have failed to win any of their last five matches, though did come from 2-0 down against Toronto FC to draw before the mid-season break.

  They sit 10th in the Eastern Conference with 19 points, and despite missing a lot of players, Lesesne believes he has a squad capable of snapping their winless streak.

  "We're not going to put energy into what we don't have," he said. "We're going to put all our focus onto a difficult opponent in Charlotte. It's a great atmosphere there, but it's a team we feel we can match up against and hopefully get some points.

  "We have a task at hand and a capable group to get the job done this weekend. We have to concentrate on the things that we need to concentrate on, not the distractions, not the excuses.

  "We have young talented players in this squad that can make an impact, and they can handle the pressure."

  Meanwhile, Charlotte sit five places above them in the table and have six points more.

  Despite finishing the first half of the season with a 3-2 victory over Atlanta United, defender Adilson Malanda thinks the club could be in an even stronger position.

  Malanda said: "I think we could look better, we've given points away, but I think we're ready for the second part. Big part of dropping points was away, so we want to fix that to stay where we are, but it's important we win at home too."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Charlotte FC – Liel Abada

  Abada scored Charlotte’s first multi-goal game of 2024 in the Crown’s 3-2 win over Atlanta. Abada is the eighth different Charlotte player to score multiple goals in a match, with only Inter Miami (nine) has more different players with a multi-goal game since the start of the 2022 season.

  D.C. United – Mateusz Klich

  Klich earned a valuable point with his late penalty in D.C.’s 2-2 draw with Toronto FC last time out. He is their joint-second scorer this season with two goals but is still 11 behind Christian Benteke’s tally of 13.

  MATCH PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE FC WIN

  The home team have not lost any of the four meetings between Charlotte and D.C. United, with Charlotte recording a win and a draw in two matches at Bank of America Stadium. D.C. did not score in either match, one of two teams that have made multiple visits there without ever scoring (Inter Miami).

  Charlotte have won four of their last seven matches (D2 L1) including a 3-2 win at Atlanta on June 2. The 14 points over the last seven games equals the second-most in any seven-game span in the club’s MLS history (15 in April-May 2023)

  Meanwhile, D.C. have won one of their last 13 regular-season away matches (D6 L6) dating back to last July. United have failed to score in more than half (seven) of those games.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Charlotte FC – 52.1%

  Draw – 24.4%

  D.C. United – 23.4%

• Argentina 4-1 Guatemala: Messi and Martinez star as Copa America holders warm up in style

  Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez scored twice for Argentina as they concluded their Copa America preparations with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Guatemala. 

  Argentina found themselves behind inside four minutes when Lisandro Martinez's own goal handed Guatemala their first-ever goal against La Albiceleste.

  However, Messi, who was featuring for the 182nd time for his country, levelled the contest eight minutes later as goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen's poor clearance fell kindly into his path.

  Lionel Scaloni's team were awarded a penalty just before half-time as Nicolas Samayoa fouled Valentin Carboni, with Martinez stepping from 12 yards to score. 

  Messi and Martinez combined for Argentina's third goal, with the latter doubling his tally after he was picked out by his team-mate in the area.

  Messi put the result beyond doubt late on, lofting the ball over Hagen after latching onto a fine pass from his former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, Angel Di Maria. 

  Argentina kick off their Group A campaign against Canada on June 21 before facing Chile and Peru in their quest to retain their Copa America title. 

  Data Debrief: Messi and Martinez make light work of minnows

  Guatemala were simply no match for their illustrious opponents at FedEx Field, managing only four attempts and getting none of those on target, mustering 0.18 expected goals.

  Argentina finished with 3.07 xG, with Martinez (1.47) and Messi (1.3) responsible for the majority of that figure. Between them, they had 13 shots, nine more than Guatemala managed as a team.

• Colorado Rapids v Austin FC: Wolff looking to generate urgency during road trip

  Josh Wolff is hoping Austin FC can regain some urgency after their mid-season break, starting with their trip to Colorado Rapids.

  Austin are on a three-game winless streak, losing their last two outings, leaving them sixth in the Western Conference.

  With teams below them catching up to their 23-point tally, Wolff admitted there is still room for improvement, but remained upbeat about his team’s progress this season.

  "We're pleased with where we're at. There's still a long way to go, there's a lot to improve on," Wolff said.

  "The second half of the season will be challenging. You've got to quickly generate urgency to get back on the field and perform. Colorado is the most important game - because it's the next one.

  "I want to create urgency and focus on the things we need to keep improving on while keeping our guys healthy. We are going to put everything we can into this game."

  Colorado are one of the teams closing in on Austin, sitting just one point and two places below them in the table.

  The Rapids have won just one of their last five matches in the MLS, but head coach Chris Armas is confident his side can turn good performances into results.

  Armas said, "We really want to get these performances to turn into points. We think we're doing alright, but we know there's room to improve so that's where all of our energy went over the break.

  "We're going to get there. We've got a good group, they're hungry and they come to learn. They're giving everything. We're still a work in progress, but I still believe in this."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

  After failing to contribute to a goal in his first five Rapids appearances, Mihailovic has 10 goal contributions in his last 11 matches (five goals, five assists) including recording one in three straight games.

  Austin FC – Alexander Ring

  Austin attempted just eight shots in their defeat to Real Salt Lake on June 1 – it was the league-high 10th time Austin have attempted fewer than 10 shots in a match this season.

  All those efforts came in the second half, with Ring scoring a consolation goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

  MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

  The Rapids hold the slight edge in the head-to-head between the teams, winning three times to Austin’s two wins (D2). Colorado have scored in all seven meetings between the sides.

  However, the Rapids have lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season following defeats at Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps. Colorado have lost three of their last four matches (D1) after dropping only three of their previous 12 in league play dating back to the start of March (W6 D3).

  Austin have lost consecutive matches for the first time since last August with defeats to Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake. Austin had lost only three of their previous 14 matches (W6 D5) dating back to the beginning of March.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Colorado Rapids – 47.8%

  Draw – 26%

  Austin FC – 26.2%