TThe second round of the MLS Playoffs promises a lot of excitement with games between both conferences. Games will be played at five locations on Saturday: New York CFC vs. Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union, Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC, Portland Timbers vs. San Diego FC, and FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps.
However, not all teams will have a full squad as several players will be absent for various reasons.
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Red series and delicate victims
In the East, NYCFC won the first leg 1-0 with a goal from Alonso Martinez and will look to close out the series with Charlotte. The Chicago Fire will look to overturn Philadelphia’s narrow advantage, while Inter Miami will look to seal their spot against Nashville after winning their first game. In the West, the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas need wins to advance to Game 3 against San Diego FC and Vancouver, respectively.
Those draws could be decided this weekend, but the absences will condition the strategy. From muscle injuries to suspensions to international call-ups, coaches have to adjust their lineups to replace key players.
Full list of absences for Game 2
The absence affects nearly every team except FC Dallas. The most notable names include Inter Miami’s David Luiz, Nashville’s Daniel Lovitz (questionable) and Vancouver’s Brian White. It is also worth noting that players such as Nimfasha Belkimas (Charlotte) and Máximo Carriso (NYCFC), who were called up to the U-17 squad, are absent due to national selection.
Players unavailable by team
Charlotte FC: Nimfasha Belkimas (U17), Pep Beal (knee) Chicago Fire: Leonardo Barroso, Andre Franco, Chris Muller, Victor Radjevi, Sergio Oreguer Jr. (suspended), Chris Brady (questionable) Inter Miami: David Luiz (hamstring), Ryan Saylor (knee) Nashville SC: Julian Gaines, Johnny Perez (thigh), Da Niel Lovitz (questionable) NYCFC: Maximo Cariso (U17), Malachi Jones, Keaton Parks (legs) Philadelphia Union: Quinn Sullivan (knee) Portland Timbers: Felipe Carballo, Jonathan Rodriguez (lower body), Jimmer Foley (suspension) San Diego FC: Aiden Harangi, Willie Kumado, Oscar Verhoeven (bottom) Vancouver Whitecaps: Sam Adekube, Sebastian Schoenrau (Achilles), Ranko Veselinovic (knee), Brian White (hamstring)
