The New England Revolution host Charlotte FC at Gillette Stadium looking to move up in the Eastern Conference standings and secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.
A 2-2 draw against Chicago saw the Revolution earn a point through Carles Gil's 59th-minute equalizer after goals by Brian Gutierrez and Gaston Gimenez had given the Fire the lead.
New England are the only undefeated team at home in MLS as they boast a 10-0-4 record in Foxborough and have three of their final five matches at Gillette.
Charlotte are four points behind NYCFC for the final playoff spot in the East and have a game in hand, which is something they hope to take advantage of in their push for a first-ever postseason berth.
Their cause wasn't helped by a heavy defeat in Cincinnati as goals from Alvaro Barreal, Aaron Boupendza and Luciano Acosta gave the Orange and Blue a 3-0 victory.
A worrying trend is the Crown's inability to hold a lead as they have surrendered 23 points from winning positions, the highest number in the league.
Team news
Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik is in line to make his club debut while Gustavo Bou has returned to full training this week after missing the last seven games with a leg injury.
Henry Kessler is making progress from a hamstring injury but Damian Rivera is sidelined with a knee issue. Brandon Bye (ACL) and Dylan Borrero (knee).
Midfielder Ben Bender missed out against Cincinnati through a knee injury and he is unlikely to feature in this match. Vinicius Mello has been ruled out with a right lower leg issue.
Predicted lineups
New England Revolution: Vaclik; Jones, Romney, González, Polster; Kaye, Buck; Chancalay, C. Gil, N. Gil; Vrioni
Charlotte FC: Kahlina; Uronen, Privett, Malanda, Byrne; Bronico, Westwood, Swiderski; Meram, Copetti, Dejaegere
Ones to watch
Matt Polster (New England Revolution)
Set to make his 100th appearance in a New England shirt, Polster provides experience and versatility as he has shifted from midfield to left-back in interim coach Clint Peay's system.
He's excelled wherever called upon as Polster has logged the second-most minutes in the league (2,295), as well as the second-highest number of passes (1,174) and duels (226).
The 30-year-old leads MLS in interceptions (151), clearances (129), and blocked shots (38) since joining the club in 2020, and stands in the top ten for interceptions (41) and possessions won (196) this year.
Karol Swiderski (Charlotte FC)
With 11 goals and seven assists across all competitions, the Pole was back amongst the goals in the 2-2 draw with Philadelphia last weekend.
Since joining the club from Greek side PAOK last January, Swiderski has amassed 21 goals and 11 assists in 64 appearances while leading Charlotte in goal-scoring attempts and shots on target in that span.
He can operate as a pure striker or number ten, making him the man to watch for the New England defense on Saturday night.
Previous meetings
This is just the fourth all-time matchup between New England and Charlotte with the Revolution having won two of the first three encounters.
Meeting in the season opener, Kessler scored in the 89th minute to give New England a dramatic 1-0 victory, their second consecutive win over the Crown.
His run down the right side culminated with a right-footed shot that was slotted home past goalkeeper Kristjan Kahlina for a fourth career goal.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on Apple TV + with Eric Krakauer serving as the play-by-play announcer and Lloyd Sam as analyst.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm Eastern time.