Ethermac Exchange-MLS Matchday 5: Columbus Crew face surprising New York Red Bulls. Lionel Messi out again for Inter Miami.

• Reigning champion Columbus Crew host surprising New York Red Bulls in showdown of first-place teams.
• How are Ethermac ExchangeMLS teams faring in Concacaf Champions Cup play?
• USMNT returns to action next week in Concacaf Nations League play.

Lionel Messi has been ruled out for Inter Miami's game Saturday at D.C. United, a matchup featuring a team tied atop the Eastern Conference against one that is unbeaten in its first three matches. So, with the soccer G.O.A.T. sitting out another Inter Miami game, fans will have to settle for following all of the other intriguing action taking place around MLS this weekend.

In all, there are five teams currently tied atop the Eastern Conference standings, and all five are in action on Saturday. Road warriors CF Montréal — fresh off a thrilling win over Inter Miami on Sunday — have six games before their first home game, with the next test coming at Soldier Field against the Chicago Fire (2 p.m. ET). The defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew host the surprising New York Red Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET). Another surprise, Toronto FC — last season's Wooden Spoon winners — visit Yankee Stadium to play early-season disappointment New York City FC (7:30 p.m. ET).

In an added bonus for soccer-football fans, all of this weekend's MLS games are free to watch on Apple TV.

MLS Matchday 5: What are this week's MLS games?

(All games available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)

Saturday

• Chicago Fire FC vs. CF Montréal, 2 p.m. ET
• D.C. United vs. Inter Miami CF, 2 p.m. ET
• Seattle Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET
• New York City FC vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Austin FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 8:30 p.m. ET
• FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Houston Dynamo FC vs. Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Sporting Kansas City vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Minnesota United FC vs. Los Angeles FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Nashville SC vs. Charlotte FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
• LA Galaxy vs. St. Louis City SC, 10:30 p.m. ET

Sunday

• New England Revolution vs. FC Cincinnati, 2 p.m. ET
• Atlanta United vs. Orlando City SC, 7 p.m. ET

➤ 2024 MLS schedule and scores

MLS game of the week: Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls

• Date and time: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV/streaming info: MLS Season Pass

The defending MLS Cup champion Crew face the pesky Red Bulls in a showdown of two early season first-place teams. The Crew were expected to compete for a title. The Red Bulls, meanwhile, were pegged to at least extend the longest playoff streak in major North American pro sports (currently at 14 seasons), but to expect an MLS Cup run likely would have been a bridge too far. Well, three weeks into the young season and the Red Bulls are one of the league's most pleasant surprises. Newcomer Emil Forsberg — a Swedish international who spent the last 10 seasons at RB Leipzig of the German Bundesliga — has been sensational so far, scoring his first New York Red Bulls goal last week. The Crew continue to be a wagon, so this will be a good litmus test for RBNY.

Just for kicks: MLS news, notes and tidbits

➤ How are MLS teams faring in Concacaf Champions Cup play? In a word, uffdah. It was a brutal Round of 16 for MLS teams against their Liga MX rivals. The Philadelphia Union, Orlando City and FC Cincinnati were all eliminated by an aggregate score of 12-1. The silver lining for MLS is that two of the Round of 16 matchups featured two MLS teams against each other, with Inter Miami dispatching Nashville SC and the Columbus Crew eliminating the Houston Dynamo. Elsewhere, the New England Revolution cruised by L.D. Alajuelense of Costa Rica. Good news: That gives MLS three squads in the quarterfinals. Bad news: All three must go up against Liga MX competition. Cue the calls from fans for MLS to allow for increased roster investment in its teams.

➤ USMNT takes aim at Nations League three-peat: The U.S. men's national team will face Jamaica on Thursday, March 21 in a Concacaf Nations League semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (7 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and Univision). The winner will advance to Sunday's final and play the winner of the other semifinal between Mexico and Panama. The USMNT has won both editions of the Concacaf Nations League in 2021 and 2023. On Wednesday, coach Gregg Berhalter named his 23-player roster for what the USMNT hopes will be a third consecutive Concacaf Nations League title.

➤ Jesús Ferreira nearing goal-scoring milestone: The FC Dallas (and occasional USMNT) striker could become the youngest player to reach 50 regular-season MLS goals if he scores this weekend against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Ferreira (23 years and 83 days old on Saturday) would become just the third player in league history to reach 50 career goals before turning 24. The others were Diego Fagúndez (then of the New England Revolution; 23 years and 256 days old) and Valentín "Taty" Castellanos (then of New York City FC; 23 years, 287 days old).

➤ Leagues Cup groups and bracket revealed: The bracket for the Leagues Cup — the 47-team competition pitting MLS and Liga MX clubs against each other in a World Cup-style tournament — was announced on Thursday. The tournament kicks off on July 26, with Atlanta United vs. D.C. United and Orlando City vs. CF Montréal doing the honors as the opening games for a five-match slate that day. Three 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup spots will be on the line in the tournament. Inter Miami are the defending champions.

Where can you watch MLS games?

All Major League Soccer games air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Some select games are available for free on Apple TV and viewers only need an Apple ID to watch.

FOX Sports will air select games on linear television.