USMNT weekend viewing guide: Pain in Spain as teams avoid the relegation drain

After a ridiculously long season, we get to the last weekend of Big 5 European league play and there’s still quite a bit to be settled, particularly in Spain. There, six teams still battle to avoid the final relegation spot, including two teams with American influence. In addition, the full slate of MLS matches are available for free on Apple TV this weekend...we won’t be covering all of them but here is what we will be watching involving USMNT-eligible players:

Saturday

RB Leipzig v Eintracht Frankfurt - 2p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+

Paxten Aaronson will close his first season in Germany with a DFB-Pokal final on Saturday afternoon as Eintracht Frankfurt face RB Leipzig. Aaronson has appeared in six of the last seven league matches for Frankfurt, including 31 minutes off the bench last weekend, but did not appear for the team in their semifinal win over Stuttgart.

Reims v Montpellier - 3p on beIN Sports

Folarin Balogun and Reims finish their season with a match against Montpellier, and Balogun will likely say goodbye to the club following the match as his loan ends and a permanent move elsewhere is expected this summer. Neither team has much to play for in this particular match, but Balogun will look to add to his 20 league goals this season as he makes a last impression heading into the transfer window.

Troyes v Lille - 3p on beIN Sports

Erik Palmer-Brown and Troyes have already been relegated, as the team has allowed an astounding 80 goals through 37 matches. Meanwhile, Tim Weah and Lille can clinch a Europa League spot with a win on Saturday as they hold a one point advantage over Stade Rennais and AS Monaco for fourth place. Indications are that Weah will also be moving on this summer and won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but he has continued to see heavy minutes for Lille in the meantime.

Seattle Sounders v Portland Timbers - 4:30p on Fox

Jordan Morris is out with a groin strain and Cristian Roldan with a concussion, so the USMNT influence on this addition of the Cascadia Derby will be significantly diminished. Seattle currently holds the top spot in the Western Conference, though with a massive four more matches played than LAFC, who are just a point back. Meanwhile, things have been a bit rougher for Portland, who currently sit in 10th place with 16 points through 15 matches.

Sunday

Celta Vigo v FC Barcelona - 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+

After a rollercoaster of a season that saw them rise to the middle of the table before dipping back down, Luca de la Torre and Celta Vigo now go into the last match day needing points against league champions Barcelona in order to control their own fate. Celta Vigo are on a six match winless streak, picking up just one point in that stretch. All of the matches have been close but the team has been unable to find results when it matters most. Meanwhile, they face a Barcelona squad that has run away with the league title, losing just five matches and drawing four others to take an 11 point lead over Real Madrid into the final weekend.

Real Betis v Valencia - 3p on ESPN +

Things are a bit easier for Yunus Musah and Valencia this weekend, as a win or a draw against Real Betis should be enough to secure their safety. Currently they sit tied with two other teams on 41 points. Two more are on 40 points, while the team currently sitting in the relegation spot (Real Valladolid) have 39.

Valencia’s coming off a 2-2 draw with Espanyol and have seven points from their last four matches to pull themselves to a point where they control their own destiny headed into the last matchday. Their opponent this weekend is a Real Betis side that are locked into a sixth place finish and will play Europa League soccer next season.

LAFC v Leon - 9p on FS1

Timothy Tillman and LAFC have a one goal deficit to overcome as they come back home for the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final against Leon on Sunday night. Tillman, who recently completed his one-time switch from Germany to the USMNT, made some waves with his comments questioning the technical level of Liga MX sides heading into the first leg. He’ll have to back up his talk with superior play if his team is going to bounce back on Sunday.

Hit the comments and discuss all the matches involving USMNT-eligible players this weekend!