NEW YORK COSMOS v MICHIGAN STARS FC, Saturday, August 15th @ 7PM ET (Mitchell Athletic Complex, Uniondale NY)

The undefeated Michigan Stars – boy, does THAT ever sound weird – head out to Long Island to face the Cosmos tomorrow night. While not a complete makeover of the team, there were a number of new faces in the lineup last week for the home opener against Chattanooga FC including the impressive-looking starting goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva. But the offensive star of the club is still Kyle Nuel, as his early goal demonstrated. Second-half substitute Alexander Satrustegui made an impact in his 30 minutes and was instrumental in setting up Steven Juncaj’s winning goal. Will Satrustegui get the start?

Meanwhile, the Cosmos looked less than awe-inspiring after a pair of 1-1 draws in the Independent Cup against newly-minted rivals New Amsterdam FC and soon to be rivals Maryland Bobcats. The long layoff and influx of new players led to an inconsistent level of play on the field. But there’s still Darwin Espinal and Ansi Agolli along with other veterans, so you have to believe that the Cosmos will figure things out. Now would be a good time.

DETROIT CITY FC v CHATTANOOGA FC, Saturday, August 15th @ 7:30PM ET (Keyworth Stadium, Hamtramck MI)

Lose the first game of a short sprint of a season, then go on the road to play your biggest rival? That’s just where Chattanooga FC finds itself as they head to Hamtramck to help Detroit City FC open its Fall 2020 campaign. The joy of winning their region in the Independent Cup ended with a thud after dropping the game against Michigan Stars last week. Brian Bement was not available for the match, so we shall see if he be fit for tomorrow’s game. Zeca struggled in the game against the Stars, not being able to inject his creative energy. The only constant? Ian McGrath continues to score. CFC is going to need to scoring touch to continue, along with that bit of edginess that McGrath brings to every game.

Detroit City opens its season after thoroughly bludgeoning the competition during the Independent Cup. Coach Trevor James has the boys set on attack mode, and are doing so with room to spare. Depth-wise, DCFC is as loaded with more offensive talent than anyone in the league right now. Ryan Peterson. Roddy Green. Connor Rutz. Yazeed Matthews. Enough already! It’s an embarrassment of riches. So the question is: will Chattanooga FC look to possess and keep the ball away from DCFC, or will this match turn into a track meet with goals a-plenty? You know what the viewing audience would like.

- John Howard-Fusco