MLS preview, May 11-12

With six MLS games kicking off at half-past-midnight (all times BST), neutral interest will probably be centred on the visit of Inter Miami to CF Montreal, especially since the Canadiens won 3-2 at Miami's Chase Stadium when the teams met on March 10th. Since that point, however, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have found their form in the Herons' pink shirts, while Montreal have won just one game (and even that was over a month ago). Still, Saturday's game - Messi's first ever visit to Canada for a professional soccer game - will be only Montreal's third of the season and they are unbeaten at Saputo Stadium so far. Their Canadian rivals Toronto FC are enjoying a much better time of things under new head coach John Herdman, sitting third in the Eastern Conference with six wins from their eleven matches so far. The visit of New York City FC will be an interesting test for Herdman's side, the Pigeons having looked good in recent weeks before losing 2-0 at home to the mercurial Colorado Rapids on Sunday. It's still a week too soon for Lorenzo Insigne to return to the Reds line-up but they should still have enough to see off NYCFC, especially as Talles Magno is still out for the visitors. Charlotte FC enjoyed a 2-0 win over the unpredictable Portland Timbers last week but will be wary of visitors Nashville SC at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday. The Coyotes had been on a poor run but turned things around last week with a 4-1 demolition of CF Montreal at GEODIS Park, Sam Surridge grabbing a hat-trick. With just twelve goals in eleven games, scoring has been Charlotte's issue and they're still carrying an empty Designated Player slot, with Karol Swiderski on loan at Hellas Verona. Nashville, meanwhile, have goal threat in abundance and should it click on Saturday, another big score can be expected.

Atlanta United deftly negotiated a potentially tricky US Open Cup hurdle in midweek, turning away the third-tier threat of Charlotte Independence, and should take that confidence into their home match with DC United on Saturday. The Five Stripes lost at home to Minnesota United last week and have looked by turns inspirational and blunt this season, depending on the form of their magic trio of Thiago Almada, Giogrios Giakoumakis, and Saba Lobjanidze. DC were held 2-2 at home by Philadelphia Union last Saturday but have lost just three times in eleven games this season and have Christian Benteke in good goalscoring form. A clash of MLS originals (allowing for a change of name and ownership), New York Red Bulls will meet New England Revolution for the 97th time on Saturday, with the Revs 41 to 33 ahead on wins, but the clubs find themselves in very different circumstances in 2024. Red Bulls, under new head coach Sandro Schwarz, are flying high in the Eastern Conference, even if they did get hammered at Inter Miami last week, while the Revs prop up the table, even if they did manage to beat a similarly listless Chicago Fire last week. New England coach Caleb Porter has an MLS Cup-winning pedigree and Saturday would be the perfect time to start showing it. Everything was going great guns for Philadelphia Union until two weeks ago when they lost for the first time this season, at home to Real Salt Lake. They followed that up with another home loss - to Seattle Sounders - and a draw away at DC United, but Saturday's visit of Orlando City should provide an opportunity to get back on track if the Lions are in anything like the form they've shown in recent home defeats to FC Toronto and FC Cincinnati.

The first of the weekend's free games on AppleTV (the rest being behind the MLS Season Pass paywall) is the Hell Is Real derby between Ohio rivals Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, a 0.45am kick-off. Both clubs are in good form this season, with the Garys sitting second in the East (and with a game in hand over leaders Inter Miami) and Crew through to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Much will depend on the inspiration provided by Columbus' Cucho Hernandez and Cincinnati's Lucho Acosta, although you shouldn't sleep on the threats provided by Aidan Morris, Diego Rossi, Yaya Kubo, and Corey Baird in this clash of two genuine MLS cup contenders. Like Atlanta United, Sporting Kansas City managed to avoid elimination at the hands of USL League One opposition in midweek, needing extra-time to defeat Union Omaha in Nebraska, and they face 2023 US Open Cup winners Houston Dynamo at Children's Mercy Park on Saturday (1.30 kick-off). Dynamo did get knocked out of the cup in the week, falling on penalties to USL Championship side Detroit City, and they'll see the visit to the City of Fountains as a chance for a quick reset. The second of three 1.30am starts comes from St Louis City, who welcome close neighbours (by MLS standards) Chicago Fire to CITY Park, with the visitors in disarray. Frank Klopas's side have just two wins in eleven games so far this season and look devoid of inspiration, with everything built around a Xherdan Shaqiri way past his best. City drew a blank at Houston last week but it would be difficult to see Fire keeping them out for ninety minutes on Saturday...

The final 1.30am kick-off comes from Frisco, Texas, where FC Dallas and Austin FC meet in another round of the unofficial Copa Tejas. The visitors have beaten both their rivals so far this season, with Dallas edging out Houston for second, and it's probably fair to say that league points will probably be secondary come Saturday. Not that both teams couldn't do with them, although the home side's need is more pressing, sitting one off the bottom in the West having won just one of their last nine matches. Two wins and a draw in their last three have lifted Austin up to sixth but there's still work to do for a side that can draw a blank as often as find the net. With many pundits not fancying Chris Armas's side this season, Colorado Rapids five wins from eleven matches - with another three draws - is a fantastic return for the club, built on the return to MLS of goalkeeper Zack Steffen. They face San Jose Earthquakes at 2.30am on Saturday with the visitors having just picked up only their second league win of the season, surprisingly beating Los Angeles FC 3-1 at Levi's Stadium last week. They gave a debut to new signing Hernan Lopez - Diego Maradona's nephew - against their local rivals and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him earn a start against Rapids. That x-factor, added to the one that seems to surround Colorado this season, makes it a more interesting game than it ordinarily would be.

Both Los Angeles teams are at home this weekend, with 3.30am kick-offs at both BMO Stadium and at Dignity Health Sports Park, where Los Angeles Galaxy host Real Salt Lake. The home side have looked a little under par in their last two games (a loss at Austin FC and a 0-0 draw with Seattle Sounders) but have quality in spades thanks to their Three Ps - Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec, and Riqui Puig, the latter of whom missed last week's game through suspension. Real lost to USL Championship New Mexico United in the US Open Cup on Wednesday night but have been in otherwise solid form, the inspiration provided by Cristian Arango turning them into table-toppers. You'd expect Los Angeles FC to be up their challenging both Galaxy and Real at the end of the season but a 3-1 loss at San Jose Earthquakes last week has put a damper on their week, even if they did manage to overcome a sticky tie at Las Vegas Lights in midweek. With Olivier Giroud expected in July, they already have a formidable side and their clash with Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday will be a chance for the current eleven to prove they have what it takes to play alongside him, although the threats posed by Brian White and Ryan Gauld should not be underestimated.

The weekend's final game is a Sunday night affair, a 9.45pm kick-off on AppleTV between Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. Yes, it's Cascadia Cup time, and both sides have lost their only outings so far this season, leaving Vancouver Whitecaps with two wins from two matches. The rivals have been enjoying very similar seasons so far, at least in terms of games won, drawn, and lost, but there's a feeling that Timbers are playing above where they should be under Phil Neville, while Sounders - who beat Louisville City on penalties in midweek to advance in the Open Cup - are below par. The latter can probably be explained by injuries but they're close to a first choice side now and it should be another cracker at Providence Park.