MLS preview, May 18

All fourteen MLS games take place on Saturday this week, beginning with the game between Nashville Sc and Atlanta United at GEODIES Park that is available to watch for free on AppleTV at 6.45pm (all times BST). The Coyotes finally reached the end of their patience with Gary Smith on Thursday, despite beating Toronto FC in midweek, the loss at Charlotte last week probably having made up their minds. It means interim coach Rumba Munthali will be in charge for Saturday's match and will probably mean a few sleepless nights for Five Stripes coach Gonzalo Pineda, under pressure of his own after a lacklustre start to the season. The batch of 0.30am kick-offs includes another free game on AppleTV, although quite how many will be enticed to watch Philadelphia Union's visit to basement side New England Revolution is another matter. Union haven't won in seven games, since beating Nashville on April 7, and lost at home to New York City FC in a raccoon-filled game in midweek. The Revs, meanwhile, have won just two games all season and look bereft of ideas, although Tomas Chacalay and Carles Gil are always beavering away to try and conjure some magic. No such problems at Inter Miami, even if they did draw a blank in a scoreless Florida derby in the week. Latest pay figures revealed that Lionel Messi is paid more than the entire squads of all but four teams in MLS and, as much as anyone is worth such money, he's certainly a difference maker on a whole new level. Miami host DC United on Saturday, who are fresh off a 4-1 home battering by New York Red Bulls. Before that, United were playing well, with Christian Benteke scoring freely, but how such a heavy reverse affects their game plan against the league leaders remains to be seen.

Charlotte FC earned some respite for Dean Smith with that win over Nashville last Saturday, following it up with an away win in Chicago, although that's hardly anything to brag about lately. They face Los Angeles Galaxy at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, with the Californians one of a clutch of sides sitting in second place in the Western Conference and generally playing exciting, attacking soccer. On recent form, and even allowing for those two Crown wins, the Galaxy should enjoy a fruitful day in front of goal, but I've been wrong before. In fact, I'm rarely right when it comes to this sort of thing. FC Cincinnati are the team best placed at the moment to take advantage of any slip by Eastern leaders Miami and they will feel confident ahead of their home clash with St Louis CITY on Saturday, especially considering that CITY lost 2-0 at home to Los Angeles FC in midweek. However, that defeat was solidly against the run of play, with CITY missing a penalty, having a goal ruled out by VAR, and having a player sent-off for a dodgy second yellow card, and they'll be looking to put all that right on Saturday. If New York City FC and New York Red Bulls are meeting at Citi Field, then I guess it's still rivalry week, and it should be a closer match than it would have looked a few weeks ago with the Pigeons having rallied to record five wins in their last six games. Red Bulls had a slightly dodgy patch a few weeks when they drew three and lost 6-2 to Inter Miami, but they've hit four in their last two matches.

The final 0.30am kick-off comes from north of the border, where Toronto FC and CF Montreal clash in a Canadian/Canadien derby match. The Reds have been all over the place this season, largely depending on the whims of Federico Bernadeschi, but now Lorenzo Insigne is fit they should - if the two Italians can be arsed - be a more formidable test. Montreal haven't won in five and, with only Chicago and New England below them in the table, need to get some results soon if they're to avoid switching coaches. After losing their first three matches in the side-competition, Houston Dynamo can't win this year's Copa Tejas but they can still ruin FC Dallas's chances of overhauling Austin at the top of the table if they can earn their first derby win of the season on Saturday. With Hector Herrera now back pulling strings in midfield, Dynamo will have some added swagger to match Griffin Dorsey's sock get-up but Dallas can conjure up a good win on their day, it's just that they haven't had many days this year. Also in Texas (and also a 1.30am start) is Austin FC versus Sporting Kansas City, another chance for Sebastian Driussi to show why he's the fifth best paid player in MLS after nabbing a late winner against Dallas in midweek. The visitors have had an up and down season and sit second bottom of the Western Conference, but there's no doubting their ability, it's just that they haven't gotten their key players working together much this year. As a casual Austin fan, let's hope that last at least another week.

Chicago Fire are in serious trouble at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, with just New England between them and the abyss. For the money he's paid, Xherdan Shaqiri isn't performing at the inspirational level needed by Frank Klopas's side and they won't welcome the visit of Columbus Crew to Soldier Field on Saturday. Crew have stuttered a bit themselves lately but have quality in spades throughout their side and should have added to Fire's woes come the final whistle. The final 1.30am kick-off is up north, where Minnesota United and Portland Timbers meet at Allianz Field in St Paul. Timbers came from 2-0 down against San Jose in midweek to win 4-2, and although many will have questioned why they were 2-0 in the first place, such a comeback will buoy them ahead of the visit to the North Star State. United drew 2-2 with LA Galaxy in midweek and once again proved that scoring goals isn't a problem for them, it's conceding them. There's another derby match - the Rocky Mountain kind - at 2.30am on Saturday when Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake meet Colorado Rapids at America First Field, where the only side to have beaten Real this season were... Colorado Rapids. Still, Chicho Arango is in irresistible form and will be engineering the Rapids' downfall, even if they are one of the toughest sides to play against this season in terms of their sheer unpredictability.

Over on the West Coast, San Jose Earthquakes welcome Orlando City to PayPal Park having had their mini-revival ended by Portland in midweek. Quakes still sit bottom of the Western Conference but their recent results - and the form of new signing Hernan Lopez - will give them hope that they can turn things around. They'll want to send City away with nothing, especially since they have a tricky US Open Cup tie coming up in midweek, but the visitors have recent;y stopped a run of poor results themselves with an away win and a draw against league leaders Miami. Saturday's final game, a 3.30am kick-off as in San Jose, sees Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps clash in a Cascadia Cup tie just four weeks after Caps won 2-0 in Seattle to seize the advantage in that mini-competition. That was a different Sounders side, though, and their derby win over Portland last Saturday will have given them confidence that they can still be the top boys in the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver, though, have plenty of quality, even if they haven't won since that win at Lumen Field.