MLS preview, May 25

For the second week running, all fourteen MLS matches take place on Saturday this week, beginning with seven 0.30am (all times BST) kick-offs. Of those ties, the biggest interest probably lies with FC Toronto versus FC Cincinnati, fifth versus second in the Eastern Conference and two sides who have been scoring plenty of goals of late. The Reds now have Lorenzo Insigne back alongside Federico Bernardeschi and scored thirteen goals in their last two games (even if one of those was against third-tier opposition), but the Garys put three past a capable St Louis CITY side last week and have Lucho Acosta in superb form. Atlanta United may have avoided a potential pitfall in midweek when they overcame USL Championship pacesetters Charleston Battery on penalties in the US Open Cup, but their league form is extremely concerning. On Saturday they welcome Los Angeles FC, winners themselves in the Open Cup in midweek (albeit by a 3-0 scoreline rather than spot-kicks), and it will be yet another watershed moment for United coach Gonzalo Pineda, who is clinging on by his fingerprints at the Benz. Also under pressure is Frank Klopas at Chicago Fire and he will not be relishing a trip to DC United on Saturday, even if United were beaten at Inter Miami last week. Fire seemingly have little to offer at the back or up front, with 'keeper Chris Brady the only man coming out of their season with anything like credit so far, and Christian Benteke and company will be ready to take advantage of that, I'm sure.

Charlotte FC are preparing to bring in some quality when the transfer window opens in July but for now they're stuck with a side that lacks a cutting edge, even if they do find themselves sitting in sixth. They host a Philadelphia Union side with plenty of attacking flair on Saturday, but who have also lost as many games as they've won this season after an unbeaten start that stretched to eight games. It will all come down to whether Philly's attack can breach the Charlotte defence, with both groups the second best in the East in their respective arenas. CF Montreal are not having a good week, having lost their derby match with Toronto 5-1 last Saturday and then tumbling out of the Canadian Championship against Canadian Premier League outfit Forge FC. They'll get a chance to put things right on Saturday against a Nashville SC side that are also not having the best of times of late, having already sacked head coach Gary Smith after just three wins in thirteen games. The Coyotes, though, have an x-factor missing from the Canadien line-up in Hany Mukhtar, someone who can turn a game on his own, and it will be to him that interim coach Rumba Munthali will turn for inspiration. Orlando City were slightly surprise winners at San Jose last week, due to the Quakes good recent form, and they'll hope that they can upset the apple cart again on Saturday when they welcome Columbus Crew to Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are not one of MLS's most exciting sides this year but still have some attacking threat when Nicolas Lodeiro and Duncan McGuire are alert, although nothing to match the inspirational qualities of Cucho Hernandez. Both teams have drawn too many matches already this season but a draw would seem the most obvious result here.

A draw is something New England Revolution fans would dream of, such has been their form in the first third of the season. The Revs host New York City FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night with the visitors on a run that has seen them climb to third in the Eastern Conference, six wins from their last seven games having turned their season around. By contrast, New England sit bottom of the heap, just two wins from twelve games so far, and with the likes of Carles Gil and Tomas Chancalay seriously underperforming. The weekend's first free game on AppleTV (all the others require an MLS Season Pass subscription) is the first of a pair of 1.30am kick-offs and sees Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake visit FC Dallas. The home side made it through to the quarterfinals of the Open Cup in midweek, a 2-1 win at Tampa Bay Rowdies giving them a last-eight tie with Sporting Kansas City, and came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw in the Copa Tejas clash with Houston Dynamo last week. Real will be an entirely different prospect, though; Pablo Mastroeni's men are playing with a swaggering confidence that begins with Chicho Arango and oozes back to 'keeper Zack MacMath, and they will be extremely hard to beat in front of the TV cameras. The other 1.30am start comes from CITY Park, where St Louis CITY are at home to Seattle Sounders. Sounders squeaked through the Open Cup in midweek against 2023 USL Championship winners Phoenix Rising, and avoided defeat in their last two league outings, a 2-1 win over Portland Timbers and a 1-1 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps, both fiercely fought Cascadia Cup games. After topping the Western Conference last year, CITY are in changeable form this year, with seven draws from their thirteen games. In Joao Klauss, though, they have a genuine goal threat and the Sounders defence will have to be wary of his tricks.

Colorado Rapids are still one of the surprise packages of this year's MLS campaign, even though we're now a third of the way into the regular season. Defeat at Real Salt Lake last week may have seen them slip to sixth in the West but they will welcome second-place Minnesota United to Dick's Sporting Goods Park with every confidence on Saturday for a 2.30am start, the second of the free matches on Apple TV. United have lost just twice this season and will come to Denver on the back of four wins in their last five games, scoring two goals for every one they concede. I suspect it's not often this will be said but Colorado versus Minnesota may be one of the best games of the weekend. The final four games on Saturday are are all 3.30am kick-offs from the West Coast. Starting from the most northern, Inter Miami are the visitors to Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, with Caps coming off an away goals win over the CPL's Cavalry FC in the Canadian Championship in midweek. The great Vancouver public, of course, will want to see Lionel Messi, but the Herons have three games in eight days and so whether he'll show up is anyone's guess. With him, Miami are all but unstoppable, his presence lifting those around him. Without him, Whitecaps have the edge, the forward play of Brian White and Ryan Gauld simply too much for an average MLS defence to cope with. Phil Neville's Portland Timbers have let a decent start slip and now find themselves eleventh in the Western Conference, having lost four of their last five. They welcome a similarly diffident Sporting Kansas City to Providence Park this week in a game that would probably see both teams lose if it were possible. Still, Sporting had a thumping 4-0 win over FC Tulsa in the Open Cup in midweek and will take that confidence into the game; the question is, will Neville have the motivational nous to combat it?

Los Angeles Galaxy were flying a few weeks ago but four consecutive draws have dampened their powder somewhat. They face Houston Dynamo in Carson on Saturday in what should be an open, attacking game between two sides who rely on creative talismans in midfield in the shape of Riqui Puig and Hector Herrera, respectively. Galaxy's have scored over twice the goals of the shot-shy Dynamo attack this season but have conceded eight more than the visitors. Saturday's final game comes from PayPal Park, home of San Jose Earthquakes. The Quakes were undergoing a mini-revival after a terrible start, at least until they were beaten 1-0 at home by Orlando City last week. Since then they've also been beaten the by USL Championship's Sacramento Republic and will not be looking forward to receiving an Austin FC side that sit third in the West after winning six of their last nine games. Austin coach Josh Wolff is preparing for a big move when the transfer window opens and so his players know they are playing for their places. Whether that will trump Quakes boss Luchi Gonzalez playing for his job is another matter...