MLS preview, May 4-5

With just over a quarter of the games completed so far, things are beginning to settle in MLS, although there's still room for stories to be written, particularly by those clubs seen to be underperforming in the first two months of the season. With no early kick-offs, the MLS weekend begins with a slew of 0.30am (all times BST) kick-offs, and all games are free on AppleTV this weekend, perfect for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the MLS Season Pass pool. After their heroics in Nuevo Leon on Wednesday, Columbus Crew have the week off but even their involvement wouldn't have prevented the undoubted game of the weekend being Inter Miami's home clash with New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium. Although they've played more games than the chasers, Miami lead the pack in the East, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez firing on all cylinders once again, and that's before you factor in the return of promising youngster Benjamin Cremaschi from injury. Red Bulls sit third after being held 1-1 by Vancouver Whitecaps last week but defeated Miami at Red Bull Arena six weeks ago, with former Heron Lewis Morgan grabbing a hat-trick.

There's no doubting the talent on show at Atlanta United this season, with the addition of Sasa Lobjanidze giving an extra dimension to the already considerable threats posed by Thiago Almada and Giorgios Giakoumakis, but they just haven't been able to find any consistency so far, with three wins, three draws, and three defeats from their nine games. On Saturday they face a Minnesota United team that has won their last two games and found a new scoring star in the shape of Tani Oluwaseyi. The encounter between the clubs at a thronging Mercedes-Benz Stadium should make for good highlights. DC United versus Philadelphia Union also has all the trappings of a decent encounter, with Union probably desperate to wipe out the two home defeats they suffered last week with an away win at one of the league's improving teams. United have Christian Benteke in fearsome form and will have watched how Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders carved through the Philadelphia defence, but Union can never be counted out and will score goals against a DC backline that concedes an average of 1.5 goals per game. FC Cincinnati look like they mean business again this season and overcame the tricky hurdle of Colorado Rapids last week to move up to second in the East. They travel to Orlando City on Saturday to face a Lions side that were beaten at home by Toronto FC last week and look very short on confidence.

Speaking of Toronto FC, they face FC Dallas at BMO Field, with the visitors buoyed by their red card-assisted Copa Tejas win over Houston Dynamo last week. Toronto are one of a few clubs who are under a new head coach this season and are yet to fully click, although they sit fourth and have managed to win half their ten games so far. They're still missing the inspiration of Lorenzo Insigne but he did at least return to training this week, six weeks after a hamstring injury. In his absence, Federico Bernardeschi has been working overtime to create chances for the Reds, and Dallas will be wary of his threat on Saturday. With all these other treats on offer, it's hard to imagine anyone outside the Charlotte or Portland metro areas is interested in Charlotte FC versus Portland Timbers at the Bank of America Stadium in the Queen City, but it is definitely a game that is happening. Both sides sit eleventh in their respective conferences, but Timbers are an unknowable foe, as likely to turn up and grab an away win as they are to fold over for a 3-0 defeat. The final 0.30am kick-off comes from California, where basement dwellers San Jose Earthquakes welcome Los Angeles FC to PayPal Park. Quakes managed to grab a point away at Nashville SC last week but have been awful all season. They do have new signing Hernan Lopez Munoz - nephew of Diego Maradona - waiting to make his debut but will need that and much, much more if they are to get anything out of this derby game with the Black and Gold, for whom Denis Bouanaga is again looking like he can summon goals at will.

Despite consecutive Copa Tejas losses to Austin FC and FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo still sit well-placed for a play-off run but will have to be on their guard when St Louis City come to town on Saturday, a 1.30am kick-off at Shell Energy Stadium. Dynamo will miss Griffin Doresey through suspension after his red card last week but could have Hector Herrera starting for the first time this season. They'll need him as Joao Klauss is showing glimpses of the form that carried City to the top of the Western Conference last season. Also at 1.30am is the visit of CF Montreal to GEODIS Park, home of Nashville SC. Neither side will be happy with their season so far, although just one win in nine games has some pundits calling for the head of Nashville coach Gary Smith. It's surely not that bad, especially with Hany Mukhtar able to conjure magic out of thin air and Sam Surridge still a goal threat, but they'll need to see off a capable Montreal side if Smith is to silence his doubters. The final 1.30am kick-off from the central time zone sees Chicago Fire host New England Revolution, a longstanding rivalry that will take on extra impetus given both sides' poor starts to the season. With just three wins in nineteen games between them, both teams are undoubtedly struggling this year but it's not easy to see why. The Revs, at least, have talent in abundance and a former MLS Cup winning coach in Caleb Porter, but it seems they're still suffering a long hangover of whatever went down with Bruce Arena last season.

No such issues at Real Salt Lake, who top the Western Conference after last week's win in Philadelphia. Pablo Mastroeni has got his team playing some wonderful attacking soccer and they will eye Saturday's visitors Sporting Kansas City - on a tricky run of form that saw them concede eleven times in four games in April - as ripe for the picking. It's a 2.30am kick-off at America First Field, an hour before Austin FC take the field at Vancouver Whitecaps, hoping to extend a run that saw them win three of their last four after a tricky start. Whitecaps, though, are in decent form this year, sitting third in the Western Conference with just two losses all season and with both Brian White and Ryan Gauld in goalscoring form.

The first of Sunday's two games comes from Citi Field in Queens, New York, where New York City FC will host the unpredictables of Colorado Rapids in a 9pm kick-off. Like Austin, the Pigeons have turned their season around after a poor start and go into Sunday's fixture having last lost on March 23rd. Rapids, though, are pulling some great performances out of the hat at times this season and have beaten LAFC and Real Salt Lake, as well as drawing at Inter Miami. They've also lost to Orlando and Portland so which Rapids will turn up is anyone's guess. The weekend's final game sees Seattle Sounders attempt to follow-up Tuesday's shock in in Philadelphia by seeing off the threat of Los Angeles Galaxy at Lumen Field. Galaxy, though, are flying high this season and will hope to make last week's 2-0 defeat in Austin a blip on their way to a sixth MLS Cup.