The second part of Rivalry Week in the MLS forms the majority of the action in the competition on Saturday evening when another 14 matches take place across America and into Canada as we head towards the halfway mark in the regular season.
As is the case all season, all the matches can be streamed via Apple TV through the MLS Season Pass. There are a couple of free matches for non-subscribers, while once again all of the action is available with the bookmakers.
Saturday’s fixtures are as follows: (00.30 unless stated)
Charlotte FC v Nashville SC
D.C. United v LA Galaxy
FC Cincinnati v Columbus Crew
Inter Miami CF v Orlando City SC
New York Red Bulls v CF Montréal
Philadelphia Union v New England Revolution
Austin FC v Toronto FC (01.30)
Chicago Fire FC v Atlanta United (01.30)
FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo FC (01.30)
Colorado Rapids v Real Salt Lake (02.30)
St. Louis City SC v Sporting Kansas City (02.30)
Los Angeles Football Club v San Jose Earthquakes (03.30)
Portland Timbers v Minnesota United FC (03.30)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Seattle Sounders FC (03.30)
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Big Matches
We have plenty of rivalry games this week with maybe the biggest of them being the ‘Hell is Real’ clash between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew. The home side lead the race for the Supporters’ Shield but the visitors bring plenty of class with them. The other appealing battle on the evening is the Cascadia Cup clash between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders. Other derbies on the night include FC Dallas vs Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami vs Orlando City SC while Colorado Rapids host Real Salt Lake for the Rocky Mountain Cup. There is also the first Missouri derby as St Louis City SC host Sporting Kansas City.
Best of the Rest
Two form teams meet when Charlotte FC host Nashville SC in what should be an interesting contest while DC United will look to build on their encouraging start to the season when they host an LA Galaxy side who have started very badly. Austin SC are beginning to offer up signs of hope and they host Toronto FC while Portland Timbers also look to be finding their better stuff. They host Minnesota United. Chicago Fire and Atlanta United played an entertaining game a couple of weeks ago and they meet at Soldier Field while the champions Los Angeles FC take on the only team to beat them this season in San Jose Earthquakes. The last two winners of the Eastern Conference regular season collide too when Philadelphia Union welcome New England Revolution to Subaru Park.
Betting
I’ll go with a couple of bets over the course of the night with the first of them coming in the form of an Austin FC side who are showing signs of coming to life. One of the reasons for that is the much improved form of Emiliano Rigoni who a lot has been invested in. The absence of Sebastian Driussi isn’t ideal for the Texan side but it does mean that others have the chance to step up, particularly Gyasi Zardes who scored in midweek and who could really prosper without Driussi invading the space he likes to operate in. Austin face a Toronto FC side who have a huge number of injuries to contend with, who have one win in nine matches in the MLS and who haven’t scored in their last three matches. Austin struggled for goals with six in their opening eight matches but they have matched that total in their last four and with signs that last season’s form might not be far away I like the home side here.
The other bet I like on the evening is for Portland Timbers to beat Minnesota United. Minnesota have had a tough month but while things are going to improve shortly now that Emmanuel Reynoso has been allowed back onto the team, he is still a few days away from being fit to feature so I fancy the Loons will continue to struggle at Providence Park. Minnesota have lost their last four away games and have shipped nine goals in that time. Portland are the opposite to that. Their only home loss came against a St Louis City SC side who were pretty rampant at the time. Since then they have dispatched Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps in pretty ruthless fashion. Portland have their key players back and Evander is beginning to warm to the task so I think the price on a home win here is too big too.
Tips
Back Austin FC to beat Toronto FC for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Betway
Back Portland Timbers to beat Minnesota United for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
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