Steve Cherundolo says Los Angeles FC will force the issue when they take on the Colorado Rapids in a huge clash of Western Conference contenders on Saturday.
LAFC lead the way in the West with 37 points, though Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy are only behind them due to winning one game fewer.
LAFC's fine run of form continued with a 6-2 rout of the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, with Mateusz Bogusz scoring twice as they raced into a 5-0 lead within just 48 minutes.
Cherundolo expects a different level of test from the Rapids, who are just six points off the summit after an encouraging start to Chris Armas' tenure.
"They're a difficult team to beat, they're playing very well, they're disciplined, compact and also very vertical," Cherundolo said of Colorado.
"Chris has done a great job, and you can see it's a well-coached team. They found a way to be successful and they're sticking to it.
"We believe that every system has its own abilities, it's just a matter of how well we can impose ours on them."
Colorado have won their last three matches after enduring a mini slump, but like his opposite number, Armas is wary of the challenge his team will face on Saturday.
"It's another busy stretch coming up so in many ways it's right back to basics and we'll just try to get better," Armas said.
"We're always looking at every game as a test of how we can improve. We know they're a good team, they're playing really well, but we're looking forward to it.
"They just scored six but they're also one of the better defensive teams. You can see how explosive that offense is and we'll have to be at our best to get anything."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Los Angeles FC – Mateusz Bogusz
Bogusz has a goal contribution in eight straight MLS matches, with only Luciano Acosta having a longer such streak this season (nine).
That is the second-longest such streak in regular-season play by an LAFC player, behind only Carlos Vela (11 straight spanning 2019 and 2020).
Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic
Mihailovic has six goal contributions in his last two games, with three goals Wednesday against St. Louis City and a goal and two assists against CF Montreal last Saturday.
His six goal contributions are the most ever over a span of two MLS games by a Rapids player.
MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN
The home team has lost only one of the 11 all-time meetings between LAFC and Colorado (nine wins, one draw).
LAFC have won all five of their previous home matches against the Rapids by a combined score of 14-1. While the Rapids will certainly put up a fight this week, the hosts enter as favourites.
Cherundolo's team are unbeaten in their last eight league games, winning seven and drawing the other at Austin FC. At home, they have won five in a row.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Los Angeles FC – 62.2%
Colorado Rapids – 17.8%
Draw – 20%
Minnesota United v Vancouver Whitecaps: Ramsay looking for enthusiasm to end Loons' losing run
Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay wants his team to "grind through" their tough period as they aim to bounce back against Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday.
The Loons are winless in five and have lost each of their last four matches, conceding a stoppage-time winner against Portland Timbers last time out to extend that run.
They have dropped to seventh in the Western Conference, and Ramsay is confident he will get the reaction he needs from his players.
"We've got to take the best from [the defeat] and really try and grind through what is an immensely difficult period for us and come out of the other side well," he said.
"We've got to move forward in as constructive and pragmatic a way that we can. That is the only attitude that can be adopted at the moment. To look at it any other way is ridiculous.
"Ultimately, we have to approach Wednesday's game with a level of enthusiasm. There's no other way to look at it."
Meanwhile, Vancouver can leapfrog Minnesota if they get a road win on Wednesday to build on their impressive 4-3 victory over St. Louis City last time out.
The Whitecaps had to come from behind to earn the victory, and head coach Vanni Sartini praised the character his team showed.
"It was being conscious that we're a good team," Sartini said. "We were always calm and collected.
"Those three points were really important with our two games in hand, and we have to play two very important away games. We have to win both, and we want results in both, but the standings don't look bad."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane
Bongokuhle Hlongwane recorded a goal and an assist in Minnesota's defeat to Portland on Saturday, his fourth regular-season match with a goal and an assist for the Loons, tied with Robin Lod, Darwin Quintero and Emanuel Reynoso for the most in club history.
Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White
Brian White scored his second hat-trick for the Whitecaps in their 4-3 win over St. Louis City on Saturday, the first player in team history with multiple hat-tricks.
Only one other player, Cristian Techera in 2018, has scored a regular-season hat-trick for the Whitecaps in the last decade.
MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA UNITED WIN
Minnesota are unbeaten in six all-time home matches against Vancouver (W3 D3), though the Whitecaps managed a draw in their last visit to St. Paul, 1-1 in March 2023.
Minnesota have lost four consecutive regular-season matches for the fourth time and the first since the first four matches of the 2021 season. The Loons have never lost five consecutive regular season matches.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat St. Louis City, 4-3, on Saturday, the fourth time Vancouver won a match in which they trailed by multiple goals and the first at home since June 2013 against New England.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Minnesota United – 45.7%
Draw – 26.8%
Vancouver Whitecaps – 27.5%
Real Salt Lake v Houston Dynamo: Olsen wants to continue in 'right direction' on road trip
Ben Olsen will be hoping Houston Dynamo can take another step in the "right direction" when they visit Real Salt Lake for Thursday's MLS meeting.
The Dynamo recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Charlotte FC in their last outing, with this the chance to find a third straight victory and continue their resurgent form.
El Naranja sit sixth in the Western Conference standings, one point adrift of the top four, yet head coach Olsen still wants improvements from his Houston roster.
"It's a step in the right direction, we've got a week to recover – Salt Lake away that is never going to be easy," Olsen said after the Charlotte win, looking ahead to RSL.
"And then LAFC comes [to us at home], so it was important to get the last three points.
"The clean sheet is the biggest storyline for us at the minute."
RSL will be the hosts at America First Field, aiming to respond to a surprise 1-0 defeat against LA Galaxy last time out.
Gabriel Pec's second-half finish was enough for a 1-0 win for the Galaxy in that meeting, downing Pablo Mastroeni's men, who dropped down to third in the West table.
Having suffered their first defeat in seven home outings, Mastroeni will be desperate for improvements and close the gap on the two-top duo – the Galaxy and Los Angeles FC.
Carlos Andres Gomez will miss this one through suspension after accumulating five yellow cards this season, while Houston's Franco Escobar will be out for the same reason.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Real Salt Lake – Cristian Arango
Cristian Arango has scored just one goal in five career MLS matches against Houston (including playoffs), averaging 0.30 goals per 90 minutes.
The only opponent he has faced three or more times with a lower scoring rate is Vancouver (no goals in six games), can Arango end that spell against Houston here?
Houston Dynamo – Ibrahim Aliyu
Ibrahim Aliyu scored in the fifth minute against Charlotte on Saturday, and the Dynamo man will hope to race out the blocks once more in Salt Lake.
It was the second-earliest goal Houston has ever scored in a 1-0 win in MLS play with only Stuart Holden doing so earlier, netting in the fourth minute of a 1-0 win over Chicago in 2009.
MATCH PREDICTION – REAL SALT LAKE WIN
Real Salt Lake saw their 15-match undefeated streak ended last time out but still appear the narrow favourites for this clash.
However, the Charlotte defeat left RSL with just two wins from their last six matches, while Houston are on their own impressive unbeaten run.
The Dynamo are undefeated in six outings, only producing just one longer unbeaten run within a single regular season over the last decade – a seven-match streak from July to September last season.
Houston also did not lose any of their six meetings with RSL last season (W3 D3), though those three wins are the Dynamo's only successes in this fixture since 2017.
RSL will be desperate to find a form of yesteryear and restore their imperious head-to-head record this time around.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Real Salt Lake win – 51.2%
Draw – 24.8%
Houston Dynamo win – 24%
Gakpo: Netherlands performance the perfect answer to media criticism
Cody Gakpo said the Netherlands' performance against Romania represented the ideal answer to media criticism as they booked their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Gakpo opened the scoring as the Oranje ran out 3-0 winners in Tuesday's last-16 tie, with Donyell Malen coming off the bench to add two more goals in the latter stages.
The Liverpool man has now scored six goals at the last two major tournaments, with Kylian Mbappe (nine goals) the only European to better that tally across the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.
He is also one of just three players to net three or more goals in two separate tournaments for the Oranje, after Johnny Rep (1974 and 1978 World Cups) and Dennis Bergkamp (Euro 1992, 1994 and 1998 World Cups).
The Netherlands were fiercely criticised by the media at home after finishing third in Group D, and Gakpo was aware of the need to respond emphatically.
"This was the answer we had to our last performance – we had a good game, scored good goals, we played good football," Gakpo said.
"Of course we could do better, but it was a good showing after the last game. A good step in that next direction.
"We felt we were in control even though they were a dangerous opponent. We never had the feeling that we would lose control of the game."
Virgil van Dijk was among the Oranje players to see his group-stage performances slated, and he was equally proud of the team's response on Tuesday.
"We were defensively sound and solid and did not give up much," Van Dijk said. "We could have scored a lot more.
"After a turbulent week, where a lot was said, we had to show something and we did that. We are self-critical and we knew it had to be a lot better after the last game.
"Everyone went for the duels, won the second balls and took chances. Playing good football gives us self-confidence."
The Netherlands have progressed from a European Championship knockout match for the first time since 2004, when they beat Sweden on penalties after a goalless draw.
Excluding penalties, it is their first win in a knockout game since they thrashed Yugoslavia 6-1 in 2000 – the biggest margin of victory ever recorded at the tournament.
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