LA Galaxy coach Greg Vanney acknowledges his side are no longer the powerhouse they once were in MLS, as his out-of-form team prepare for a derby clash with Los Angeles FC this weekend.

The LA rivals will play out the latest edition of El Trafico at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, with Galaxy looking to arrest a dismal start to the 2023 season.

Galaxy are winless in their first six MLS matches, with three draws and three defeats leaving them just above the foot of the Western Conference.

It almost a decade since Galaxy were the dominant force in the competition, and with LAFC's own MLS Cup success last term, they have been supplanted as the dominant force in southern California since the latter's arrival in 2018.

Vanney said: "We understand where we're at, and we understand where we're going, and we also understand the context of the situation.

"There are now 29 teams in the league that are also trying to do the same thing. This is no longer a league of 12 teams or 19 teams of which the Galaxy is the spender.

"We're in a league with a lot of very ambitious clubs and teams and, some that have [spent] are ahead of us in terms of making roster decisions who have settled their groups in."

Steve Cherundolo, meanwhile, is paying no attention to the difference in ladder position between the two sides ahead of their encounter.

Instead, the LAFC boss is expecting the usual feisty derby and hard-fought battle for points.

"It's always competitive," he said. "We will always see the best of the Galaxy. We expect much of the same on Sunday."

The pair split the win share equally in four games last term, though it was LAFC who claimed El Trafico's most crucial game in the play-offs last year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig

Former Barcelona midfielder Puig has been busy in attack, even if he has lacked the reward, having made 37 attempts to take on defenders this season.

Puig has been successful on 24 occasions. No player with 25 or more attempts this season has a higher success rate than Puig, with 64.8 per cent.

LAFC – Carlos Vela

Vela has scored 10 goals in 11 career MLS appearances against the Galaxy, the joint-best for any player against a single opponent since LAFC joined the league in 2018.

That said, he has not found the back of the net in any of his last four meetings in El Trafico, marking something of a barren run for him.

MATCH PREDICTION – LAFC WIN

Galaxy and LAFC each claimed victory in their two home matches against the other in 2022, including the latter's 3-2 win during the play-offs. Eight of the 16 MLS meetings between the sides have featured at least five goals, including each of the last two.

Galaxy have earned just three points in their first six matches this season (W0 D3 L3), matching their worst-ever record for fewest points at this stage of a season, set during the 1997 campaign.

LAFC have won their first four home matches this MLS season but have played out scoreless draws in both of their away games. Prior to those last two encounters, none of their first 77 away trips in MLS had finished without at least one goal.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy - 34.5 per cent

LAFC - 38.1 per cent

Draw - 27.4 per cent

New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir has been banned for six MLS games after using racist language during last Saturday's clash with the San Jose Earthquakes.

The encounter was stopped for 15 minutes at Red Bull Arena after Belgium international Vanzeir was involved in a confrontation.

He has since apologised, saying he "made a mistake and will take all the necessary steps to grow", but that did not spare him from firm punishment from league chiefs.

Announcing the suspension in a statement, MLS said it had also imposed a fine of an unspecified sum on Vanzeir, adding he must take part in "league-mandated training and education sessions, as well as a restorative practices programme".

The league added: "MLS is working with both clubs and the MLS Players Association to provide impacted players and staff with support and resources, and is committed to continuing to review and improve its in-game protocol."

Vanzeir will be eligible to return to action against CF Montreal on May 20.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Vanzeir said he would "accept full responsibility for my actions".

"While I did not intend to cause any harm or offense with my language, I know that I did and for that I am deeply sorry," he said.

Anticipating his punishment, Vanzeir added: "I will use this opportunity to better myself, reflect and dedicate my time and efforts to work with organisations that tackle racial injustice."

New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir has apologised for using a racial slur during a 1-1 draw with San Jones Earthquakes on Saturday.

The MLS game was stopped for 15 minutes at Red Bull Arena after Belgian Vanzeir was involved in a confrontation.

Vanzeir says he will accept any ban that is imposed on him for his conduct.

He said in a statement: "I want to sincerely apologise to the players of the Earthquakes. I will do everything I can to be part of the change that needs to happen in this sport and our world.

"I also want to apologise to my team-mates, coaches, the organisation and our fans. I made a mistake and will take all the necessary steps to grow.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions. While I did not intend to cause any harm or offense with my language, I know that I did and for that I am deeply sorry.

"I will agree to any suspension, fine and counselling that is handed down by Major League Soccer and the club.

"I will use this opportunity to better myself, reflect and dedicate my time and efforts to work with organisations that tackle racial injustice."

The Red Bulls said: "The New York Red Bulls wholeheartedly apologise for the unacceptable events that transpired on Saturday night during the match with the San Jose Earthquakes.

"The words and inaction was inexcusable, and we believe there is never a place for it.

"We always strive for an environment that is inclusive and anti-racist. Our organisation is committed to providing the resources to further educate our players and staff, as well as rebuilding trust within our community"

Xavi accepts Sergio Busquets could decide to end his Barcelona career on a high at the end of the season, though the Blaugrana boss remains hopeful of keeping the midfielder.

Busquets has won 31 major trophies during a glittering 15-year spell with Barca's senior side, but the 34-year-old's contract with the Catalan giants expires at the end of this season.

While Barca president Joan Laporta revealed the club were looking to offer Busquets a one-year extension last month, MLS side Inter Miami have long been credited with an interest in him.

Barca are 12 points clear of Real Madrid at LaLiga's summit ahead of Monday's meeting with Girona, and while Xavi hopes Busquets will stay at Camp Nou, he accepts his captain may view a title triumph as the ideal time to depart.

"Let's see how he ends the season," Xavi said of his former team-mate. "I have said it many times, for me [Busquets] is very important, not only in football but also in the dressing room.

"I have told him many times, I want him to stay but I also understand him. 

"I have told him, if everything goes well, this year he can leave with titles and in a great moment. I understand him perfectly. It's difficult. I will insist that he continues."

Denis Bouanga netted a hat-trick as reigning MLS champions LAFC claimed a statement win with a 3-0 rout of Austin on Saturday.

Bouanga opened the scoring with a low strike with five minutes left in the first half, before adding further goals in the 57th and 68th minutes.

The Gabonese winger fired in a powerful right-foot volley from a corner for 2-0, before side-footing home at the back post for the third.

The result meant LAFC kept in touch with the top two in the Western Conference, with Seattle Sounders moving above St Louis City into top spot with a 3-0 win in the late game.

The Sounders netted three second-half goals to condemn the expansion side to their second straight loss after winning their opening five MLS games.

Phil Neville's Inter Miami slumped to their fifth straight loss, going down 1-0 at home to Dallas. US international Jesus Ferreira scored the only goal in the 27th minute. Dallas moved up to fourth in the West with the victory.

Cincinnati remained top of the Eastern Conference with a 1-0 home win over Philadelphia Union, who are winless in four. New England are second in the East behind Cincy, thrashing Montreal 4-0.

Tom Barlow scored deep into stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw for New York Red Bulls against San Jose Earthquakes, while Colorado Rapids edged Sporting KC 1-0 on the road.

New York City and Atlanta United drew 1-1, Nashville and Toronto drew 0-0, while Columbus Crew secured their third straight win with a 2-0 victory at D United.

Kei Kamara scored a double as Chicago Fire won 2-1 over Minnesota United, while Amine Bassi also netted a brace as 10-man Houston Dynamo beat nine-man LA Galaxy 3-0.

Real Salt Lake came from behind to win 3-1 over Charlotte, while Vancouver Whitecaps beat Portland Timbers 1-0.

Brian Schmetzer is looking for Seattle Sounders to use Lumen Field's home advantage to beat the visiting St. Louis City on Saturday and leapfrog them to the Western Conference summit.

Expansion franchise St. Louis have enjoyed a brilliant start to MLS life, rattling off five victories from their first six matches to sit top of the West.

They were beaten at home by Minnesota United last time out, though, and Schmetzer wants his Seattle team, who sit just two points behind St. Louis and will go top with a win, to embrace familiar surroundings against the early frontrunners.

"It's another home game," Schmetzer told reporters. "We want to make sure that Lumen Field is a hard place to play.

"I have confidence that if our team plays up to our potential, chances are we'll come up with a good result."

St. Louis' first MLS defeat came against an unbeaten Minnesota team, who scored with their only shot on target as the hosts lost despite managing more attempts and shots on target than their opponents while also holding 55 per cent of the possession.

Head coach Bradley Carnell is keeping a positive outlook as they try and get back on track against Seattle, saying: "It's a new window for us.

"It's a new window of opportunity to go and start something fresh, start something new."

Goalkeeper Roman Burki feels the first defeat has shown St. Louis' character, explaining: "Five games in a row, everything's good and sunshine every day.

"But I learned that we have actual winners and fighters in the team, guys who can speak up, get loud. I would say this group are a team."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Leo Chu

After keeping his place in the starting XI following his four-assist performance against Sporting Kansas City, Chu followed it up by scoring his first goal and setting another goal up in the 2-1 victory at the LA Galaxy last time out. Can he make it three straight games with a goal involvement against St. Louis on Saturday?

St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen

Lowen (four assists) and team-mate Joao Klauss (two goals, three assists) have both contributed to at least one goal in each of their first three road matches in MLS, with only six players managing it in their first four games. Can Lowen join that exclusive club here?

MATCH PREDICTION – SEATTLE WIN

Seattle have taken 13 points from their first six matches of the season, the eighth time in 13 MLS campaigns they have managed at least 10 points from their opening six games, and they are yet to concede a goal at Lumen Field so far this term.

St. Louis, meanwhile, have the opportunity to become just the second team since 2000 to win their first four road matches of a season after the New York Red Bulls managed five in the last campaign.

But the Sounders have lost just one of their 10 home games against expansion sides, and they look the favourites to come out on top in this meeting of two of the Western Conference's early pacesetters.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle: 49.5 per cent

St. Louis: 23.7 per cent

Draw: 26.8 per cent

Lionel Messi appeared set to re-sign with Paris Saint-Germain late last year, but the situation has changed.

There have been reports that the Argentinian World Cup winner is unhappy at PSG, with links to an MLS move.

Messi is contracted until the end of this season and had initially agreed to a one-year extension to stay in the French capital.

TOP STORY – MESSI AND PSG RELATIONSHIP IRREPARABLE

L'Equipe claims Messi's relationship with PSG irreparable and he is all but certain to exit at the end of this season, with a return to Barcelona appearing increasingly likely.

Messi spent more than 20 years at Camp Nou, before Barca's financial challenges led to his departure for PSG in August 2021, with the club keen to welcome him back.

The 35-year-old was jeered by PSG fans during Sunday's 1-0 home loss to Lyon amid speculation of his departure.

ROUND-UP

– The Athletic reports signing Tottenham forward Harry Kane is Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's "absolute priority" in the off-season. Kane is out of contract with Spurs in 2024.

– The Sun claims United are strongly considering selling under-performing winger Jadon Sancho in the off-season, with a view to using the sum generated to purchase their next forward.

– United have also held exploratory talks with Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, per The Athletic.

– Real Madrid have been linked with Chelsea's Reece James and Football Insider claims they are willing to pay £90m (£102.5m) for his services, with 31-year-old right-back Dani Carvajal struggling with injuries.

– Arsenal are plotting a move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins during the next transfer window, according to Fichajes.

– Talksport claims  Graham Potter has declined the opportunity to become Leicester City 's new manager, with The Mail reporting that he will wait until the off-season before taking on a new role.

Expansion franchise St Louis City's perfect start to their inaugural MLS season was ended by Minnesota United who triumphed 1-0 after Luis Amarilla's 78th-minute penalty on Saturday.

City had made MLS history by winning their first five games but that was ended by the Loons with Amarilla drilling home the spot kick after a needless challenge by Kyle Hiebert.

Hiebert brought down Amarilla just inside the box with a rash tackle when Jakob Nerwinski appeared to have Kervin Arriaga's wayward pass under control.

Substitute Samuel Adeniran came closest to equalising for St Louis, with a 95th-minute shot going over the bar after a great first touch from Klauss' right-wing cut back.

St Louis remain top of the table with 15 points from six games, but unbeaten Minnesota climb up to fourth in the Western Conference.

Cincinnati continued their impressive start to the season with a 1-0 home triumph over Inter Miami who slumped to their fourth straight defeat.

Yerson Mosquera scored the 45th-minute winner for Cincy, who are top of the Eastern Conference.

Giorgos Giakoumakis scored an early winner as Atlanta United moved up to second in the East with a 1-0 home win over New York Red Bulls, who are down in 12th in that conference.

Jordan Morris and Leo Chu scored first-half goals as Seattle Sounders stayed second in the West with a 2-1 victory at LA Galaxy, who are without a win and have only three points from five games.

LAFC remained unbeaten and third in the West despite a 0-0 draw at the winless Colorado Rapids, while SJ Earthquakes climbed to fifth with a 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo with all three goals coming from penalties.

Vancouver Whitecaps snapped a run of three straight draws with a resounding 5-0 win over 10-man Montreal with Simon Becher scoring a double. Becher is the fastest player (87 minutes) in MLS history to score his first four goals.

Franck Boli rescued a 1-1 draw for Portland Timbers at Dallas, Chicago Fire and DC United drew 0-0 and Nashville triumphed 2-0 at Orlando City.

Federico Bernardeschi netted another spectacular goal with a strike straight from a corner in Toronto's 2-2 home draw with Charlotte.

Sporting KC remained winless after a 0-0 draw at Philadelphia Union, New England drew 1-1 with New York City and Real Salt Lake suffered their fourth straight loss, going down 4-0 to Columbus Crew.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are among the heavy hitters with reported interest in out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Tchouameni arrived in Madrid last July from Monaco for a €100million fee, but has started just 15 of 26 LaLiga fixtures this term, and played only a combined six minutes in their two-legged Champions League clash with Liverpool, whom he reportedly turned down to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The defensive midfielder has found himself behind 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga for Madrid's most crucial contests, also only making brief substitute appearances in both meetings with Barcelona in March.

Tchouameni, who has made 23 senior appearances and scored two international goals for France, still has plenty of time to turn himself into the impact player Madrid envisioned, but the club are reportedly weighing up if they could cash in and use the resources elsewhere.

TOP STORY – EUROPE'S ELITE KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON TCHOUAMENI

According to El Nacional, Madrid are not happy with such an expensive signing only being used sparingly in a rotation role, and will consider any bid in the next transfer window starting at €70m (£61.5m).

The report names Arsenal, United, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Chelsea as Tchouameni's "admirers", with the Premier League clubs in particular having all been in the market recently for help in central midfield.

Tchouameni could even cost less than breakout Brighton and Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo, and significantly less than Borussia Dortmund talent Jude Bellingham, adding another key name into the mix for midfielder-hungry clubs this offseason.

ROUND-UP

– According to Calciomercato, Liverpool are considering a move for Brighton's Caicedo if their pursuit of Bellingham is unsuccessful.

– Football Insider is reporting that Chelsea are hoping to receive £100m in return for midfield duo Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic in an effort to balance the books after lavish spending.

– Chelsea's Kai Havertz has interest in reuniting with former boss Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, and that interest is mutual according to 90min.

– Fichajes is reporting that Roma may swoop for 32-year-old United goalkeeper David de Gea if he does not sign a new contract to stay in the Premier League.

– According to Mundo Deportivo, PSG have told Lionel Messi they will pay whatever is necessary to retain his services amid heavy interest from Barcelona and Inter Miami.

Jim Curtin has promised supporters they will see the Philadelphia Union of old in Saturday's showdown with Sporting Kansas City at Subaru Park.

The Union finished top of the Eastern Conference last season en route to losing the MLS Cup final to Los Angeles FC, but they have made a sluggish start to the 2023 campaign.

Philly have lost three of their opening five matches, including back-to-back defeats against a struggling CF Montreal side and Orlando City in their past two outings.

But with winless Sporting up next this weekend, Curtin is hoping to see a response from his players.

"I think the group will have a good response against Kansas City," Curtin said ahead of Union's first home match against Sporting since the MLS is Back quarter-finals in 2020.

"Win, lose or draw we want to put on a good display to our fans and show that we are still a very good team that had a bad outing last game.

"We have players returning and have had a couple of days with them, so we should be pretty much full strength going into the Kansas match."

Sporting have themselves made a slower-than-expected start to the season, having taken just two points from their first five games.

Like Philadelphia, they enter the game on the back of successive defeats, but experienced head coach Peter Vermes knows how quickly things can change.

"It's easy to think negative things, saying what players can't do, but it's amazing how fast a team can turn that, then you ask 'well how did they do that?'," he said.

"A lot of it is to do with plugging away, keep fighting. I've said it before: we've got a good group here and we'll get there."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Philadelphia Union – Andre Blake

Philadelphia's defeats to Montreal and Orlando came in the absence of Blake, whom Curtin this week described as "the best goalkeeper that our league has".

Joe Bendik conceded five goals across those two matches, but Curtin is hopeful Blake will be back between the sticks on Saturday.

Sporting Kansas City – Erik Thommy

Two goals scored in five games is a hugely underwhelming return for Sporting, even more so when you consider they have had 76 shots this term – only Philadelphia have had as many.

Thommy has been heavily involved in an attacking sense, but he has yet to score this campaign and that quite simply has to change if Sporting are to turn things around.

MATCH PREDICTION – PHILADELPHIA WIN

Philadelphia have clearly lacked the consistency of last season so far in 2023, having lost two MLS games in a row for the first time since September 2021.

The defeat to Orlando last weekend brought an end to the Union's 13-match winning streak on home soil, which was the second-longest run of any side in league history.

But Sporting have really struggled so far, with this only the second time they have gone winless in their first five games, and this seems a good chance for Philly to kick-start their season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Philadelphia Union - 62.1 per cent

Sporting KC - 14.8 per cent

Draw - 23.1 per cent

New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly communicated to the board that Tottenham striker Harry Kane is his top priority in the upcoming transfer window.

Kane, 29, is just five goals away from overtaking Wayne Rooney for second on the Premier League's all-time leading scorers list, after recently surpassing Rooney as England's all-time top scorer and Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's record holder.

With his personal legacy in England already secured, the logical next move is somewhere the striker can secure some team silverware, and that is an area Bayern can deliver.

While Tottenham will be desperate to convince their star to stay put, any indication that he will not sign a new contract will likely force the club to cash-in on their top talent.

TOP STORY – TUCHEL HOPING TO MAKE KANE BAYERN'S NEW CENTREPIECE

According to Football Insider, Tuchel "is a huge fan of Kane from his time in the Premier League managing Chelsea", and he has communicated to the Bayern board that he should be the main focus going forward.

Despite Kane approaching the final 12 months of his deal, Tottenham are still expected to demand a fee in the £100million (Є113.8m) range to part ways with their club icon, but it remains exceedingly unlikely that they will allow his contract to run out.

However, the report adds Kane would potentially be open to an extension if Spurs can secure former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann as Antonio Conte's replacement.

ROUND-UP

– 90min reports 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is prepared to leave the club amid concerns his limited playing time will affect his spot in the England team, but Football Insider claims Phillips is prepared to stick it out.

– According to Sport, all 29 MLS clubs have agreed to split the salary of Lionel Messi and would allow him to choose whichever franchise he would prefer.

– Paris Saint-Germain are planning to capitalise on a two-week window at the start of July when 26-year-old Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae has a temporary release clause of €52.5m, per Foot Mercato.

– Fichajes reports Barcelona will likely be forced to sell 20-year-old winger Ansu Fati in the next transfer window for financial reasons.

Atlanta United lost their position atop the MLS' Eastern Conference standings after a surprise 6-1 hammering at the hands of the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Atlanta boasted three wins and a draw from their first four matches of the season – and had won their past two by a combined margin of 8-1 – but they were no match for an inspired Columbus outfit in front of their home fans.

Crew forward Christian Ramirez bagged a brace in the second half, while Alexandru Matan was credited with three assists in Columbus' second win of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris raced out into the Golden Boot lead with a four-goal haul in his side's 4-1 away win against Sporting Kansas City.

The 28-year-old American more than doubled his three goals from the opening four matches, opening up a two-goal lead on rest of the competition.

With Atlanta going down, it was the New England Revolution capitalising and taking over as the Eastern Conference leaders, overcoming a first-half strike from Christian Benteke to defeat D.C. United 2-1.

The loss left D.C. near the bottom of the standings with four points from five matches, where they are joined by Charlotte after their 1-1 home draw against New York Red Bulls.

Cincinnati are the only undefeated team in the East through five matches, securing their third win with a 1-0 triumph over Nashville, to go with two draws as they sit one point behind New England.

A 92nd-minute winner gave the Chicago Fire a 3-2 victory away from home against Inter Miami – their first win of the season – while two goals in the first 10 minutes were enough for Orlando City to prevail 2-1 against the Philadelphia Union.

LA Galaxy remain winless after battling out a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers, while it was more dramatic for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they needed a 98th minute equaliser to snatch a point in their 1-1 tie with Minnesota.

Austin FC let a golden opportunity to climb the Western Conference slip away as they dropped points in a 1-1 home draw against the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rapids, who doubled their points tally for the season with the result.

A 55th-minute penalty from Amine Bassi was enough to give the Houston Dynamo a 1-0 win against New York City, while expansion side St. Louis City continued their perfect start to their first season with a convincing 4-0 drubbing of Real Salt Lake, leaving them the only side with the maximum 15 points from five matches.

In the late window, Los Angeles FC benefitted from a first-half red card to defeat FC Dallas 2-1, while Toronto FC battled out a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Bruce Arena is satisfied with New England Revolution's start to the season, though warned the opening four games of a campaign cannot be used to judge how his team will go on to perform.

The Revolution won MLS' Supporters' Shield in 2021 yet struggled last season, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference.

New England have started this season strongly, however, winning three of their opening four games, albeit their sole defeat came in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of reigning MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC.

A 1-0 win over Nashville SC saw New England return to winning ways last week, and though Arena was not entirely happy with the performance, he cannot complain over his team's start to 2023.

"In the last 10 minutes we didn't do a good job defending the lead, we were a bit too negative, but after four games, to have three wins – it's a pretty good start to the season," he told reporters.

"For the most part we've improved this year. We played well [against Nashville]. In the first half we played very well. For 75 minutes it was really good. I didn't like the last 10-15 minutes but overall it was a good performance against a good team."

Arena, though, did bluntly add: "The first four games of the season means absolutely nothing."

Next up for New England are Wayne Rooney's D.C. United, who lost 3-2 at New York City FC last time out.

D.C. United signed midfielder Lewis O'Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest this week, with Rooney saying: "Lewis has been one of the best players in the Championship over the last few seasons.

"He reads the game well and creates goalscoring opportunities. Bringing him in on loan from Nottingham Forest was a great bit of business for us and he will be a brilliant addition to our midfield."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

D.C. United – Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke has netted twice in MLS this season, including D.C. United’s first goal in their loss in New York City. Benteke scored with his only attempt on target, with the striker hitting a further two off target and also creating one chance.

New England Revolution – Gustavo Bou

Bou scored the lone goal in New England's 1-0 win over Nashville on Saturday. He has scored 41 goals in the regular season and play-offs since debuting for New England in mid-2019, 10 more than any other Revs player under Arena.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

With nine points through four matches (W3 L1), the Revolution are off to their second-best start in club history (10 points in 2005).

D.C., meanwhile, are unbeaten in their first two home matches this season, picking up a win over Toronto FC and a draw against Columbus Crew. They have not gone three straight home matches without defeat since a five-match run in August-September 2021 (W4 D1).

New England won the last MLS meeting between the teams, emerging victorious 1-0 at Gillette Stadium last season. Carles Gil scored for the Revs, though the playmaker did not feature against Nashville due to injury.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

D.C. United – 34.6 per cent

New England Revolution – 36.7 per cent

Draw – 28.7 per cent

Arsenal will face the MLS All-Stars, who will be coached by Wayne Rooney, in a friendly in July.

The annual MLS All-Star Game sees a squad made up of players from across the league come together to face an opponent.

For the last two years, the MLS All-Stars have played a Liga MX All-Stars team, with the team from the United States' top tier emerging victorious on both occasions.

However, the 2023 edition will see the MLS All-Stars return to playing a European club, with Arsenal appearing in the exhibition event for a second time.

The Gunners beat an All-Stars side that included Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Didier Drogba and David Villa 2-1 in San Jose in 2016.

This year's match will be held at Audi Field in Washington, D.C, with England's joint-record goalscorer Rooney – who coaches D.C. United in MLS – set to take charge of the All-Stars.

"I've had a front-row seat to watch the growth and development of Major League Soccer, first as a player and now as a manager," said Rooney in a statement.

"The opportunity to lead the best our league has to offer against a top Premier League club like Arsenal will be a highlight for me personally and an unforgettable experience for our passionate fanbase here in D.C."

Mikel Arteta said: "It's great that we're playing against the MLS All-Stars in Washington D.C. in July.

"Our US tour [in 2022] was very good preparation for the season, and we're looking forward to once again visiting our amazing supporters in the US. The match against the MLS All-Stars will be a good test ahead of the 2023-24 season."

On July 18, 10 Arsenal players will also go up against 10 MLS players in the Skills Challenge, which will again be held at Audi Field.

Arsenal are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with 10 games remaining, while Rooney's D.C. United are 11th in the Eastern Conference in MLS with four points from as many games this season.

St Louis City extended their dream start to life in the MLS with a 3-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday making league history as the first expansion team to win its first four games.

The Missouri club powered past the Earthquakes with first-half goals from Nicholas Gioacchini and Joao Klauss, before Tomas Ostrak sealed the win in the 68th minute.

St Louis' fourth straight win surpassed the Seattle Sounders' three-win start in their debut MLS season in 2009.

The new franchise have scored 11 goals in four games, with Saturday's win marking their first clean sheet, having been forced to come from behind in all three other victories.

Argentinian midfielder Thiago Almada continued his stellar start to the new campaign with a  double in Atlanta United's 5-1 win over Portland Timbers.

The 21-year-old, who was called into Argentina's squad for the upcoming international window, netted a stunning free-kick in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-0.

Montreal upset 10-man Philadelphia Union with a comeback 3-2 win aided by a game-changing video review for Chinonso Offor's 90th-minute equaliser which split opinions.

The goal had initially been disallowed upon video review, only for that to be overturned when it was realised Union left back Kai Wagner, who was off screen from the initial angle, had actually played Offor onside.

Reigning MLS Cup winners LAFC were held to a goalless draw at Seattle, while last year's beaten conference finalists New York City got past DC United 3-2.

New England made it three wins from four games with Gustavo Bou netting the winner in a 1-0 triumph over Nashville, while New York Red Bulls came from behind to win 2-1 over Columbus Crew.

Chicago Fire remain winless after blowing a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Cincinnati, while LA Galaxy are also without a win after a 1-1 home draw with Vancouver Whitecaps.

Charlotte bounced back from their losing start to the season with a 2-1 home win over Orlando City, while Toronto beat Inter Miami 2-0, Dallas won 2-1 over Sporting KC, Houston Dynamo downed Austin 2-0 and Miguel Tapias scored late to earn Minnesota United a 2-1 win at Colorado Rapids.