Peter Luccin was thrilled with FC Dallas' comeback against the Portland Timbers, but still sees plenty of ways they can improve.

Dallas came out on top from a topsy-turvy match in midweek, winning 3-2.

It saw Dallas bounce back from successive defeats, and they sit 11th in the Western Conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Sporting Kansas City, who are six points behind in 13th.

Asked what he liked about his team's performance against the Timbers, Dallas interim boss Luccin said: "Resilience, resilience from the team. That was huge.

"After the first half, we were very passive with nothing offensively. The only thing about the first half that I liked was the compactness of the team. We were compact, but no one making runs, no one even putting more pressure on the ball or playing with the ball. 

"The half-time talk, maybe it's better for me to not say anything. It was a hard talk, but at the same time, we told them to believe.

"We felt that we could score in the second half. The second half we showed character.

"We are in a very hard situation right now in the club and with the team, with so many injuries to very important players."

Petar Musa got on the scoresheet for Dallas to move into double-figures for the season.

"I am happy with my goals but for me, it's not about just the goals," said the striker. 

"We want to win every single game and I want to help the team. I'm more focused on winning every game. So if I score I'm happy, but it's more important that we won."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting Kansas City - Daniel Salloi

Salloi has scored eight goals in 15 career regular-season matches against Dallas, three more than he has scored against any other opponent. Salloi has six goals in his last six matches against Dallas.

FC Dallas - Petar Musa

Musa has scored five goals in his last three matches, taking his total to 10 in his first 20 MLS games for Dallas. The last player to reach 10 goals faster for Dallas was Carlos Ruiz in 2005 (16 games).

MATCH PREDICTION: SKC WIN

Dallas are winless on the road in the 2024 regular season (D3 L7) with its three road points being the fewest in MLS this season. It is the second time the club has been winless through at least 10 away matches of a season as they failed to win any of their first 11 on the road in 2000.

SKC beat Austin FC 2-0 in their last home game. The win ended a streak of 14 straight home regular-season games of SKC conceding, the second-longest such streak in team history (22 straight from June 2002 to October 2003).

The home side has won each of the last four meetings between Kansas City and Dallas in all competitions. There have been at least three goals scored in each of the last six meetings with both teams scoring in all six.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

SKC - 41.3%

Dallas - 32%

Draw - 26.7%

John Herdman insists that Toronto FC’s defeat to Orlando City must be a turning point in their MLS campaign ahead of facing in-form Columbus Crew this weekend.

Toronto had taken an early lead through Derrick Etienne but were compounded to a fifth straight defeat that leaves them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Nashville SC. 

Head coach Herdman acknowledged his side’s poor recent form, and ensured conversations would be had with his players and staff to ensure they return to winning ways sooner, rather than later.

“This has to be a turning point for the club tonight,” Herdman said. “I said that to the players after the game, ‘It has to be the turning point.’

“There's going to be some hard conversations in the next two days starting with all of us looking at ourselves in the mirror for that 20-minute period.

“What happened there? And why is it happening? Why do we fall into that trap game after game after game?”

However, they will have to do so against a Columbus side in a rich vein of form having earned a third straight triumph with their 2-0 win over Nashville last time out.

The Crew currently occupy third place in the Eastern Conference and are one of three sides chasing runaway leaders FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami.

Head coach Wilfried Nancy commended his team’s recent displays and said he intends to do everything possible to keep that feel-good feeling in the camp before welcoming Toronto to the Lower.com Field.

“I'm going to talk about the present moment because it's a fact: They are really good,” Nancy said of his side.

“They are really good. We are going to try to do everything to help them to stay like this because

for me, it's a key point. It's a key point about the way we want to play.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

There is arguably no one better in the MLS right now than Cucho Hernandez as he kept up his impressive recent form for the Crew.

Since returning from injury, the Colombian has registered six goals and four assists in his last five matches, with his most recent coming in their 2-0 win over Nashville as he set up Christian Ramirez to open the scoring at the Lower.com Field.

Toronto FC – Federico Bernardeschi

Federico Bernardeschi continues to be an attacking force for Toronto, and he will be needed on top form if his side are to halt their current five-game winless run.

The Italian has been involved in 14 goals in his last 10 MLS matches (eight goals, six assists), including an assist against Orlando City last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN

Columbus are expected to emerge victorious, with Nancy’s side winning 76.7% of Opta’s data-led simulations heading into the encounter.

The Crew have an impressive home record, losing one of their last 30 home matches in all competitions dating back to May 2023 (W20 D9). In that streak, 12 of those victories have been by a margin of two or more goals.

Columbus also boast an impressive record over their opponents and are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Toronto. Before this run, Columbus had won just two of their previous 14 meetings with Toronto dating back to 2016.

Toronto, however, will be out to cause an upset. Their current five-game losing run is the seventh losing streak of five or more matches since the start of the 2021 season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Columbus Crew – 76.7%

Draw – 13.9%

Toronto FC – 9.4%

New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz believes his side must improve against a ‘tough’ Philadelphia Union side ahead of their encounter at Subaru Park.

The Red Bulls maintained their four-match unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw against DC United last time out, aided by Cristian Dajome’s early dismissal for the visitors.

Schwarz’s side sit fifth in the Eastern Conference and are among a cluster of teams tightly packed in the middle of the division, with every victory important at the halfway stage of the season.

The Red Bulls head coach praised his side’s mentality to gain a point against the Black and Red’s last time out but expects a difficult match against the Union.

“I think what we have to improve, especially with our ball position is the structure which we have lost in some moments which we will analyse ahead of the game,” Schwarz said.

“But the mentality to come back was good to not lose the last game and to get this important point at home. We analysed this and it is very clear how we want to play, and we want to create these situations and these moments.

“They are a very good team with a good structure, they are aggressive in their pressing and have that individual quality as well.

“They have the quality to build-up with the centre-backs and have good deep runs, and it will be a tough game for us.”

For Philadelphia, their winless run continued against fellow strugglers Chicago Fire as they were edged out of a seven-goal and are now without a win since their 3-0 win against New England Revolution back in May.

The Union had led 3-1 entering the final 10 minutes of play before conceding three goals in nine minutes to lose 4-3, marking the first time in the club’s history that they had lost a match in which they led by multiple goals entering the 80th minute.

Their latest defeat was their fifth in a row and leaves them second-bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, level on points with DC United at the foot of the table.

Curtin was left hurt by the loss and highlighted their inability to defend set-pieces as something to work on before facing the Red Bulls.

“The guys did well to get themselves from 3-1 up, from there it was pretty comfortable until about the 82nd minute, and we started conceding corners that we didn’t need to concede,” Curtin said.

“The little things then became big issues. The thing that we have been pretty good at over the years which has been defending set-pieces, we have come up really small and we get punished.

“It hurts, but again, I sound like a broken record, but the group will have to regroup quickly and go again against New York.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag

Following his return from international duty with Hungary at Euro 2024, Daniel Gazdag found himself on the scoresheet once again in the Union’s 4-3 defeat to Chicago Fire last time out.

Gazdag’s goal and assist at Soldier Field took his tally 12 goal involvements in 17 MLS appearances, and his influence in attack will be needed if Philadelphia are to return to winning ways.

NYRB – Cameron Harper

After scoring in three consecutive MLS matches in May, Cameron Harper has rediscovered his goal-scoring touch for Schwarz’s side.

The American has scored two goals in his last two games against Toronto FC and DC United and should he find the back of the net again, he will become the first player since Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2016 to have multiple streaks of three or more games with a goal in a single season.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Despite Philadelphia slightly edging Opta’s data-led simulations, their recent form suggests that the encounter at Subaru Park will be an evenly contested affair.

The Union have lost their last five league matches for the first time in the club’s history following a 4-3 defeat to Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

However, Curtin’s side can take confidence from their recent record against their opponents. Philadelphia are unbeaten in their previous 12 meetings with the Red Bulls in all competitions (W8 D4) dating back to 2019.

But New York will take confidence from their 2-2 draw with DC United. It marked the 12th time this season the Red Bulls have scored multiple goals in a match after doing so just eight times during the entire 2023 season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Philadelphia Union – 38.9%

Draw – 26.5%

NYRB – 34.5%

FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan is relishing going up against Inter Miami in an enthralling clash at the top of MLS.

Eastern Conference leaders Miami, who will be without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez due to their continued Copa America duties, visit Cincinnati on Saturday.

The defending Supporters' Shield champions are second in the East, just two points behind Miami.

Both teams have won four of their last five league games, and Noonan is anticipating a stern test of his team's quality.

"They're a very deep team. You can see with key pieces missing the team that they're fielding is very strong," Noonan said.

"There's a reason they're still winning games and doing it home and away.

"They have a lot of quality and a lot of guys that have played meaningful minutes and now are getting more consistent starts.

"But they still look very strong and will be a great test for us."

Cincinnati have a game in hand on Miami, and come into the clash on the back of a record-setting 3-2 win over D.C. United. 

Noonan's team have now won seven straight away matches.

"I give the guys credit because we've gone on the road two games here and gotten results, and it's not easy to do," Noonan said after the win.

"I told them before the game... 'You guys are a good team on the road,' and it might not always be the way we want it to look.

"That's credit to the opponent, that's credit to going on the road in tough atmospheres, but you have to be able to adjust at times and adapt to the conditions, and I think they do a good job of that."

The task for Cincinnati now is to repeat that form at home.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FC Cincinnati - Luciano Acosta

Acosta has been involved in seven goals (three goals, four assists) in his last four home matches. Since the start of the 2022 season, Acosta has been involved in 52 goals in regular-season home matches (23 goals, 29 assists), seven more than any other player in that time.

Inter Miami - Jordi Alba

With Messi and Suarez absent, fellow superstar Alba has been helping to plug the gap.

He scored a stunner against Nashville SC last week, and adds another potent threat even from left-back.

MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN

Miami have won 11 of their last 14 matches (D2 L1) including the last four in a row. All four wins in Miami’s current run have been by 2-1 scorelines.

But Cincinnati are made the slight favourites for this one.

The win over D.C. was their 11th win in their last 13 matches (L2). The only team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to record 12 wins in a span of 14 matches in a single regular season was the Seattle Sounders in July-October 2018.

Miami won each of their first four matches against Cincinnati in 2020 and 2021. Since the start of the 2022 season, however, Cincinnati are unbeaten in four regular-season meetings with Miami (W3 D1).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

FC Cincinnati - 43.7%

Inter Miami - 29.5%

Draw - 26.8%

Atlanta United interim head coach Rob Valentino is hoping his side can find their end product when they face a tough road test at Real Salt Lake in MLS.

The Five Stripes' four-game unbeaten streak was snapped with a 2-1 midweek defeat to the New England Revolution as they stay ninth in the Eastern Conference.

They were also unbeaten in their last four road games before travelling to the Revs, and Valentino has urged his team to improve their play in the final third to get back to winning ways.

"There were chances [against New England], but the expected goals and chances don't mean anything to me unless they end up in the back of the net," the head coach said.

"The team were persistent. They were putting in different deliveries and different movements to get into the area, but we need the goals to actually go in.

"The group have shown they are capable of winning games. The tactics will change from game to game along with roles and responsibilities, and we will adapt in-game as well in an attempt to win."

Meanwhile, Salt Lake are back up to second in the Western Conference after a comeback win over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.

A 1-0 defeat to LA Galaxy at the end of June snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak for RSL, but they bounced back to leapfrog the Galaxy in the table, and now sit just three points behind leaders Los Angeles FC.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Salt Lake – Braian Ojeda

Braiain Ojeda scored his first goal for RSL in MLS, netting what turned out to be the winner against Houston Dynamo in midweek in what was his 63rd appearance for the club.

Atlanta United – Daniel Rios

Daniel Rios has been involved in three goals in his last three games for Atlanta. The Mexican has scored two and assisted one, including their lone goal in the defeat to New England Revolution last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: REAL SALT LAKE WIN

With LAFC not playing until Sunday, RSL could go level on points with them in the table if they can get a second consecutive win.

Their 15-game unbeaten run in MLS set a new club record for the longest single-season streak in their history – they scored in all but one of those matches, only failing to find a way past CF Montreal in a 0-0 draw.

While current form is in Salt Lake's favour, they have only won one of their previous four meetings with Atlanta, with the Five Stripes winning the other three.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Salt Lake – 54.6%

Draw – 23.3%

Atlanta United – 22%

Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff is hoping the solution to his team's lack of firepower can be found when they host New York City FC in MLS.

The Verde and Black sit 10th in the Western Conference with a place in the playoffs within touching distance.

However, a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City stopped them from leapfrogging the Seattle Sounders into ninth.

While Wolff is confident being back at home will provide a boost to the team, he admitted there are still worries over the lack of goals.

"I don't know [why the team are struggling to score]," he said. "When we're at home, we seem to generate a lot more chances and more goals, and there's proof of that in our games.

"We look a lot better at home, and I'm not happy with the performances on the road. We've got to do better.

"We need to win. Our objective from the get-go was to be a playoff team. But we didn't get too carried away when we were doing well, and we're not going to get too feathered when we're not."

Meanwhile, NYCFC sit fourth in the Eastern Conference after a run of seven wins from 10 matches.

After a comfortable 2-0 victory over Montreal, head coach Nick Cushing reiterated the team's need to maintain their consistency if they want to stay in the mix at the top.

"You can see when we're good, feel when we're good because it's entertaining, it's good to watch, there's goal chances," Cushing said.

"The guys know what they need to do, but it's about drilling it and being consistent. In Austin, we have a huge opportunity to play the performance we know gives us the best opportunity to win."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austin – Jader Obrian

Austin struggled in front of goal in their defeat to Kansas City last weekend, having just two shots, both of which came from Obrian.

While neither of them was on target, he was one of just two players to have a touch in the opposition box, managing three, with both resulting in shots.

NYCFC – Hannes Wolf

Wolf has created the most goals for NYCFC this season, setting up five as well as scoring four himself.

He assisted both goals in their win over Montreal in midweek, teeing up Alonso Martinez for those strikes.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Austin and NYCFC are meeting for the very first time in MLS regular-season play.

After back-to-back wins in May, Austin have since won just one of the following seven matches (1-0 v Minnesota United). They have only played at home twice in that run, picking up one point out of a possible six.

NYCFC's back-to-back wins have both come on home soil, while they lost their last two road games without scoring a single goal.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Austin – 37.6%

Draw – 26.4%

NYCFC – 36%

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has praised his side's attitude in recent comeback wins as they look to extend their streak against the New England Revolution.

The Sounders are on a four-match unbeaten streak, having come from behind to salvage points in each of the last three and scored stoppage-time winners in the last two.

They are now up to ninth in the Western Conference and are closing in on the teams above them after a slow start to the season.

Despite their impressive run, Schmetzer stressed there was still a lot of room for improvement.

"There's a combination of a couple of things," Schmetzer explained. "There were some sloppy, uncharacteristic, untimely giveaways and the group defending was not good, we weren't compact enough.

"We weren't consistent enough, but the guys have a lot of pride and as the excitement built, we got it done.

"This team doesn't quit. We've got quality on this team."

Meanwhile, the Revs are up to 11th in the Eastern Conference after losing just one of their last six.

They got back to winning ways against Atlanta United, though they lost more players to injury in the process, and head coach Caleb Porter admitted his squad is a little thin after their busy schedule.

"It does take pressure off winning against Atlanta on Wednesday; we look at it as bonus points," Porter said. "We took a few more injuries, so we're looking at all options to fill our bench.

"Seattle are in good form, and it's obviously a long trip across the country. It's not going to be easy, since they're usually very good at home.

"We have to be very organised in this game - we just don't have much depth right now, we can't afford to play an open game."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Albert Rusnak

Albert Rusnak leads the assist charts for Seattle, having set up seven goals for his team-mates in MLS.

He found his shooting boots last time out though, scoring twice from the spot as the Sounders came from behind to beat the Chicago Fire.

New England Revolution – Giacomo Vrioni

Giacomo Vrioni scored twice as New England beat Atlanta in midweek, having also scored twice in their victory against Cincinnati FC.

He now has five goals in his last four games, finding his form at the right time.

MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Seattle opened the season with just one win from their first nine matches in the league, but have since gone on to win six of their last 12, including their last two outings.

It has been almost five years since the sides last met in MLS, with nothing to separate them that day in a 3-3. New England edge the head-to-head record though, recording six wins compared to Seattle's four.

In fact, the last three meetings between the sides have ended level, with both games in Seattle ending 3-3, with a goalless draw in New England sandwiched between them.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders – 49.7%

Draw – 25.4%

New England Revolution – 24.9%

D.C. United head coach Troy Lesesne has praised his side for "still fighting" as they look to turn their poor results around against Orlando City.

D.C. sit bottom of the Eastern Conference on 20 points, four off the playoffs.

They have not won any of their last 10 MLS matches, with their last victory coming nearly two months ago against Atlanta United.

Lesesne was candid about the mistakes his team has made in recent games but was confident they would be able to dig themselves out of trouble.

"Our group's not giving in, that's clear everyone can see that," Lesesne said. "But we're not getting the points we need.

"We've got to credit the group for continuing through really hard circumstances to say we're still fighting every single second.

"But we have to do better - all of us. That's plain and simple.

"I'm right there with these guys all the way through and the same guys going through this now are going to get us out of it."

Meanwhile, Orlando sit four points above their opponents in 10th, having lost just one of their four matches.

After getting back to winning ways against Atlanta, head coach Oscar Pareja praised his side’s confidence.

"They demonstrated the commitment that they have with the club. So, we're very proud of these results and the effort they had in the pitch," Pareja said.

"We're happy. This is a good step for us in this moment. Now we're looking forward to going back home and then winning there."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Orlando City – Facundo Torres

Despite not getting on the scoresheet against Toronto FC, Facundo Torres did orchestrate the match-winning moment as his cross was turned in by Nicksoen Gomis.

He scored a brace in his last match at Inter & Co Stadium and will be keen to get more on Saturday.

D.C. United – Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke will return after a two-match suspension (one for a straight red card against Houston Dynamo and the other for yellow card accumulation).

D.C. have not won either of those games and will be pleased to have their top-scorer, with 14 goals, back on the field.

MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN

Orlando's 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire in their last home match snapped a six-game winless streak at Inter & Co, having also failed to score in all but two outings in that run.

D.C. have won 10 of their 20 matches against Orlando (drawn three and lost seven), but given their current run of form, they look unlikely to get a surprise win here.

D.C.'s last victory was in a road game when they beat Atlanta 3-2. Since then, they have only picked up one point on their travels (a 2-2 draw with New York Red Bulls in their last such match).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 58.2%

Draw – 21.8%

D.C. United – 20.1%

Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini has urged his team to keep fighting for a playoff place as they travel to CF Montreal in MLS.

The Whitecaps have lost just two of their last six matches and got back to winning ways on the road with their 3-1 win over Minnesota United in midweek.

They are now up to fifth in the Western Conference, but Sartini knows they cannot rest on their laurels with the teams below them closing in.

"We hit like three or four performances where we were a little bit poor, and two wins where we didn't really deserve to win," Sartini said.

"Playing more defensive allowed us to get points, but in the last two games, we've returned to the form that got big results at the start of the season.

"We need to put the costume from [Sporting] Kansas City on so we can fight to get the win. We need to keep going, everyone's happy when we're fighting for the playoffs and making a result in Montreal would be fantastic."

Montreal, meanwhile, are 12th in the Eastern Conference, just two points off a playoff place after picking up just one win in their last six outings.

Though they are unbeaten in four at home, they have struggled on the road, with goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois lamenting a disjointed forward display.

"Our forwards had a little bit more trouble finding each other and combining [against New York City FC]," Sirois said.

"I think there are days like that, and it's up to us, the whole team, to find solutions together, but unfortunately, we didn't do that.

"Yes, we created chances, but I think there were too few and that's why we didn't score."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CF Montreal – Sunusi Ibrahim

Sunusi Ibrahim has scored six goals for Montreal this season, more than anyone else in the team.

The Nigerian is without a goal in his last three games though, and after managing just one shot in the defeat to NYCFC last time out, he will be keen to regain his scoring touch.

Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld may be Vancouver's joint-top scorer with nine goals this season (level with Brian White), but he turned provider on Wednesday against Minnesota.

He assisted all three goals as the Whitecaps secured another win, lifting him to the top of their assists chart with six for the season.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

There has not been much to split the sides across the last eight meetings, with Montreal and Vancouver winning four apiece. The Whitecaps came out on top when they last met in April 2023 with a 5-0 thrashing.

Montreal have won just one of their last six matches (drawing three and losing two). However, that victory was in their last home match as they beat the Philadelphia Union 4-1.

After back-to-back defeats, Vancouver have since won their last two on the bounce, scoring seven goals across those victories.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

CF Montreal – 38.4%

Draw – 26.5%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 35.1%

Los Angeles FC held on to beat LA Galaxy 2-1 after a quickfire first-half double to go three points clear at the top of the Western Conference.

Kei Kamara and Denis Bouanga were on target to LAFC in command and, although Gabriel Pec halved the deficit in the second half, that proved enough to see of rivals Galaxy at the Rose Bowl.

The visitors dominated the shot count in the first 45 minutes, with Eduard Atuesta only able to strike the post after getting the better of John McCarthy.

LAFC finally got the breakthrough in the 39th minute as Kamara nodded in from the edge of the six-yard box.

Atuesta was then brought down in the penalty area less than a minute later, with a spot-kick being awarded after a lengthy VAR review, and Bouanga confidently converted it just before half-time.

Pec reacted quickest to poke Miki Yamine's cross past Hugo Lloris in the 56th minute, and Joseph Paintsil missed a glorious opportunity to equalise, skying his close-range effort over the post as the Galaxy dropped to third in the table.

Data Debrief: LAFC cannot stop scoring

LAFC have scored in their last 17 games in MLS. It's their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 18 between September 2021 and May 2022.

In fact, they have scored 20 first-half goals in 21 matches, with only Real Salt Lake (22) netting more.

Inter Miami won their fourth straight MLS game as Julian Gressel provided another assist in the Herons' 2-1 victory at Charlotte FC.

With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez away on Copa America duty, Gressel has stepped up to help fill the void for Gerardo Martino's side.

And he delivered again as his brilliant cross teed up Benjamín Cremaschi for an 86th-minute winner.

Dean Smith's Charlotte team were subsequently reduced to 10 men when Patrick Agyemang, who had earlier cancelled out Robert Taylor's opener for Miami, saw red deep in stoppage time.

Miami stay top of MLS, two points ahead of FC Cincinnati, who they face next, in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte, meanwhile, sit sixth in the same conference after suffering back-to-back defeats.

Data Debrief: Gressel takes centre stage again

Fresh from recording his 100th MLS goal contribution in Miami's win over Nashville SC, Gressel made it 101 with his sublime assist late on.

Gressel has contributed to goals in his last five games in the league (one goal, four assists), while Miami have scored in 20 of their 22 games, more often than any other team in MLS this season.

Peter Vermes urged his Sporting Kansas City players to take responsibility for their own position ahead of the upcoming MLS road trip to Colorado Rapids.

SKC ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Austin FC in their last encounter, just their second victory in 15 league games.

Kansas City are still bottom of the Western Conference and 11 points adrift of the playoff spots, though Vermes is desperate for fighting spirit ahead of a testing schedule.

"We can't wait, we have a lot of games that are important coming up," SKC head coach Vermes said at his pre-match media availability.

"Each game has its own importance to it, this all started last week but we need to keep going.

"We go in with a plan, we have an idea, it sometimes comes down to how the guys recover. Hopefully no one gets injured, but also just minutes – it's going to be really important.

"Each guy himself has to be ready for the responsibility of the position and knowing what we do when we have the ball, when we don't, they have to go into the game with that.

"We don't have a lot of training time in between games, so they all have to be ready for that."

The Burgundy Boys will be out to extend their home unbeaten run to five games in this clash, though they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC last time out on the road.

Colorado are fourth in the West standings but nine points adrift of the top two, a gap they will hope to shorten at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colorado Rapids – Rafael Navarro

Rafael Navarro has scored in each of his last five home appearances for the Rapids, and will fancy his chances of extending an impressive run this time around.

The only players with a longer streak in regular-season play in Colorado's history are Diego Rubio (six in 2022) and Mark Chung (also six in 2003).

Sporting Kansas City – William Agada

Goals have been hard to come by for the Kansas City side, with William Agada leading the way this season in MLS with five strikes.

Agada has managed that tally from 20 games, averaging a goal every four matches, but will hope to add to his scoring returns in Colorado.

MATCH PREDICTION – COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

The Rapids are the favourites for victory on home soil in this clash, owing to a remarkable head-to-head record in meetings between this pair.

Colorado are unbeaten in 10 straight regular-season home matches against SKC (W5 D5) and have lost only two of their 28 home league matches against them since August 2000 (W13 D13).

This will also be Colorado’s third Independence Day meeting with Sporting, having won in both 2003 and 2005, with the expectation that history will repeat itself here.

SKC are hardly in fine form either, having managed just their second win last time out in their previous 15 MLS matches (D2 L11).

However, they managed the club's first clean sheet since a scoreless draw at LAFC on March 9, and will hope to build on that performance here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Colorado Rapids win – 48.2%

Draw – 25.9%

Sporting Kansas City win – 25.9%

Los Angeles FC head coach Steve Cherundolo is anticipating an "exciting" battle against derby rivals LA Galaxy on Thursday.

The two teams are locked in at the top of the Western Conference, both on 40 points, though LAFC have the slight advantage of a game in hand.

Cherundolo's side are unbeaten in nine MLS matches, winning eight of those, and have won their last two outings by an aggregate score of 9-2.

Asked how LAFC would cope with the threat the Galaxy pose, Cherundolo praised the improvement of their neighbours.

"It's our rivals. They're a team that scores a lot of goals," Cherundolo said.

"They have weapons, and they've added to the transitions and got some defensive stability, so they're really a complete team this year.

"They're top of the table with us, so they're a team that has found a way to get results while playing well, so it should be an exciting match."

Meanwhile, the Galaxy are on a four-match winning run of their own and have only lost one of their last 11 matches in MLS.

Head coach Greg Vanney is pleased with his side's defensive stability, and was quick to pick out goalkeeper, John McCarthy.

"His maturity back there and his capacity to come up because he did come up with a couple big saves [against San Jose], but his capacity to come up with a save when we need it has been really strong for us," Vanney said.

"You can't say too much about that, especially when you're on the road. The opposition is going to get something. There's going to be a moment here or there and when there has been, John has been there. Three shutouts is big for us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – John McCarthy

The Galaxy have won four straight matches, keeping clean sheets in each of the last three.

It marks the first time LA has posted three straight shutout wins in all competitions since a four-match run in 2016, and McCarthy will be keen to equal that record in the derby.

LAFC – Mateusz Boguesz

Mateusz Bogusz has contributed to three goals in each of his last two matches (two goals and one assist versus San Jose Earthquakes on June 21 and a hat-trick against Colorado Rapids on Saturday).

The Pole is one of five players to do so this year after no more than three players had done so in any previous MLS season.

MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN

Los Angeles FC have won five of their last six MLS matches against the Galaxy (L1, incl. playoffs), including a 2-1 victory on April 6. The Galaxy lost only three of the first 14 editions of El Trafico from LAFC's debut in MLS in 2018 through April 2022.

LAFC have won 10 of their last 11 matches in all competitions (D1), including a 3-0 win over Colorado on Saturday. They are the first MLS team since Sporting Kansas City in 2011-12 to win 10 times in the span of 11 matches in all competitions.

Meanwhile, this will be the Galaxy's 28th home match on the Fourth of July in 29 MLS seasons, only not doing so in 2020 (no game). LA have scored at least twice in nine of their last 10 Independence Day games dating back to 2013, only failing to do so in a 2-0 loss to Kansas City in 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 34%

Draw – 25.8%

LAFC – 40.2%

Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville insists he and his players are keeping their feet on the ground ahead of travelling to FC Dallas this Friday. 

The Timbers extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in the MLS following their 3-2 victory over Minnesota United at Providence Park last time out. 

Neville's side are now fifth in the Western Conference table but are among a cluster of teams tightly packed in the middle of the division. 

However, the Portland head coach said that despite his side's recent form, they have achieved nothing but is confident his side will continue to push up the standings. 

"We are keeping our feet on the ground, I think that is massively important," Neville said. 

"If we hadn't scored that last minute goal, we would probably have been down in eighth or ninth. There are a number of teams jostling for positions in the league, so there is a long way to go. 

"We've got now four games before the Leagues Cup. We have a mini points target that we have set ourselves. 

"We want to keep pushing, we know the teams below us are pushing. We have to keep concentrating on ourselves. We are now in fifth, but we have achieved nothing.

"At this moment in time, fifth is not competing. Competing is being up at the top of the league. We are on the climb, we have momentum, we have confidence, we have belief but there is still a long way to go."

For Dallas, they suffered back-to-back league defeats in a narrow defeat to Cincinnati last time out, courtesy of Luca Orellano's second half strike. 

The result leaves Peter Luccin's side in 11th place in the Western Conference table, a point ahead of St. Louis City and seven behind Austin FC. 

However, the Toros will be hopeful of continuing their impressive home record against their opponents at the Toyota Stadium and build momentum ahead of their important league meeting with Kansas City three days later. 

pic.twitter.com/ySE1b0WqfU

— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) June 30, 2024

PLAYERS TO WATCH

FC Dallas – Petar Musa

Petar Musa has been in fine goal-scoring form since his arrival from Benfica in February, notching 11 goal involvements from 19 games for Dallas.

The Toros’ top scorer has four goals in his last three league games, including a hat-trick against Minnesota United, and will be confident of taking his tally into double figures.

Portland Timbers – Evander

Evander grabbed a goal and an assist in the Timbers’ win over Minnesota on Saturday, his seventh match this season with multiple goal contributions.

In doing so, the Brazilian equalled Diego Valeri (2013, 2017) for the most such games in a single regular season by a Timbers player in MLS.

MATCH PREDICTION: FC DALLAS WIN

Dallas will be looking for an immediate return to winning ways following their defeat to FC Cincinnati last time out. The loss was just their third in their last 22 home matches in all competitions (W10 D9) dating back to the start of the Leagues Cup last July. It was also only the second time in that span that Dallas failed to score in a home match.

Luccin’s side hold a favourable record against their opponents and have lost just one of their previous 11 encounters against Portland at the Toyota Stadium (W6 D4), dating back to 2015.

However, the visitors will come into the fixture with confidence following their comeback win over Minnesota. They came from two goals down to win 3-2, having also come back to win the previous time they trailed by two goals (vs. San Jose in May). Prior to these two comebacks, Portland had a record of W1 D11 L100 when trailing by multiple goals in an MLS match.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

FC Dallas – 44.2%

Draw – 26.8%

Portland Timbers – 28.9%

St. Louis City will play their first MLS game without Bradley Carnell after the head coach was dismissed ahead of Thursday's meeting with San Jose Earthquakes.

Carnell's departure was confirmed this week after failing to triumph since mid-May, slipping down to 12th in the Western Conference standings after a nine-game winless run.

St. Louis were guided to a first-place finish in the West last season, their maiden campaign in MLS, yet they are preparing for a new era with technical director John Hackworth in interim charge.

"Given Bradley's many contributions to the club, this was not an easy decision,” said City's sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.

"Unfortunately, based on our results to date, we believe a coaching change is in the best interest of the club as we regroup and look to improve, both our performance and our results."

Hackworth has almost 30 years of coaching experience, including positions within the United States men's national team and MLS rivals Philadelphia Union.

His first task will be downing an out-of-form San Jose, who sit at the bottom of the West standings with just three wins to their name all year.

The Earthquakes are also without a manager after Luchi Gonzalez's dismissal, falling to a 3-0 defeat against LA Galaxy in their first match since his dismissal.

Gonzalez's assistant coach Ian Russell took interim charge for that home humbling, and will be desperate to turn things around as San Jose remain in search of a new full-time boss.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Njabulo Blom

Njabulo Blom's seventh-minute goal on Saturday was St. Louis' 10th from outside the box in regular-season play in MLS, with Blom the ninth different player to record one of those strikes.

Blom may fancy his likelihood of adding another long-range strike in this outing, considering the Earthquakes defence is far from convincing.

San Jose Earthquakes – Hernan Lopez

Hernan Lopez has contributed to a goal in each of his first four MLS road games (two goals, two assists), with the midfielder hoping to extend that impressive run here.

However, only two players have recorded a goal contribution in each of their first five MLS road games: Cucho Hernandez (six straight in 2022) and Romain Alessandrini (also six in a row in 2017).

MATCH PREDICTION – ST. LOUIS CITY WIN

The hosts are the heavily backed favourites for victory in this encounter, despite their woeful run of form of late.

St. Louis are winless in their last nine matches, losing six of those. Prior to this run, they had only lost as many games in 27 league matches dating back to June 2023.

Yet, the home side will fancy their chances of arresting that streak given St. Louis beat San Jose twice last season, winning 3-0 and 2-1.

The Earthquakes' form is poor, too, having lost 15 of their first 20 matches this season. Only Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001 suffered more such losses in the post shoot-out era since 2000.

Only four teams have collected fewer points than San Jose's 11 this year at this stage of a campaign, most recently D.C. United (10) in 2013, and that drab spell could extend here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City win – 52%

Draw – 24.5%

San Jose Earthquakes win – 23.5%