🔮 Major League Soccer Weekend Preview | OneFootball

We keep on chugging along in MLS, as the magnitude of the games begins to ramp up in the back half of the season. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest narratives on offer this weekend.

Fixture of the matchday

The battle for supremacy in the Western Conference is well and truly heating up, and LA Galaxy’s showdown with Real Salt Lake is another must-watch fixture this weekend.

RSL are coming off of a thrilling 4-3 win away to Sporting Kansas City, reclaiming top spot in the conference after a disappointing draw with Montréal last weekend.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy have been pure box-office entertainment this year, and a win against the western leaders Saturday evening would see them pull level on points in first.

It’s a top-three clash in Sandy, and we cannot wait.

Player to watch

Real Salt Lake’s mercurial talent Andrés Gómez is our player to watch this weekend, and its a thoroughly deserved title.

The winger has been on fire as of late, bagging two goals during the midweek clash with SKC to bring his season tally to 10 goals and seven assists, bettered only by Chicho Arango who is firmly in the driver seat for league MVP odds.

Two questions ahead of the matchday

Are New England truly back?

The Revs are a team to look out for in the back half of the season. After a horrid start to the campaign, Caleb Porter’s side are now winners of three straight in MLS, including a dramatic late win against New York Red Bulls.

While they still sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, a win this weekend could see them move as high as 11th, just two places outside of the MLS Cup Playoff spots.

However, they will square off with a red-hot FC Cincinnati on Saturday, who have only lost three times all year. Not many will put their money on the Revolution to pick up an unlikely win at TQL, but it would be some statement.

A shift in Cascadia?

This time a few weeks ago, Portland sitting the highest of the three teams in Cascadia seemed like a very unlikely reality, yet a win against Vancouver on Saturday would see them do just that.

Phil Neville’s side were rock bottom after 2-1 home loss to Seattle back in mid-May, but a recent purple-patch has seen them pick up 14 of a possible 21 points since that defeat.

Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have seen the opposite trend hit their late-spring, early-summer. After winning five of their opening eight games, they have since won just twice in their subsequent nine.

It’s a worrying trend for Vanni Sartini, but a win what promises to be a raucous Providence Park this weekend would go some way towards righting the ship.