MLS offers up a full slate of 14 matches this weekend. Los Angeles FC top the MLS overall standings with 30 points, but Real Salt Lake are hot on their heels. Meanwhile, teams are jockeying for position in the race to make the playoffs.
Inter Miami will host Minnesota United in a cross-conference fixture. Inter Miami are outside of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference following a 2-0 loss to Atlanta United. Minnesota United are also outside the playoff places in the Western Conference.
Minnesota United are bottom of the West’s form table with four points from the last 18 points on offer. They are on a two-game losing streak in which three goals were conceded and just one scored.
Inter Miami go into the weekend having taken eight points from the last 18 points on offer in the league. Phil Neville’s team scored six goals and conceded six in the last six games.
It is a Texas derby as Austin FC host FC Dallas. Last season was the first time these nearby rivals met. FC Dallas won all three matches, outscoring Austin FC by a count of 9-4.
Austin go into the game having taken seven points from the last 18 points on offer. They were outscored 10-7 across the last six games. Austin are unbeaten in five of their last six home games.
FC Dallas are in slightly better form. They picked up nine points from the last 18 points on offer in MLS. The Hoops scored 10 goals and conceded eight times.
Real Salt Lake host Columbus Crew in another cross-conference fixture. Three of the teams’ six meetings in all competitions finished as draws. The Crew picked up two wins while Real Salt Lake won once in the teams’ last six encounters.
Columbus Crew took eight points from the last six matches in the MLS. They scored eight times and conceded eight goals to opponents. Columbus have been poor away from home with a record of 1W-4D-2L.
Real Salt Lake are MLS’s second-best home team with 19 points from seven games at home. They have scored 13 times and conceded four goals on their own turf.
Portland Timbers host Colorado Rapids in a Western Conference match-up. The Timbers won just one of the last six games versus Colorado Rapids. The Rapids have a record of 3W-2D-1L against Portland in the last six matches between them.
Colorado Rapids are winless in their last two games. They picked up seven points from the last 18 points available to them. The Rapids were outscored 7-6 in the last six matches.
Portland Timbers are winless in five straight MLS games. Last season’s MLS Cup runners-up have not rebounded well from the final defeat a season ago. The Timbers took five points from the last six games, conceding 11 goals and scoring 12.