Major League Soccer is at the halfway mark in the 2024 season. With most teams playing 17 or 18 matches already, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami have picked up the most points (35).
However, FC Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake are right behind them in the Supporters’ Shield race.
Atlanta United and Houston Dynamo will play for just the fourth time in MLS this weekend. The home team won the previous three games between the clubs, with Atlanta United claiming two victories and Houston Dynamo just one.
These teams last met in 2019, with Atlanta United winning 5-0 at home. The Five Stripes have had a terrible first half of the season and already sacked their manager. United took just four points from the last six games, conceding 10 goals and scoring eight.
Houston picked up four points in their last two MLS matches. A 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids was followed by a 2-2 draw with Portland Timbers. The Dynamo have scored just 18 goals in 16 MLS matches.
New York Red Bulls are coming off a 1-0 loss to rivals New England Revolution. The loss ended a two-match winning streak for the Red Bulls in MLS. However, New York are in great form playing at Red Bull Arena, where they have won five and drawn two times in seven matches.
Nashville SC are also coming off a defeat. They too lost to New England in their most recent game. The Yellows fell by a score of 2-1. Nashville are one of the Eastern Conference’s weakest away teams. They took five points from six road matches.
In last season’s lone meeting between the clubs, the match ended nil-nil. The five all-time meetings between these clubs finished with under 2.5 goals.
Chicago Fire are unbeaten in three straight matches against Toronto FC in all competitions. The Fire will aim for a fourth straight game without a defeat to the Reds. However, Chicago have not won in Toronto in their last three trips to the Canadian city.
Toronto FC are coming off of back-to-back draws in MLS. A nil-nil stalemate with Philadelphia Union came just before a 2-2 draw with DC United. Toronto have a zero-goal difference thanks to 26 goals scored and 26 conceded.
Chicago Fire are second from bottom in the Eastern Conference with 15 points from their opening 17 games. Perhaps Fire have found a spark. They are unbeaten in three straight games. Five points were taken from the last nine on offer.
Sporting Kansas City went unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions against LA Galaxy. However, LA Galaxy posted a 3-2 win over Sporting in the teams’ meeting from earlier this season. The last two games between the clubs finished with over 2.5 goals.
The Galaxy fell 2-1 to Chicago Fire in their most recent fixture. The loss ended a two-game winning streak. LA have not lost at home this season, posting a record of 4W-3D-0L and a +5-goal difference.
Sporting Kansas City defeated Seattle Sounders 2-1 last time out. The win ended a five-game losing streak. Sporting have won just three times this season from 17 matches. Each of Sporting’s last five away matches ended in defeat.