MLS Week 7 is upon us and things are just starting to warm up in the United States soccer scene.
Didier Drogba will return to the U.S. after signing with USL-Pro squad Phoenix Rising FC as a player and part owner. Phoenix hopes to be named as an expansion team soon and this move may help their chances. Drogba seems excited about the opportunity and will eventually move into an executive position for the club.
Friday will bring the first Cascadia Cup match of the season as Vancouver takes on Seattle at home (10 PM EST). Both teams need a win to avoid sinking further down the table as Seattle currently sits in seventh and Vancouver in tenth.
San Jose will play host to in-form FC Dallas on Friday at 11 PM EST. San Jose will need to pick up three points against Dallas before they go on a three-game road trip against tough opponents including New England, Houston, and Minnesota. The game will be broadcast using the new Facebook Live feature.
Montreal will play host to Atlanta United on Saturday (1PM EST) and will look to put an end to Atlanta’s impressive start. The Impact lost 2-0 to LA last weekend and currently sits in tenth position. Atlanta have drawn their last two on the road against challenging home crowds in Seattle and Toronto and will be concluding their road trip attempting to take points from all three games.
Orlando will look to keep their perfect home record this weekend as they welcome the LA Galaxy to “The Wall” at 2:30 PM EST on FOX. The Lions have had a decent start to the year going 3-1-0 and currently sitting in second place in the east. LA will rely on Designated Player Romain Alessandrini to continue his good-form and help the Galaxy get points in front of an intimidating audience.
Chicago will play host to New England on Saturday at 5 PM EST and will look to continue the good form that midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has brought to the club. The duo of Dax McCarty and Schweinsteiger in the middle of the park has seemed unstoppable as both have connected and accentuated the others’ style of play. New England will try and get their first away win as they have gone 0-2-1 on the road this season.
New York Red Bulls will head to rivals DC United on Saturday (7:30 PM EST) to try and turn their form around and end DC’s two game winning streak. The Red Bulls have started slow and it seems like they have a lot of growing to do, which will prove to be hard in a league that doesn’t allow much time for figuring things out.
Toronto FC plays host to number one Columbus Crew SC on Saturday (8 PM EST). The Reds are unbeaten this year but have four ties which put them in ninth place. They will look to try and take advantage of their home-field and gain three desperately-needed points.
The Colorado Rapids bring their Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake to their home Saturday (9 PM EST) for a promising match-up. New Real Salt Lake Coach Mike Petke was able to coach his squad to a 3-0 win against Vancouver last weekend, and he will look to help continue his team’s form in week 7. Colorado comes off of a 3-1 loss at Sporting KC where they seemed a bit unorganized. This appears to be one of the best match-ups of the week.
Finally, Portland will play host to Sporting KC on Saturday (10 PM EST) in another promising week 7 match-up. Both teams are coming off of 3-1 victories and will look to continue their onslaught of attack into this week. Many reporters were asking questions of Sporting KC’s offense prior to last week’s game, and their showing against Colorado provided an answer. Now they will have to continue where they left off in front of one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the entire MLS.
