NY City vs. Portland (Saturday, 7.00pm)
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In an early battle of worst versus first, New York City FC will seek their first points of the 2024 MLS season when they host the Portland Timbers on Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Last Saturday, the Pigeons suffered a 2-0 defeat at St Louis City, and they currently sit dead-last in the Eastern Conference, while the Timbers are first in the West following a 2-2 draw versus DC United.
We say: New York City FC 0-1 Portland Timbers
Confidence is quite low with New York City FC at the moment, and seeing one of your most experienced players in Sands lose their cool seems to reflect how everyone at the club is probably feeling at the moment: frustrated.
The Timbers, on the other hand, have shown to be a potent side in the attacking third so far in 2024, and we believe that, combined with the lack of chance creation on the NYCFC side of things, will enable Portland to maintain their 100% away record against the Pigeons.
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Toronto vs. Charlotte FC (Saturday, 7.00pm)
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Two of the early surprise stories in Major League Soccer will square off at BMO Field on Saturday as Toronto face Charlotte FC in their home opener.
Both sides are undefeated after two matches, with the Reds edging the New England Revolution 1-0 in their previous encounter, while the Crown settled for a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
We say: Toronto 1-0 Charlotte FC
Although we have only seen a sample size of Toronto in 2024, they seem to be a lot more composed off the ball than we saw a year ago, and we believe the home crowd and their experienced attacking players will give them an edge this weekend.
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Atlanta vs. New England (Sunday, 12.30am)
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Both teams will be looking to get off the mark for the season when Atlanta United host New England Revolution in MLS on Saturday night.
Atlanta were beaten 1-0 by Columbus Crew in their only league game so far, while New England have lost both of their games.
We say: Atlanta United 2-0 New England Revolution
Atlanta could be fresh and rusty simultaneously having not played for two weeks, but the positives are likely to outweigh the negatives in that regard given that their opponents have had a busy schedule during that timeframe.
The hosts clearly possess greater quality than the visitors, too, and that leads us to predict a comfortable home win. That would mean three successive league defeats for New England.
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Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire (Sunday, 12.30am)
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Columbus Crew will be looking to continue their unbeaten start to the MLS season when they host Chicago Fire on Sunday, who are still looking to get their first win of the campaign.
Wilfried Nancy's side won their first game before drawing with Minnesota United last week, while the visitors have drawn one and lost one in their opening two games.
We say: Columbus Crew 2-1 Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire have failed to beat Columbus Crew in all of their last five meetings, while they have been unable to win at the hosts' home stadium since 2018. With Columbus winning four of the last five, scoring at least two in all of these victories, we believe they will go on to win this one 2-1.
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NY Red Bulls vs. Dallas (Sunday, 12.30am)
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In their 2024 MLS regular season home opener, the New York Red Bulls will host Dallas on Saturday at Red Bull Arena, the third game of the campaign for each side.
Last weekend, the Red Bulls came back to claim their first regular season victory, defeating the Houston Dynamo 2-1, while the Toros lost to Montreal by that same score.
We say: New York Red Bulls 1-0 Dallas
The Toros have not won an away match against the Red Bulls since 2006 (2-1), and with so many key contributors not at 100%, we expect a strong defensive unit like New York to frustrate them and be able to create chances on the counter.
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Orlando City vs. Minnesota Utd (Sunday, 12.30am)
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This weekend, Orlando City will welcome Western Conference rivals Minnesota United to the Inter&Co Stadium for a gameweek three showdown in the 2024 MLS season.
The hosts are still in search of their first win of the 2024 league campaign and are currently in 12th place with a single point, while the visitors are unbeaten after two games and are in fifth place with four points.
We say: Orlando City 1-1 Minnesota United
While Orlando have made a less-than-impressive start to the season, they do still have a very good squad of players, and it should just be a matter of time until they find high gear. For now, though, Minnesota are the ones with the form and we feel they will keep their unbeaten record intact by taking a point from this match.
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Philadelphia vs. Seattle (Sunday, 12.30am)
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Philadelphia Union and the Seattle Sounders will be looking to register their first win of the 2024 MLS season when they face off at Subaru Park on Sunday.
The hosts have taken two points from their first two league games this season and are currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, while the visitors are on one point and are 10th in the Western Conference.
We say: Philadelphia Union 1-1 Seattle Sounders
Both these sides have made average starts to the league season and will be determined to notch up their first win of the current campaign. However, we feel this is likely to be a very even contest and expect these sides to share the spoils at the final whistle.
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Austin vs. St Louis City (Sunday, 1.30am)
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Winless Austin FC host undefeated St Louis City at the Q2 Stadium on Sunday in the third game of this year's MLS campaign.
The hosts were defeated by Minnesota United in their opening game before drawing to Seattle Sounders FC in their previous outing, whilst Bradley Carnell's side drew to Real Salt Lake in their first game and beat New York City FC 2-0 in their second.
We say: Austin FC 1-3 St Louis City
St Louis City have had the better of Austin FC in both the previous meetings between these two sides, scoring a massive nine goals in just two games. We expect the hosts to continue this record against their upcoming opponents with another big victory at the Q2 Stadium.
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Salt Lake vs. Colorado (Sunday, 2.30am)
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Off the back of a first win of the 2024 Major League Soccer season last time out, Real Salt Lake welcome Colorado Rapids to the America First Field on Sunday.
The away side, on the other hand, head to Utah this weekend aiming to get their league campaign up and running at the third time of asking.
We say: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Colorado Rapids
Real Salt Lake have dominated this fixture to a large degree of late and have the psychological edge heading into this one. We can see the home side coming away with all three points, albeit by only a narrow margin.
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Los Angeles vs. Kansas (Sunday, 3.30am)
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Los Angeles FC can maintain their 100% record at BMO Stadium this season when they take on Sporting Kansas City in MLS action on Saturday.
The Black and Gold suffered their first defeat of the domestic campaign last weekend, losing 3-0 to Real Salt Lake, while KC played to a 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union.
We say: Los Angeles FC 3-1 Sporting Kansas City
While LAFC have given up their share of chances, SKC have been inconsistent defensively, and a striker with the quality of Bouanga could give the Black and Gold an edge in this match.
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Earthquakes vs. Vancouver (Sunday, 3.30am)
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A pair of sides still seeking their first victories of the 2024 MLS campaign will square off on Saturday as the San Jose Earthquakes welcome the Vancouver Whitecaps to PayPal Park.
The Goonies are pointless after two fixtures, losing their previous encounter 3-1 versus the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the Caps had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Charlotte FC.
We say: San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
It usually takes the Caps a few games to get settled every season, and we believe the Quakes attacking pieces will be able to take advantage of a Vancouver side who may be more fatigued having competed in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) before the start of the MLS campaign.
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Ben Knapton
