Saturday 21 May 2016 14:57, UK
It's MLS Rivalry Week, but what does that mean?
This week pits together the fiercest rivals in the league, meaning high-profile matches consisting of old, bitter feuds and new-found competitors.
Rivalry Week began three years ago at the start of the 2014 season as a way of bringing some of the league's best players and fans together.
This season there are two Rivalry Weeks. The first games take place on the weekend of May 20-22 and the others on August 26-28.
The first pits together cross-city rivals New York City FC and New York Red Bulls in just their fourth derby match since New York City launched in 2015. It is sure to make for another hostile atmosphere at Yankee Stadium for the Hudson River Derby.
The New York Red Bulls currently lead the head-to-head record, having won all three of the derbies so far.
New York Red Bulls midfielder Lloyd Sam told Sky Sports in March about his enjoyment of playing in the derby.
"In New York, the excitement when the two teams play is one of the main things that is different [in the city] since they've come in," he said.
"The stadiums are full and there's a lot of excitement in the air when we play."
The first game of Rivalry Week is on Friday as Philadelphia Union take on DC United. Although not an official rivalry, there has been plenty of spice between the two teams over the years along the I-95 corridor.
The Trillium Cup between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew SC should make for an intriguing encounter on Saturday night.
Although Toronto have won six of the cups between the two clubs compared to the Crew's two, Columbus are in desperate need of points as they look to re-energise their season. Expect to see the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and USA international Michael Bradley in action.
The Cascadia derby between Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps takes place on Sunday evening.
Alongside Seattle Sounders, the three clubs are part of a mini-league originally created by fans of all the clubs with the incentive being bragging rights alongside league points.
The team with the most points by the end of the season gets to lift the cup. Seattle Sounders are the current holders from last year.
This season, the Whitecaps are currently top, but Portland will look to even the score in the MLS-era rivalry by taking hold of their second cup this year.
And in the final game of the weekend, One of the oldest rivalries in the league comes to the forefront as Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane and Co from LA Galaxy take on their rivals San Jose Earthquakes in what is known as the California Clasico.
Gerrard scored his first-ever goal in MLS when he faced the Earthquakes on July 17, curling a shot past goalkeeper David Bingham to open up his account Stateside.
