Thursday 10 September 2015 18:23, UK
Bradley Wright-Phillips' goalscoring run, Didier Drogba v LA Galaxy, plus plenty more to look forward to in MLS this weekend...
New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire: Can Bradley Wright-Phillips keep up his hot streak?
After struggling between May and June without scoring a goal in six matches, Bradley Wright-Phillips has returned to some sensational goal-scoring form with eight goals in his last 10 games. The Englishman had scored just five beforehand.
The Red Bulls will be hoping Wright-Phillips can continue his form as the play-off race hots up, with Jesse Marsch's team second in the East, but could slip down to fourth with a loss against Chicago.
It is almost now or never for Chicago if they are to have any hope of reaching the play-offs, but their record away from home does not make for good reading.
Chicago are winless in their last 21 away matches, tied for the second longest winless away streak in MLS history. Frank Yallop's men were extremely close to putting a stop to that last weekend, but conceding two goals in the last four minutes against Montreal proved their downfall.
The Fire beat New York 3-2 just two weeks ago at home, perhaps that will give them a cause for optimism entering Friday's match.
FC Dallas v New York City FC: Will MLS' hottest side continue NYCFC's struggles?
It was a significant moment in Major League Soccer last weekend which earned plaudits from many. FC Dallas defeated a strong Columbus Crew side 3-0 whilst fielding five homegrown academy players from the start. No MLS team in history has fielded as many before in one game.
The north Texan outfit has the best points-per-game average across both conferences, giving the most accurate indicator to show who really is in the best form, due to the differences in games played between teams.
New York City's issue of simply not being able to defend looks to have given them little chance of making the play-offs this year.
Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard's mid-summer arrivals has seen both struggle to adapt to the frantic, end-to-end nature of MLS while question marks have been raised by head coach Jason Kreis over his players' desire after a disappointing loss to Columbus Crew.
But any positive result in Frisco, Texas, would undoubtedly provide NYCFC a much needed confidence boost.
Toronto FC v New England Revolution: Could New England enter the Supporter's Shield race?
Toronto recorded back-to-back wins before failing to keep out MLS' power duo of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins of Seattle last weekend. The Reds are currently seven points clear of the first team below the red line, Philadelphia, so should have no issues in cementing a play-off spot.
But a win against New England could see them overtake last year's MLS Cup finalists on goal difference. That is if they can put an end to the Revolution's run of four consecutive wins.
New England's attacking players have returned to their sparkling best. In particular, the 20-year-old Uruguayan Diego Fagundez has shown moments of quality in recent weeks, adding two goals and one assist to his tally in the Revolution's last two matches.
It is a crucial game for the two teams as clubs begin to jostle for play-off positions in a very tightly contested Eastern Conference.
LA Galaxy v Montreal Impact: How will hat-trick hero Didier Drogba fare against former Premier League foes Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard?
Didier Drogba scored a hat-trick against Chicago Fire in his first full Montreal debut last weekend. It makes for a positive start which could continue when his team travel to the west coast to face LA Galaxy, who were victims of a surprise 1-0 loss to fierce northern California rivals San Jose at Avaya Stadium.
The Galaxy struggled to break down a compact Earthquakes defence and it could be a similar type of match as Montreal enjoys playing on the counter-attack.
Drogba will likely be tasked with playing the target man role as former Premier League stars Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard will look to carve out chances at the opposing end.
The Impact have four games in hand and sit in sixth place, play-offs will be expected from their fanbase, and three points at the StubHub Center would make for a real statement.
San Jose Earthquakes v Seattle Sounders: Will Seattle make it third time lucky against the resurgent 'Quakes?
San Jose lost 2-1 at home to Philadelphia Union, letting in their first goal in 448 minutes. Beforehand, the Earthquakes had won four games in a row, closing the gap on a play-off place to just two points.
Between July 20 and August 9, Seattle won just one game out of 10. Now that Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey have re-united as a strike partnership following a mixture of injuries and suspensions, the Sounders have been able to win three of their last four matches.
The duo's influence could not have been more evident in their 2-1 win against Toronto FC, as both got on the scoresheet in a less than convincing overall performance.
San Jose and Seattle have already met twice this season, with the Earthquakes winning both times. With one point not particularly benefiting either team, this match-up could be a ferocious affair.
