1. DALLAS LOOK TO END WINLESS RUN
FC Dallas will look to snap their five-game winless slide on Friday night, when they take on the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park (9 pm ET, UniMas in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada). While FCD winger Michael Barrios is finally finding his feet with Dallas, the club loaned Otis Earle to USL affiliates Arizona United.
2. SEATTLE REFLECT ON USOC LOSS
The Sounders are moving past Tuesday's US Open Cup defeat to Portland, with co-owner Adrian Hanauer admitting that the loss wasn’t his club's "finest hour.” If they're to bounce back on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes (4 pm ET, MLS LIVE), they’ll have to do it without Obafemi Martins, who’s been ruled out for 3-6 weeks after injury his groin in the USOC loss. The Quakes come into the match after having beaten Sacramento in a shootout in their midweek cup tie, a win that proved to be cathartic for US U-20 midfielder Tommy Thompson.
3. BACKE TO BASICS
The New York Red Bulls still have a couple of players on trial with the club; they'll no doubt be hoping to emulate the success of Mike Grella and earn a contract with the team. While the potential signees provide a nice midseason talking point, the Red Bulls will have their full attention on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday (7pm ET, MLS LIVE in the US, TSN2 in Canada). 'Caps boss Carl Robinson – who regularly turns to ex-Red Bulls coach Hans Backe for advice – wants his team to prove people wrong, and end their tradition of summer slumps.
4. CAN TFC KEEP WINNING?
A rested and ready Toronto FC side will look to make it four straight wins on Saturday, when they take on New York City FC at BMO Field (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE). NYCFC will come into Canada looking to avenge their midweek USOC defeat to the New York Cosmos. It wasn’t a game to remember for NYCFC, but it did feature this touching moment between Spanish stars David Villa and Raul.
5. BACK ON THE MAPP
Great news for Montreal Impact fans, as Justin Mapp has returned to training. While he's back in practice, there’s no timetable for the veteran midfielder's full return just yet. He certainly won’t be ready for their game against Orlando City on Saturday (8 pm ET, MLS LIVE), which will see the visitors look to extend their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
6. KEANE RETURNS TO THE FOLD
After struggling through personal tragedy, Robbie Keane found a bit of catharsis on Wednesday night, scoring a hat trick in LA's 6-1 Open Cup win against PSA Elite. The Irish international will be hoping he can stay hot on Saturday when his LA Galaxy side take on the Philadelphia Union (10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and their in-form center back, LA native Richie Marquez.
7. HELP WANTED
The Portland Timbers – who are unexpectedly in need of a goalkeeper coach – will shoot for their fourth straight MLS victory when they host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday (10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE). After their midweek US Open Cup win against Austin, the Dynamo appear to have found strength in depth.
8. THE NEXT TIM HOWARD?
While things didn’t go the way the New England Revolution would have wanted in their midweek US Open Cup game, their loss to Charlotte wasn't without positives, as 19-year-old Homegrown player Zachary Herivaux made his pro debut and second-year midfielder Steve Neumann made a case for more minutes. The Revs will be looking to bounce back when they visit D.C. United on Sunday (5 pm ET; ESPN2 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada), though they'll no doubt have a tough time beating Bill Hamid, who is drawing comparisons to longtime USMNT stalwart Tim Howard.
9. EXPLAINING ESPINOZA'S ABSENCE
Real Salt Lake will be looking to end a three-game winless streak on Sunday when they host Sporting Kansas City (10 pm ET; Fox Sports 1 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada). While RSL are struggling, SKC are coming in hot, riding a seven-game unbeaten streak in MLS play that has goalkeeper Tim Melia drawing comparisons to Tony Meola. Things are apparently so good for SKC, that midfielder Roger Espinoza didn't want to leave, declining an invite to Honduras' Gold Cup roster.
10. CREW SC BOUNCING BACK
Winless in their last six league games, Columbus Crew SC have a bye week this weekend. They do have some good vibes heading into their short break, hoping their USOC victory over the Richmond Kickers – which saw Columbus debut a new 3-5-2 formation – guides them back toward MLS success.
11. MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL
English veteran Anton Ferdinand just finished a brief training spell with the Chicago Fire, and it sounds like his time in the Windy City was just as beneficial to the Fire as it was to the recovering Championship player. Meanwhile, one of the Fire’s current defenders is getting a different kind of recognition from a Chicago lifestyle mag.
12. THE DRAW IS DONE
With the fourth round complete, the draw for the fifth round of the US Open Cup was held on Thursday. With this year’s tournament featuring fixed brackets, you can now chart your side's potential route all the way to the final. As part of the draw, US Soccer also announced a new qualification process for amateur teams for next season’s competition.
13. CANADA LOOK TO ADVANCE
The WWC knockout games get underway this weekend and, for Canada, that means an all-important game against Switzerland at BC Place on Sunday (7pm ET; CTV in Canada, Fox Sports 1 in the US). The US will get back in action on Monday, when they'll face Colombia in the Round of 16.
14. CAN MEXICO MOVE ON?
With two draws from their first two games at the Copa America, Mexico still have a chance of advancing from their group at the tournament. However, in order to do so, they absolutely must win their game against Ecuador (5 pm ET, beIN Sports).
15. FAMILIAR FACES FOR DERO TESTIMONIAL
Dwayne De Rosario's testimonial match will feature plenty of big names, including some figures who Toronto FC fans may remember a little too well. As for De Rosario himself, now that he’s retired, what does the future hold?
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