The Philadelphia Union collapsed late against NYCFC during their home opener last Sunday in MLS Matchday 2. They host the San Jose Earthquakes this Saturday night in the hopes of being able to gain their first three points of the season, but it won't be easy against this Quakes team.
The Union's rival, New York Red Bulls, is on the opposite side of the spectrum right now. Red Bulls sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with six points to their name. Their win over the New England Revolution last week wasn't as dominant as their first-week win over Orlando City to open the season, but three points are three points.
Julian Hall has been the x-factor for Red Bulls, and it's crazy to think that a 17-year-old has put the club on his back early on. But that's what happened. Hall is a special talent for the Red Bulls, and his career outlook is sky-high. Red Bulls will hope to keep rolling this weekend against CF Montreal.
FC Cincinnati vs. Toronto FC on Sunday night is setting up to be an exciting watch, mainly because Josh Sargent is set to make his MLS debut for Toronto FC. Sargent signed with Toronto at the end of February from Norwich City. He is occupying a Designated Player (DP) spot, and his contract is for five-and-a-half-years worth up to $27 million.
There are plenty of fun matches to be on the lookout for over the weekend. Every match can be seen on Apple TV+.
*Bets courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook
NYCFC (H) vs. Orlando City (A) - 2:30 pm - Yankee Stadium
Odds: Home (-130), Tie (+280), Away (+300)
DC United (H) vs. Inter Miami (A) - 4:30 pm - Audi Field
Odds: Home (+320), Tie (+320), Away (-145)
Atlanta United (H) vs. Real Salt Lake (A) - 7:30 pm - Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Odds: Home (+110), Tie (+270), Away (+210)
Columbus Crew (H) vs. Chicago Fire (A) - 7:30 pm - Lower.com Field
Odds: Home (+110), Tie (+250), Away (+230)
Charlotte FC (H) vs. Austin FC (A) - 7:30 pm - Bank of America Stadium
Odds: Home (+100), Tie (+250), Away (+250)
Philadelphia Union (H) vs. San Jose Earthquakes - 7:30 pm - Subaru Park
Odds: Home (-145), Tie (+300), Away (+340)
Nashville SC (H) vs. Minnesota United (A) - 8:30 pm - GEODIS Park
Odds: Home (-145), Tie (+290), Away (+340)
Sporting Kansas City vs. San Diego FC - 8:30 pm - Sporting Park
Odds: Home (+290), Tie (+300), Away (-130)
St. Louis City (H) vs. Seattle Sounders (A) - 8:30 pm - Energizer Park
Odds: Home (+200), Tie (+270), Away (+110)
Colorado Rapids (H) vs. LA Galaxy (A) - 9:30 pm - DICK'S Sporting Goods Park
Odds: Home (+120), Tie (+300), Away (+175)
Portland Timbers (H) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (A) - 10:30 pm - Providence Park
Odds: Home (+230), Tie (+280), Away (+105)
LAFC (H) vs. FC Dallas (A) - 10:30 pm - BMO Stadium
Odds: Home (-320), Tie (+430), Away (+650)
New York Red Bulls (H) vs. CF Montreal (A) - 4:30 pm - Sports Illustrated Stadium
Odds: Home (-210), Draw (+340), Away (+470)
FC Cincinnati (H) vs. Toronto FC (A) - 7:00 pm - Q2 Stadium
Odds: Home (-130), Tie (+280), Away (+320)
This one seems pretty obvious because of Josh Sargent's debut. He was unveiled as a Toronto player this week and will feature on Sunday night. Head Coach Robin Fraser is still deciding whether to start him or bring him on as a substitute. Whenever he does feature in the match, it should be fun!
Philly is searching for their first win of the season, and San Jose is looking for their third. The Union will be without Olwethu Makhanya, who was sent off with a red card on Sunday against NYCFC. We'll see how their backline holds up, and Timo Werner will make his Chester, Pennsylvania, debut. What a time to be alive.
The only reason I'm picking this is to see if Julian Hall cooks against Montreal. If the Red Bulls' attack can play as they did during the first two weeks, it's an automatic three points for Michael Bradley's side.
This has the makings of a good one. Nashville drew 0-0 with Dallas last week, and Minnesota took down Cincinnati. Nashville will be looking to get back on track, sort of, against a good West team.
This is the first of five straight home matches for Charlotte. They haven't recorded any points yet and have looked pretty bad so far. Austin is tied for fifth in the West and has the makings of a team to finish higher up in the West. This is going to be a real test for Charlotte, though. If they don't come out of the weekend with any points, it may be time to start panicking.
New York Red Bulls - 6 pts
Nashville SC - 4 pts
NYCFC - 4 pts
Chicago Fire - 3 pts
FC Cincinnati - 3 pts
DC United - 3 pts
Inter Miami - 3 pts
Columbus Crew - 1 pt
Charlotte FC - 1 pt
Philadelphia Union - 0 pts
Orlando City - 0 pts
Toronto FC - 0 pts
New England Revolution - 0 pts
Atlanta United - 0 pts
CF Montreal - 0 pts
San Diego FC - 6 pts
LAFC - 6 pts
San Jose Earthquakes - 6 pts
Vancouver Whitecaps - 6 pts
LA Galaxy - 4 pts
Austin FC - 4 pts
FC Dallas - 4 pts
Minnesota United - 4 pts
Seattle Sounders - 3 pts
Colorado Rapids - 3 pts
Real Salt Lake - 3 pts
Portland Timbers - 3 pts
Houston Dynamo - 3 pts
St. Louis City - 1 pt
Sporting Kansas City - 1 pt
