Previews and Predictions: MLS Week Eight

Is MLS the best league in North America? Well after last-place Montreal Impact's exciting Champions League draw in midweek it must be.

Surely...

Anyway here are our MLS predictions as the domestic action returns...

Shipp has three assists already

Chicago Fire vs New York City – Toyota Park

Fire haven’t played since beating Toronto 3-2 on April 4, when Harry Shipp recorded his second and third assists of the season – Shipp has scored or set up four of Chicago’s five goals.

City are now winless in five matches after losing 0-1 at home to Portland Timbers on Sunday, leaving David Villa’s side with just one victory from their first seven games.

Villa is an injury doubt, having missed out against Portland and failed to train on Wednesday, so Fire could prolong City’s misery here.

Verdict: 3-1

Colorado Rapids vs FC Dallas – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Two weeks after Rapids secured their first win (and scored their first goals) of 2015 with a 4-0 demolition job in Dallas, the teams meet again in Colorado.

Rapids couldn’t build on that stunning victory, losing 3-1 to Seattle Sounders last weekend, but will be hopeful of another win over the Texans.

Dallas halted their recent slide as the fastest goal in the franchise’s history, from Fabian Castillo after 29 seconds, kick-started a 3-2 victory over Toronto to end a three-game winless run.

Verdict: 1-1

New England Revolution vs Real Salt Lake – Gillette Stadium

Revolution are now five unbeaten after losing their first two games of the season, although they did concede their first goal in 250 minutes in the 2-1 win at Philadelphia on Sunday.

Real suffered their first defeat of 2015, falling 1-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday evening and failed to score for a second consecutive game.

Revs will be thinking this weekend is a huge opportunity to beat RSL for the first time in seven games, a run stretching back to 2009.

Verdict: 2-0

Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union – Mapfre Stadium

Kamara's goals have been matching his celebrations

Kei Kamara’s fourth goal of the season helped Crew to a 3-0 home win over Orlando City on Saturday and tied him for second in the MLS goalscoring charts.

After losing 2-1 at home to New England Revolution, Union have both the worst defence and the worst win ratio in the overall MLS this season, with just one victory in eight games. 

Crew have never lost to Union in Columbus, winning five out of six home meetings, and won all three games against the franchise in 2014.

Verdict: 3-0 

Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City – BBVA Compass Stadium

Dynamo drew 1-1 at D.C. United last time out, while Sporting’s four-game unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 loss to LA Galaxy.

After both shifting from East to West for this season, these two sides will continue a rivalry born from three consecutive meetings in the MLS Cup Playoffs from 2011-13.

Each team won away from home in the two meetings last year, but we think the rivals will be hard to separate this time.

Verdict: 0-0

Vancouver Whitecaps vs D.C. United – BC Place

The last goal scored at BC Place was in 2011

MLS’ top side Whitecaps returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win at Real Salt Lake last weekend after two games without a victory.

United are one of three franchises tied on 11 points at the top of the Eastern Conference, after extending their undefeated run to four games thanks to a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo.

D.C. have not defeated Whitecaps since 2011 and there hasn’t been a goal scored between the two sides at BC Place since the same year, so this could be another tight one. 

Verdict: 1-0

New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy – Red Bull Arena (Live on Sky Sports 5 – Sunday 10pm)

New York made it five unbeaten with last week’s win over San Jose to match the longest undefeated start to a season in franchise history and remain MLS’ only unbeaten team.

Galaxy won for the second match running after ending a four-game winless streak, beating Kansas City deep in injury-time thanks to Omar Gonzalez.

But the 2014 MLS Cup winners have only beaten Red Bulls once since 2010 and with Robbie Keane a big injury doubt it will be tough for them again in this mouth-watering clash.

Verdict: 2-1

Orlando City vs Toronto FC – Citrus Bowl (Live on Sky Sports 5 – Monday 12am)

Orlando lost 3-0 at Columbus Crew last weekend, and Kaka’s side are yet to win at the Citrus Bowl this season after suffering two successive injury-time defeats at home.

Can Giovinco maintain his scoring run?

Toronto lost a fourth game in a row in a 3-2 defeat at Dallas, but DP Sebastian Giovinco has three goals in two matches and has been involved in each of TFC’s last four goals.

In this first ever meeting between the two franchises, the result may well come down to which of the star players can be a match winner on the day.

Verdict: 1-1

Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers – CenturyLink Field

Sounders beat Colorado Rapids 3-1 last weekend, while Timbers won their second match in their last three outings with a 1-0 win at New York City.

These two sides share one of the most prominent rivalries in MLS, and this will be the 89th time they have met over their long histories.

The franchises shared 16 goals in three meetings in 2014, but Portland have never won in Seattle in regular season play, and we don’t think that’s about to change.

Verdict: 3-1

Images courtesy of Thearon W. Henderson, fourfourcrew.com Jeff Vinnick and Jamie Sabau, with thanks