Previews and Predictions: MLS Week 12

MLS continues to throw up surprises, with Montreal Impact and Orlando City recording their first win and first home win of the season respectively last week.

Yet again we’ve tried to guess what’s going to happen in this topsy-turvy season, so here are our predictions for this weekend’s fixtures.

Kamara should fire Crew to a win

Columbus Crew SC vs Chicago Fire – Mapfre Stadium

Crew are still winless away from home this season, but they have won their last three at home and scored 10 goals in the process.

Fire are without a win in three games after a 2-2 draw with New York City, in which Jeff Larentowicz scored from the spot for the second consecutive match. 

The combination of MLS’ joint-highest scorer, Kei Kamara, and midfielder Ethan Findley, who has five assists in 2015, should propel Crew to victory here.

Verdict: 3-1

LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo – StubHub Center

Galaxy’s winless away streak was extended to 13 games after a humiliating 4-0 loss at Orlando City and they are still missing a host of first team players.

Dynamo come into the match boasting their first back-to-back wins of 2015 and Giles Barnes has now scored six goals this season, more than half Galaxy’s entire tally.

This is the franchises’ second meeting at StubHub Center this season after a 1-1 draw on March 21, and Galaxy haven’t beaten Houston in MLS since 2011.

Verdict: 1-1

Toronto FC vs Portland Timbers – BMO Field (Live on Sky Sports 3 – Saturday 10pm)

Michael Bradley’s first goal of the season secured a draw against Eastern high-fliers New England Revolution last weekend as Jozy Altidore went off injured.

This is Timbers’ third consecutive away trip but there is a bad omen for them – the visiting team has never won when these sides have met.

Both franchises have only won three times this season but we’re backing Toronto to make that four with their first home win of the campaign.

Verdict: 2-0

New England Revolution vs D.C. United – Gillette Stadium

New England lost for the first time in 10 games in midweek, with Juan Agudelo’s fourth goal of the season not enough to prevent a 4-2 defeat.

Agudelo in action for USMNT vs Mexico

United also had a mammoth unbeaten run ended in their last match, their eight-game streak finished by a stoppage-time winner for Philadelphia Union on Sunday.

Revolution are currently on a club-record 16-game unbeaten run at home and in this top of the Eastern Conference clash we think that streak will continue.

Verdict: 3-2

Montreal Impact vs FC Dallas – Stade Saputo

Montreal finally kick-started their stunted MLS campaign with a first win of the season last weekend, comprehensively dispatching Real Salt Lake 4-1 at home.

Dallas have never lost to Impact in MLS and are unbeaten in five this season, a run that sees the Texans top of the Western Conference.

Montreal will be looking to climb the table after last weekend’s breakthrough, but will find it a tough ask against one of the season’s early pacesetters.

Verdict: 1-3

Colorado Rapids vs Vancouver Whitecaps – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Rapids’ match was postponed due to stormy weather last weekend and they are without a win in five games, having drawn their last four.

Whitecaps lost at home to Seattle last weekend but secured their Canadian Championship final berth with a dramatic, late 2-1 second-leg win at Edmonton in midweek.

Vancouver have only won once in Colorado but will be confident of victory having lost just once in six games on the road in all competitions this season.

Verdict: 1-2

Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City – CenturyLink Field

Clint Dempsey grabbed an assist as Seattle won 2-0 in Vancouver to keep up his record of scoring or assisting in all of his games this season.

The American has seven goals and five assists in eight matches and is perhaps the main reason for Sounders’ lofty position in a fiercely-competitive Western Conference.

Sporting recorded a superb win over New England in midweek but have not beaten Seattle in eight MLS games since 2009 and that run should continue.

Kreis returns to Rio Tinto Stadium with NYC

Verdict: 3-0

Real Salt Lake vs New York City FC – Rio Tinto Stadium

Real Salt Lake have just one win in their last seven games after becoming Montreal’s first MLS victims of the season last weekend.

NYC ended their four-game losing streak thanks to Khiry Shelton’s first senior goal against Chicago Fire but they are still without a win in nine matches.

The only meeting between the two franchises this season sees City boss Jason Kreis return to the side he guided to MLS Cup glory in 2009. 

Verdict: 1-1

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

Eastern Conference third-placed side Red Bulls failed to score for the first time this year in a goalless draw with Dallas last Friday.

Zach Pfeffer ended Union’s 296 minute goal drought to snatch a 1-0 victory over D.C. United on Sunday, a result that ended Philadelphia’s four-game losing slide.

Red Bulls’ top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips will look to exploit MLS’ worst defence and end a run of just one win in five matches for the New Yorkers.

Verdict: 2-0

San Jose Earthquakes vs Orlando City SC – Avaya Stadium

San Jose captain Chris Wondolowski will become the ninth player in history to have scored 100 MLS goals if he finds the net this weekend.

Orlando secured a first-ever MLS home win with a superb 4-0 victory over LA Galaxy, with Kaká scoring for the first time since April 12.

That victory was the biggest ever for an MLS expansion team against the defending champions, and with San Jose unbeaten in four this is tough to call.

Verdict: 2-2

Images courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Chris Covatta and Elsa, with thanks