Ranking this week’s MLS games from best to worst.
Week 3
1. Orlando City (0-1-1) at NYCFC (2-0-0), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Univision: Sacha Kljestan is supposed to make his debut for the Lions, which have already dropped five of six points in their first two home games, neither of which was played against teams that would be considered MLS Cup contenders. Though it's a long season, a loss here and it's a lot of ground to make up. Meanwhile, David Villa and NYCFC are rolling with two wins their first two games.
2. Vancouver (2-0-0) at Atlanta United (1-1-0), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox Sports South: Five Stripes manager Gerardo Martino used a 3-5-2 formation in last week's win against D.C. United that really seemed to suit the personnel. It seems likely to be used again this week because the 4-3-3 used last year at Vancouver resulted in almost no offense. The Whitecaps are 2-0, so credit to them, but haven't looked particularly strong.
3. Toronto (0-1-0) at Montreal (0-2-0), 3 p.m. Saturday: Toronto won its CCL game on Tuesday and advanced in the competition, so it'll be interesting to see if Greg Vanney fields his strongest possible lineup for this game against an Impact squad that has shown potential, just no results.
4. Seattle (0-1-0) at Dallas (0-0-1), 5 p.m. Sunday: Seattle has a CCL game tonight, so things seem to be stacked for Dallas, but it's a squad that hasn't been able to take advantage of those situations in months.
5. Houston (1-1-0) at D.C. United (0-1-1), 1:30 p.m. Saturday: If comparative scores are an indication, Houston should win this game 7-1. This will be D.C. United's first "home" game this season. This will be the Dynamo's first game on the road, where they went 1-9-7 last season.
6. San Jose (1-0-0) at Sporting KC (1-1-0), 8:30 p.m. Saturday: Two teams with a bit of mystery around them. San Jose is supposed to be much improved after a busy offseason. Sporting KC still needs a goal-scorer, but its usually stout defense sprung a leak in last week's 4-3 win at Chicago.
7. Columbus (2-0-0) at Philadelphia (1-0-0), 2 p.m. Saturday: The Crew should become the first team to reach three wins this season against a Union squad that is playing the kids, which means expect inconsistent performances.
8. New York Red Bulls (1-0-0) at Real Salt Lake (0-1-1), 9 p.m. Saturday: The Red Bulls also advanced in the CCL and now must fly to Utah to take on a Real Salt Lake that has to be considered the most disappointing so far in MLS this season.
9. Chicago (0-1-0) at Minnesota United (1-1-0), 2 p.m. Saturday: The Loons just can't catch a break. They defeat Orlando City on the road, but lose two-goal scorer Kevin Molino to a torn ACL. Chicago is a team that I just can't get my head around yet.
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