Ranking this week’s MLS games(including the U.S. Open Cup final) from best to worst.
1. New York Red Bulls at Sporting KC (11-6-11), 9 p.m. Wednesday. This is the U.S. Open Cup final, and not a regular-season game as I mistakenly wrote earlier. My apologies. Should be a fantastic matchup between a great defensive team in KC and a great offensive team in Red Bulls.
This is why I need people to tell me where to sit!
2. Houston (10-10-8) at NYCFC, 3 p.m. Saturday. The Dynamo are in seventh in the West, but tied on points with Real Salt Lake and just one point behind San Jose. How will the small field at Yankee Stadium affect Houston's speed?
3. New York Red Bulls at Columbus, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Columbus seems likely to make the playoffs after Montreal spit the bit at Minnesota last week, but three points here should do the job for the Crew.
4. Seattle (11-7-11) at Real Salt Lake (11-14-5), 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The West is a jumbled mess, and this game can help sort it out should one of the teams actually win instead of the result being a draw.
5. Montreal at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. This comment covers two games because Montreal must win out to keep alive its slim playoff hopes.
6. Montreal at Atlanta United, 5 p.m. Sunday. (See above).
7. L.A. Galaxy (7-15-6) at Atlanta United, 7 p.m. Wednesday. This game is this high on this list only because the Five Stripes have a chance to match the seven goals it scored against New England last week.
10. Chicago at Philadelphia 7 p.m. Saturday. Not much to say about this one, other than Chicago needs the points to hold off Atlanta United for third in the East.
11. Dallas at Minnesota United (8-15-5), 8 p.m. Saturday. Dallas is in a swoon, but is just one point out of a playoff spot.
12. Colorado (7-16-5) at Vancouver (13-9-6), 10 p.m. Saturday. The Whitecaps need three points to stay atop the west and ahead of Portland, Sporting KC and Seattle.
13. L.A. Galaxy (7-15-6) at Sporting KC (11-6-11), 2 p.m. Sunday. Ditto for Sporting KC, which needs the points to keep alive its hopes of winning the West.
14. Orlando City at Portland (12-10-8), 8 p.m. Sunday. Ditto for the Timbers.
15. San Jose (11-12-6) at D.C. United, 7 p.m. Saturday.
16. Toronto at New England, 5 p.m. Saturday. Toronto's march to set the MLS record for points continues.
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