For the second straight week, Sporting Kansas City hits the road for a Western Conference showdown that highlights a full slate of MLS matches.
Last time out, Peter Vermes’ men shut down the high-flying, first-place Portland Timbers en route to a 1-0 victory at Providence Park.
Things won’t get any easier on Saturday when the two remaining unbeaten teams in MLS go head-to-head, as Sporting Kansas City (3-0-3, 12 points) visits second-place FC Dallas (3-0-2, 11 points) at Toyota Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).
Beyond the marquee matchup in Frisco, Texas, fans can also look forward to three nationally televised contests in Week 8 — two of which involve Sporting Kansas City’s Western Conference rivals.
Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes | 3 p.m. CT Saturday, Facebook Live & UniMas
Both of these teams started hot out of the gates with two consecutive home wins, but have cooled since then to settle into fourth and fifth place, respectively. Houston (3-2-1, 10 points) is led by Golden Boot leader Erick “Cubo” Torres, who has bagged five of his six goals in the confines of BBVA Compass Stadium. San Jose (2-2-2, 8 points) is winless in four and will be less than 72 hours removed from Wednesday night’s road test in New England. Couple short rest with Houston’s mid-afternoon humidity, and the Earthquakes have an enormous challenge on their hands.
New York City FC vs. Orlando City SC | 12:30 p.m. CT Sunday, FS1 & FOX Deportes
Two sides trending upward go head-to-head Sunday at Yankee Stadium as Orlando City SC (4-1-0, 12 points) and New York City FC (3-2-1, 10 points) battle for early supremacy in the Eastern Conference. Opposing strikers Cyle Larin and David Villa have scored four goals apiece in 2017 and could be poised for more: Larin has seven goals in six career games against NYCFC, while Villa has put three goals past the Lions since arriving over two years ago. A pair of improved defenses will have their hands full.
LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 3 p.m. CT Sunday, ESPN & ESPN Deportes
LA and Seattle have won four of the last six MLS Cups and share the longest active playoff streaks in MLS at eight years. Yet both clubs find themselves below the red line, albeit very early in the season. The Galaxy (2-4-0, 6 points) haven’t seen much production from anyone outside of Romain Alessandrini, who has scored four times in his last three appearances. Seattle, meanwhile, (1-2-3, 6 points) shouldn’t be anywhere close to panic mode considering the miraculous turnaround they experienced during the second half of 2016.
