San Jose Earthquakes vs.
LA Galaxy
Friday, August 28, 11:00 PM ET
Avaya Stadium | San Jose, CA
Watch: UniMás (USA) or MLS LIVE (CAN,MEX)
The California Clasico is back for the final time this year, and that means one more chance at the wild and wonderful moments that seem to define this rivalry.
Two teams with wildly varying trajectories will come together for their first league meeting at San Jose's new Avaya Stadium with the season series finely balanced. The Earthquakes took the first meeting in one of MLS' oldest rivalries with a 3-1 win at Stanford Stadium on June 28 and the Galaxy responded with a 5-2 win at home on July 17. (LA also claimed a 1-0 win over the Quakes in the US Open Cup on July 1.)
Both San Jose (three straight victories) and the Galaxy, now with Giovani dos Santos in the fold, are kicking into gear. A Quakes win here would not only write another chapter in the rich story of the rivalry, but could be the valdiation of San Jose's renewed playoff push.
Toronto FC vs.
Montreal Impact
Saturday, August 29, 4:00 PM ET
BMO Field | Toronto
Watch: TSN, RDS2, or MLS LIVE (USA,MEX)
The 401 Derby returns to Toronto once more as both teams – separated by three points in the standings – look to consolidate their places in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The rivalry – which takes its name from the stretch of highway that separates two of Canada's most important cities – origniated in the two teams' Canadian Championship meetings starting in 2008. TFC, as Canada's lone MLS team had the early upper hand in the rivalry and won the teams' first meeting in league play, but the Impact have gotten the better of them in the ACC recently and will now aim to assert their dominance in league play and dent their rivals' quest for a first-ever playoff berth.
Seattle Sounders vs.
Portland Timbers
Sunday, August 30, 4:30 PM ET
CenturyLink Field | Seattle, WA
Watch: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, or TSN2
It's difficult to debate the status of the Seattle-Portland as one of the league's premier rivalries. Though both teams are fairly in the grand scheme of MLS history, the rivalry itself has existed since the Sounders and Timbers first met in the North American Soccer League in 1975.
This will be the final meeting between the two teams this year unless they meet in the playoffs (which is certainly looking possible). The Sounders took the first meeting back in April, but this summer has been all Timbers. Another memorable chapter in this rivalry was written in a chaotic 3-1 win by Portland in the US Open Cup, made infamous by a certain notebook-tearing incident. Two weeks later, the Timbers posted a 4-1 win in league play, and now they'll be looking to finish the job on their reeling opponents' home turf.
New York Red Bulls
D.C. United
Sunday, August 30, 7:00 PM ET
Red Bull Arena | Harrison, NJ
Watch: Fox Sports 1, FOX Deportes, or TSN2
The league's most-played rivalry takes center stage on Sunday night with both New York and D.C. flying high in the Eastern Conference standings. This will be the 68th regular-season meeting between the two clubs, whose annual contests for the Atlantic Cup have become a staple of MLS lore.
From their unforgettable playoff series in 1996 to Alecko Eskandarian's infamous Red Bull-spit-take celebration to 2012's wild, weather-warped Eastern Conference semifinal, this series has offered no shortage of unforgettable moments. Those moments have ended in D.C's favor more often than not, and United hold a significant advantage in the overall series and in the trophy count. They will, however, need nothing less than a win to claim the rivalry trophy this year, and the game could also carry significant playoff and Supporters' Shield implications.
