Kick Off: DC-NY rivalry kicks off weekend slate | Zlatan rumors heating up

Greg Seltzer

Here are the top soccer stories everyone’s talking about this morning:

Rivalry Night

One thing to watch for when the Red Bulls host rivals D.C. United in an Atlantic Cup rivalry match on Friday night (7 pm ET, UniMás in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada): the fine work of New York No. 10 Sacha Kljestan. And while RBNY center back Gideon Baah is nearing his return from injury, all eyes will be on his DC counterpart, Steve Birnbaum, and whether he can help his Copa America cause.

Trade Wins

If you're still catching up on why exactly the Kei Kamara trade to New England is a big deal, here's everything you need to know in one easy video (though Crew SC claim that a potential trade was being mulled well before the PK fiasco over the weekend). As we look to see whether Kamara will make his Revs debut on Saturday (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle feels he's just what New England needed.

Kei Kid

One young fella made his feelings about the Kei Kamara trade perfectly clear.

Walk Of Fame

Though he doesn't explain which of the Galaxy's three Designated Players will make way for the signing, an Italian scribe claims Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic is all but certain to join L.A. when he becomes a free agent this summer.

Recovery Bay

New York City FC midfielder Frank Lampard could be close to a season debut after returning to full training as his club gets set for a nationally televised showdown against the defending champions Portland Timbers (7:30 pm ET; FS1 in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada). That might not spell good news for Mix Diskerud, who's still hoping for a place on the US squad for Copa America.

The Operating Room

Vancouver forward Masato Kudo is set for surgery on the broken jaw he suffered in a midweek collision with the Chicago Fire's goalkeeper. The Whitecaps will have to replace him in the lineup for Saturday's road match against Canadian rivals Toronto FC (7:30 pm ET; TSN4 and RDS in Canada; MLS LIVE in the USA).

Stronger At The Back

Speaking of TFC, local blog Waking The Red says another key to Toronto FC's early success is the much-improved play of center back Damien Perquis.

Hush Hush

With a winless streak that now stands at seven matches, observers may be wondering why so many of Sporting KC's star names sat out their midweek loss to Colorado, but head coach Peter Vermes isn't telling. Sunday's nationally televised home match against Orlando City (3:30 pm ET, ESPN in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada) is likely a big reason why.

Brek Up Song

Orlando City defender Brek Shea will be playing that match with a chip on his shoulder after admitting his disappointment over being left off the USMNT roster for Copa America.

Canada To Florida

More Orlando City for you courtesy of the latest edition of MLS Insider which caught up with Orlando City's Canadian duo of Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea.

More, More, More

With young Mexico star Giovani dos Santos starring for the Galaxy, MLS would love to see more league players come from south of the border.

Weekly Prizes

Montreal's Ignacio Piatti scored Goal of the Week honors, while Sporting KC netminder Tim Melia grabbed the Save of the Week prize.

Westermann Union?

A Spanish report has Real Betis defender Heiko Westermann aiming for a dream move to MLS.

More Club & Country

While he's been busy fitting in well with since his trade from Orlando, Red Bulls defender Aurelien Collin has also been working on gaining eligibility to suit up for Venezuela's national team.

Blues Book

Canada youth international Fikayo Tomoro is suddenly turning heads at Chelsea.

In His Free Time

Landon Donovan, who is set to coach the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Team against Mexico's U-20's before July's All-Star Game, recently sat down to discuss life after the pros with Sportsnet.