Columbus Crew vs. Nashville (Thursday, 12.30am)
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Columbus Crew will aim to overtake Nashville SC in the MLS Eastern Conference when the two teams meet in Ohio on Wednesday.
The Crew are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference table, two points behind the Tennessee outfit in fifth. Both sides head into the game off the back of victories.
We say: Columbus Crew 1-1 Nashville SC
This will be an intriguing battle as the Crew's stern defence comes up against Nashville's potent attack, who will be full of confidence after thrashing Chicago Fire. It makes it difficult to pick a winner, so we are predicting an entertaining draw.
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NY City vs. Montreal (Thursday, 12.30am)
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New York City FC take on CF Montreal in the MLS Eastern Conference on Wednesday, with both sides looking to establish themselves in the play-off positions.
The visitors will head to USA's most populous city full of confidence after winning three successive matches, with the hosts looking to recover from two consecutive defeats.
We say: New York City FC 1-2 CF Montreal
With NY City's squad looking a little depleted at present and their form suffering, we can envisage Montreal winning a fourth successive match.
The hosts will likely dominate possession, but in Mason Toye especially, the visitors possess a clinical edge in attack, which could make the decisive difference.
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Inter Miami vs. New England (Thursday, 12.30am)
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Two clubs who have experienced very different seasons so far meet in MLS on Wednesday as Eastern Conference leaders New England Revolution travel to bottom of the table Inter Miami.
This will be the first ever fixture between the two sides as they did not meet in Inter Miami's inaugural campaign last year due to MLS's Covid-19-enforced restructured format.
We say: Inter Miami 1-2 New England Revolution
Inter Miami desperately need some luck to fall their way, but they are unlikely to get it against the Eastern Conference leaders. Revs are back on track following victory against Atlanta and should have too much for a Herons side low on confidence.
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Toronto vs. NY Red Bulls (Thursday, 12.30am)
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Two sides outside of the playoff places in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference do battle on Thursday, as New York Red Bulls travel to take on Toronto.
Both sides will feel that they have been slightly underwhelming so far this season, but appear to be in improved form, with the hosts having picked up four points from their last two games and the visitors being unbeaten in three MLS matches.
We say: Toronto 1-1 New York Red Bulls
In a battle between two sides seemingly on the up after poor starts to the season, we cannot split them, and expect both teams to avoid defeat on Thursday.
Both will likely eye the fixture up as a good opportunity to continue to collect three more points, but we do not see either falling to a defeat given their quick improvements.
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Chicago Fire vs. DC United (Thursday, 1.00am)
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DC United will try to climb back into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference when they travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Fire in MLS action on Wednesday.
The Black-and-Red dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to the Philadelphia Union this past weekend, while the Fire saw their three-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 5-1 loss to Nashville SC.
We say: Chicago Fire 2-1 DC United
The Fire have started to thrive at home, playing their best three games of the season at Soldier Field, and they will be keen to make a point that their defeat on Saturday was just a temporary setback.
DC United are winless in their last three fixtures away from home, and they have tended to crumble in the late stages on the road, conceding the winning goal with less than 10 minutes to play in their previous two defeats.
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Cincinnati vs. Atlanta (Thursday, 1.00am)
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FC Cincinnati continue to search for their first win at TQL Stadium when they host Atlanta United there on Wednesday.
The Orange and Blue lost a back and forth game with CF Montreal 5-4 over the weekend, while Atlanta are in the middle of an eight-game losing streak after falling 1-0 to the New England Revolution.
We say: FC Cincinnati 1-2 Atlanta United
Cincinnati seem to have found their scoring touch with a goal in each of their last five games, but they still have work to do when it comes to closing out a match from a winning position.
Atlanta have never lost to Cincy in four matches, and they will be out to make an impression on their interim coach versus a side who have yet to win at home this season.
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Kansas vs. Earthquakes (Thursday, 1.30am)
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Sporting Kansas City can extend their current winning streak to four games with a victory on Wednesday against the San Jose Earthquakes from Children's Mercy Park.
The Wizards have not played since the first weekend in July when they beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0, while the Quakes are winless in their last nine fixtures following a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids.
We say: Sporting Kansas City 2-0 San Jose Earthquakes
Even without some key additions to their midfield and attack, KC have tremendous depth at every position and have shown consistency all year, plus they are unbeaten at home in 2021.
The Quakes have been able to earn some results away from home lately, but they still tend to get burned on the counter, conceding 23 goals so far this year, the most in the Western Conference.
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Colorado vs. Dallas (Thursday, 2.00am)
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The Colorado Rapids will try to stretch their unbeaten run to four games when they host Dallas from Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday.
The Rapids came back to draw the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend 1-1, while Dallas are winless in their last three games after suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Portland Timbers.
We say: Colorado Rapids 2-0 Dallas
The Rapids have rarely had an off-game this season, and although they are not the flashiest team offensively, they always seem to find a way to score goals, having been shut out of just one game all year.
Dallas seem to have relapsed into their old habits and have been very predictable in attack over their last two games, while always looking vulnerable to concede.
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LA Galaxy vs. Salt Lake (Thursday, 3.00am)
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Los Angeles Galaxy host Real Salt Lake in the MLS Western Conference on Wednesday, with the visitors looking to move inside the play-off positions.
LA Galaxy, meanwhile, are five points behind league leaders Seattle Sounders, but do have an eight-point gap over Salt Lake, who are one place outside of the play-off places.
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 Real Salt Lake
We expect a hard-fought victory for LA Galaxy, who have a little more individual quality than the visitors.
However, Salt Lake did show signs of improvement during their narrow defeat to Los Angeles at the weekend, so they certainly have enough about them to be competitive at the very least.
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Portland vs. Los Angeles (Thursday, 3.30am)
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Portland Timbers take on Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference of the MLS on Wednesday, with both sides aiming to establish themselves in the play-off positions.
The visitors are five points ahead of their forthcoming opponents, albeit having played a game more than them, so it is a huge match for both sides.
We say: Portland Timbers 0-2 Los Angeles FC
We can envisage a fairly comfortable victory for the visitors on Wednesday, which would open up a significant gap for them inside the play-off positions.
Bradley's side are on excellent form at the moment and are gifted by a lack of injuries, especially compared to their depleted opponents, who would probably consider seventh place at the end of the season to be an excellent achievement as things stand.
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Barney Corkhill
