Still less than 20 percent of the way through the MLS regular season, the Chicago Fire are in the thick of the action as the Eastern Conference table begins to take shape, level on points with both New York City FC and D.C. United for sixth in the east.
Now, the Fire are turning the page to a portion of their MLS campaign that promises to be night and day -- and then night again -- in terms of their fixture list. Consider:
• Coming off of a stoppage-time loss to the Montreal Impact, Chicago is set to play just one game in the 24-day span between April 17 and May 10, including a pair of idle weekends on either side of their April 30 home clash against DC United.
• Compare that to the following 17 days, wherein Chicago will play five matches, including three on a transcontinental road trip featuring games at Vancouver (May 11), New England (May 14) and the New York Red Bulls (May 18) -- an excursion that will see the Men In Red log more than 5,000 roundtrip miles in the air.
• After the May 28 home match vs. Portland Timbers FC, the Fire do not play in the league again until June 18, as Major League Soccer goes on hiatus during the historic Copa America Centenario.
But with plenty of time to dissect the uneven schedule ahead of the Copa break, we’ll keep the focus on the here-and-now and a chance for the Men In Red to spend a weekend observing the competition. Only the Fire and Portland Timbers are without a match on the weekend, leaving nine fixtures on the upcoming MLS docket. With no Friday night match on the schedule, below is a rundown of this week's MLS matches and some of the storylines surrounding each contest:
Saturday, April 23 (All times Central)
New York City FC at Philadelphia Union (3 p.m.): Despite a 2-1 loss at Seattle last week, Jim Curtin’s Philadelphia side weathered a challenging spell of early-season travel to stand second in the East. The Union now begin a three-match homestand against an NYCFC club that has not earned a full three points since opening day (March 6).
Toronto FC at Montreal Impact (3 p.m.): The only team in the East to have reached four wins, Montreal is riding high following the reintegration of Didier Drogba to the side. Toronto, meanwhile, will take solace from a short trip to Stade Saputo in the midst of a eight consecutive road matches to open 2016.
New England Revolution at DC United (4:30 p.m.): In the match that will garner the most attention for the Men In Red as they prepare to host DC United on April 30, both sides will try to improve upon the 0-0 draw they staged back on March 12 at Gillette Stadium. United’s array of MLS veterans -- including Fabian Espindola, Lamar Neagle and former Fire standouts Patrick Nyarko and Chris Rolfe -- have created the second-most shots per game in MLS (16.1) but have had less success converting their chances.
Houston Dynamo at Columbus Crew SC (6:30 p.m.): Still recovering from their 4-1 home defeat to the LA Galaxy, the last-place Dynamo (5 points) travel to Columbus where Crew SC broke their own slump last week as the reliable Ethan Finlay, Kei Kamara and Justin Meram tallied in a 3-2 win over NYCFC.
Seattle Sounders FC at Colorado Rapids (8 p.m.): Jordan Morris broke through for his first pro goal in a 2-1 win over Philadelphia, and Seattle’s recent tactical changes have begun to pay off for the likes of Clint Dempsey and Andreas Ivanschitz. They have a tough test awaiting them at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, however, where the Rapids (4-2-1, 13 points) and recently activated Jermaine Jones have been among the league’s surprise sides in the early going, with a perfect 3-0-0 home mark.
Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy (9:30 p.m.): RSL is another Western Conference club brimming with confidence, with only one goal conceded in its last three matches. Nick Rimando and his back line will be tested against LA and a suddenly in-form Gio Dos Santos.
FC Dallas at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9:30 p.m.): FC Dallas impressed in recent wins over Portland and Sporting KC, while the Whitecaps -- winless in their last three -- have yet to recapture the form they displayed for most of 2015. After being traded for one another in the offseason, Vancouver’s Blas Perez and FCD’s Mauro Rosales -- whose perfectly-struck free kick won last week’s match for FC Dallas -- face off with their former clubs.
Sunday, April 24 (All times Central)
Sporting KC at San Jose Earthquakes (2:30 p.m., ESPN): Sporting KC is coming off a pair of losses last week while the Quakes, benefiting once again from the timely scoring of the cagey Chris Wondolowski, will try to remain unbeaten at Avaya Stadium this season (3-0-1).
Orlando City SC at New York Red Bulls (6:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1): Orlando City attempts to overcome the disappointment of its wild home draw with New England, while the six-loss Red Bulls are happy to be back at home after dispiriting road defeats at San Jose and Colorado.
