This is the kind of weekend Major League Soccer has been waiting a long time for.
On Saturday on the East Coast, star-studded teams from Los Angeles and New York will square off at Yankee Stadium in a truly high-profile clash. On Sunday on the West Coast, MLS will feature its best rivalry, Seattle versus Portland, in a match that will be played in front of a packed crowd at CenturyLink Field.
Even if those were the only matches on the menu, MLS Week 24 would still be pretty good, but there is much more to offer. You have long-time Eastern Conference rivals New York Red Bulls and D.C. United colliding, you have West contenders FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake doing battle, and you also have Kei Kamara taking on the team that traded him away as New England plays host to Columbus.
You name it, and this weekend has it in MLS.
Here is a closer look at what to watch for in MLS Week 24:
IT'S A BIG WEEKEND FOR ... CASCADIA RIVALS
The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers have played plenty of important and memorable matches through the lengthy history of their rivalry, and Sunday's clash will be a worthy addition to the collection. The Sounders have been on a roll since the arrival of Nicolas Lodeiro, and their once dying playoff chances have been revived.
The Timbers head to Seattle with a tenuous hold on sixth place in the West. They are only a point ahead of San Jose, and now just five points clear of Seattle heading into Sunday. A loss could leave the defending champions on perilous ground, and would mean four losses in five matches as they head toward a difficult stretch run that also includes CONCACAF Champions League.
Lodeiro's arrival makes the Sounders so much tougher to defend, and the Timbers aren't exactly equipped to deal with him either. Lodeiro operates from the right wing, where new signing Vytas Andriuskevicius could be called on to try and slow him down. Andriuskevicius didn't fare too well against D.C. United last week, which could force Porter to consider another option, such as sliding Liam Ridgwell to left back and starting newly-acquired defender Steven Taylor.
The Timbers will also need to decide on whether to go with their traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, or the 4-4-2 we have seen from them in recent weeks. Porter has gone to the 4-4-2 to suit his available personnel lately, but from a matchup standpoint, it is a good bet the Timbers deploy a five-man midfield to cope with Seatlte's midfield.
DON'T MISS ... NYCFC vs. LA GALAXY
The most star-studded match Major League Soccer can produce will take place for the only time this season on Saturday at Yankee Stadium as the LA Galaxy pay their first visit to New York City to meet NYCFC.
On one side you have Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos. On the other, you have David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard. Plenty of big names to fill the billboard, but this match is about much more than just big names. It is a meeting of two top teams, and two potential MLS Cup contenders.
NYCFC has maintained its hold on top of the Eastern Conference, but with the Red Bulls and Toronto FC in hot pursuit, anything but a win on Saturday could leave Patrick Vieira's side vulnerable. The club's struggles to win at home are a fading memory, as NYCFC has won three straight at Yankee Stadium, all against playoff-caliber opponents. Vieira has put together a midfield that is playing extremely well in the narrow field at Yankee Stadium, and that improved play could make things difficult for a Galaxy side used to playing on the much larger playing field at StubHub Center.
The Galaxy are a bit of an enigma in that they enter riding a nine-match unbeaten streak in league play, but have not played their best during that stretch. What they have done is found ways to win tough games, which should come in handy against an NYCFC team that has its vulnerabilities, particularly in defense. Keane and Gyasi Zardes will need keep pressure on the NYCFC backline while Gerrard and Dos Santos try and create against the NYC central midfield triangle of Lampard, Pirlo and Andoni Iraola.
There are good matchups throughout, but it could be some of the lesser-known names who play the biggest role. The NYCFC winger tandem of Tommy McNamara and Jack Harrison have been key to the team's recent turnaround at home, and they will find tough matchups this week against Ashley Cole and A.J. De La Garza.
SAY HELLO TO ... REUNIONS
Yes, Kei Kamara has already faced off against his former club, the Colombus Crew, since being dealt to New England in the season's most shocking trade, but that won't make their next meeting any less intense. Sure, on some level Kamara must be feeling satisfaction at the fact the Crew haven't been the same since he left, but that won't be as satisfying as some goals, and a win against his former employer on Saturday.
Columbus is mired in a nightmare season, having last won a league match on May 28. The Crew's current 10-match winless slide have made memories of last winter's run to the MLS Cup final a distant memory, and a loss to Kamara and the Revs could put a serious dent in their already faint playoff chances.
Kamara's latest meeting with the Crew is just one of a handful of reunions around the league. Lloyd Sam will have a chance to face the New York Red Bulls for the first time since being traded to D.C. United when the East rivals meet at RFK Stadium. The English midfielder was in the midst of an inconsistent season when he was sent packing, and Saturday he will have a chance to exact a measure of revenge, while also helping D.C. keep hold of the playoff position it currently has.
Former Houston Dynamo coach Dom Kinnear will see his former club this weekend when his San Jose Earthquakes take on the Dynamo on Friday night. The Earthquakes are pushing hard for a top six spot in the West, and will be favored at home against a Dynamo side that is in last place and riding a six-match winless slide.
In Philadelphia, Alejandro Bedoya's home debut for the Union at Talen Energy Stadium will also see him face off against long-time U.S. national team teammate Michael Bradley in what should be one of the better battles of the weekend.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
It will be a weekend for renewed acquaintences, as former teammates face off, and long-time rivals do battle in a loaded Week 24. Here are the weekend's best individual matchups to watch:
1. Steven Gerrard vs. Frank Lampard. The English legends square off for the first time on this side of the pond in the cozy confines of Yankee Stadium.
2. Diego Valeri vs. Osvaldo Alonso. As much as Seattle's attack has been bolstered by Nicolas Lodeiro, the Sounders will need Alonso to keep Valeri under wraps if they are going to secure the Cascadia victory.
3. Michael Bradley vs. Alejandro Bedoya. U.S. teammates Bradley and Bedoya will see plenty of each other at Talen Energy Stadium in a battle that should help determine the winner.
4. Bradley Wright-Phillips vs. Steve Birnbaum. Both men have been scoring goals of late, but it will be Birnbaum who needs to stop Wright-Phillips if D.C. is going to continue its recent turnaround.
5. David Villa vs. Jelle van Damme. The league's best striker at the moment against arguably the best center back at the moment.
6. Dom Dwyer vs. Kendall Waston. Dwyer has been on fire lately, and he could keep it going unless Waston steps up his recent form.
7. Kei Kamara vs. Michael Parkhurst. You just know Kamara is eager to send a message to his former team, and Parkhurst could wind up being the receiver of some major punishment if he doesn't play well.
8. Cyle Larin vs. Axel Sjoberg. This should be a physical battle, but the Rapids will need to help Sjoberg deal with Larin's acceleration if Colorado is going to shut down Orlando City's attack.
9. Mauro Diaz vs. Kyle Beckerman. RSL needs Diaz contained if a road win is going to happen in Frisco, and Beckerman is just the man for the job.
10. Sacha Kljestan vs. Marcelo Sarvas. Kljestan is arguably the league's best attacking midfielder right now, but Sarvas is tenacious enough to make things tough for him.
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