What to watch for Saturday: Atlanta-Orlando rivalry returns, Sporting get another shot at Houston

MLS games truly rev up Sunday (eight await!), but first a Labor Day weekend quartet whets the appetite on Saturday evening. Here's your quick rundown of what to expect.  

Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City

8:00 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

Somewhat quietly, the Houston Dynamo have surged after the MLS is Back Tournament. They’ve recorded back-to-back wins and tallied a combined eight goals during that stretch, including three from Darwin Quintero and two from on-loan forward Ariel Lassiter. First-year head coach Tab Ramos has done an admirable job so far, and now they’ll look to make it five unbeaten.

But a rematch against a Western Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City awaits, with Houston beating them 5-2 on the road back on Aug. 25. That gives Houston a blueprint for unlocking the SKC defense, and Peter Vermes’ group will be searching for their first win in four matches. On a positive note, the Gianluca Busio experiment at defensive midfielder is proving fruitful. 

Orlando City SC vs. Atlanta United

8:00 pm ET | FOX, FOX Deportes; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

The Southeast rivalry returns. Orlando made some history last weekend, beating Atlanta 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their first-ever win against the Five Stripes. The scales still tip in Atlanta’s favor – they hold a 7W-1L-2D advantage across all competitions – but the Lions have established some respectability in this matchup.

While Orlando are trending up with head coach Oscar Pareja, the Five Stripes continue their rollercoaster-like season. Club president Darren Eales confirmed that a deal’s been reached (in principle) to send star midfielder Pity Martinez to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr FC $18 million. The squad turnover from 2019 rolls on, so it's up to interim head coach Stephen Glass to make the most of who's available.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC

9:30 pm ET | TSN1; MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US (Local TV)

Will some home cooking benefit Vancouver? The Whitecaps are back at BC Place for the first time since Feb. 29, and they’ll need a statement result after taking three straight losses on the chin. The goals aren’t coming for DP forward Lucas Cavallini, but he’s confident a spark will arrive soon. The project before head coach Marc Dos Santos certainly isn't easy, that's for sure.

Toronto are similarly looking to land back into the win column, hastily putting an Alejandro Pozuelo-Pablo Piatti botched penalty kick in the rearview mirror. They could finish this weekend first in the Eastern Conference standings, and will enter as favorites after twice beating Vancouver (by a combined 4-0 scoreline) in recent weeks. 

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids

10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

At the MLS is Back Tournament, San Jose were flying behind dynamic wing play (read: Cristian Espinoza, Vako) and all-time goals leader Chris Wondolowski kept on smashing ‘em home. But they’ve fallen off ever since, allowing a combined eight goals in consecutive losses against the LA Galaxy and LAFC. Not ideal!

There’s a similar tune from Colorado Rapids base camp as they trek into Earthquakes Stadium. For a team that started 2020 with two straight victories, they haven’t won since March 7 (disclaimer: this includes the four-month stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Head coach Robin Fraser said confidence will be key to their success, so we’ll see which slumping club wins out.