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MLS Week 6 preview: Crew, D.C. look to reverse slump, MLS cup champs square off

Reuters

The latest international break is now behind us, teams across Major League Soccer return to their regularly scheduled programming this week with a full slate of matches over the weekend.

Here are three key matchups ahead of Week 6:

Battle of the Champions

On Sunday night, the 2015 MLS Cup-winning Portland Timbers head south to sunny California to take on five-time champions LA Galaxy at StubHub Center, and this battle could not come at a better time for either team.

Home seems to be the only place Bruce Arena's side can actually manage to pluck a win, but the Galaxy will be without Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard, who are both sidelined by injury. Meanwhile, the visiting Timbers come off a poor start to the season looking to turn around their fortunes. Both teams are hungry for three points.

As with any contest between two heavyweight champions, this match is sure to end in thrilling fashion (or in a lackluster draw).

The D.C. slump

To put it simply, D.C. United has started the season in dire straits.

The club has yet to win a match in five games, dropping two and drawing three while scoring just three goals. Though its back four remains unchanged, Ben Olsen's side has inexplicably conceded nine goals already, an alarming number that's good for joint-worst in the league.

Can D.C. United turn it around against the Vancouver Whitecaps at RFK Stadium on Saturday? Unfortunately, Luciano Acosta, the team's new centerpiece, needs more time to acclimatize to MLS.

Perhaps he'll find his feet against the Whitecaps without the defensively sound Matias Laba in the middle to cut his play short, as the Argentine picked up a red card last week and is suspended for this match.

Speaking of slumping sides in the Eastern Conference ...

Et vous, Crew?

Has anyone seen the real Columbus Crew? Sitting dead last in the standings, this 2016 version looks nothing like the team that powered its way to the MLS Cup final just one year ago.

The Montreal Impact host the Columbus Crew on Saturday, and both teams face uncertainty with the availability of their strikers. Kei Kamara did not participate in training early this week, but Crew boss Gregg Berhalter expects his goal poacher will recover from a knock in time for the match.

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba remains sidelined due to a fear of playing on artificial surfaces, something that Crew captain Michael Parkhurst finds amusing.

"That's a pretty good gig he’s got going on," Parkhurst said, according to the Columbus Dispatch, of Drogba's no-turf playing policy. "But he’s earned it, for sure."

Something tells us Parkhurst and co. don't mind Drogba's absence one bit, but Berhalter isn't quite sure if Drogba will be completely unavailable, and reckons he might be in for an appearance in the second half.

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