MLS Week 10 Preview: Cascadia rivals clash and Toronto FC returns home
Week 10 of the 2016 MLS season gives the Philadelphia Union and the Chicago Fire a chance to recuperate and regroup with a bye week pass, but the remaining 18 teams in the league will square off in nine fixtures over the weekend.
Here are three key matchups to watch in Week 10:
Cascadia clash: Whitecaps vs. Timbers
The Vancouver Whitecaps host a rival at BC Place on Saturday with the Portland Timbers coming to town in this Cascadia Cup matchup.
The Whitecaps hold the lead in the tournament at the moment, having defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 earlier in the season. The 2015 MLS Cup-winning Timbers head into this match having already defeated another Canadian outfit last week with a 2-1 win over Toronto FC at Providence Park.
Matches between these two teams often end in lackluster fashion, though, with the two teams playing out to two draws last year and the Whitecaps taking the advantage with an early-season 2-1 win - here's hoping for a match worthy of its rivalry label.
Homecoming: Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas
After an eight game road trip, Toronto FC is finally heading home.
Facing off against the wounded FC Dallas, the Reds will unveil the new BMO Field to 30,000 supporters, new roof and all. Dallas, coming off a 4-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, will be hungry for a positive result. But all eyes will be on the renovated stadium first and foremost.
Toronto FC will be relieved to finally play in front of a friendly crowd but that's not to discredit Greg Vanney's road effort; the team recorded 11 points in eight away games, the best away haul in league history. Still, as they say ... there's no place like home.
Africa's finest: Columbus Crew vs. Montreal Impact
On Saturday, the Montreal Impact and the Columbus Crew go to battle with both teams relying on the goal-scoring heroics of their African striker aces.
Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba and Sierra Leone's Kei Kamara have made MLS their hunting grounds in recent years, and the two will attempt to outscore each other with three points on the line in the Eastern Conference clash.
Last week, Drogba scored a stunning free-kick strike against the Colorado Rapids, his second of the season, while Kamara has three goals in eight games, a decrease in his regular scoring rate. Expect both players to try and bolster their personal stat sheets against each other at MAPFRE Stadium.