MLS Week 12 Preview: Bitter foes battle it out in Rivalry Week

Week 12 of the 2016 MLS season is a special round of action, dubbed by the league as "Rivalry Week" for its full slate of derby fixtures, including yet another Cascadia Cup clash between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers, as well as an Atlantic battle between the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United.

Here are the three rivalry matchups most worth watching in Week 12:

Hudson River Derby: NYCFC vs. Red Bulls

This fledgling rivalry is sure to heat up in 2016 as the two teams endure vastly different seasons, both in comparison to one another and to last year. The Red Bulls, so mighty in 2015, aren't quite as dominant this year, while Patrick Vieira's NYCFC side picked up points in its last five matches.

As such, the Pigeons sit atop the Eastern Conference standings while the Red Bulls are fifth, making for an exciting match at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. While this rivalry doesn't have quite as much history as some of the others in MLS, this sort of fluctuation of power in the Big Apple is exactly what the league wanted when it granted the area a second team.

David Villa and Andrea Pirlo are both well rested after neither started midweek in a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC, while the Red Bulls picked up a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, making this derby a must-see match.

Trillium Cup: Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew

Speaking of Toronto FC, the Reds look to bounce back from a lackluster result against the difficult-to-beat NYCFC with a thorough win over longtime rivals Columbus Crew, who come to BMO Field particularly wounded by the loss of star man Kei Kamara.

Kamara was traded to the New England Revolution for speaking out against teammate Federico Higuain, and Greg Vanney hopes his team can capitalize on the Crew's off-field drama with a positive result. The Reds certainly need it, since the loss of Jozy Altidore to a hamstring injury has Toronto scrambling to find another new strategy.

The Trillium Cup is a hotly contested rivalry between two teams whose fans don't particularly care for one another, so expect a tough, scrappy game Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.

California Clasico: LA Galaxy vs. San Jose

We'll round things off in sunny California where the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes are back at it again in another California Clasico fixture.

The two enemies clashed earlier in the season at the StubHub Center, with Bruce Arena's side picking up a comprehensive 3-1 win in March. The Quakes travel back to Los Angeles for the second of three contests, hoping for a better result this time around.

It won't be easy, though. The LA Galaxy have proven themselves a mighty foe this season and while they've stumbled slightly on the road, the star-studded side remains a ferocious opponent at home. A win here would see the Quakes leapfrog their West Coast competitors in the standings.