If it isn't soccer heaven, it has to be somewhere close.
This weekend serves up a sensational slate of action for Sporting Kansas City fans and followers of the beautiful game. At the forefront, Manager Peter Vermes' men (9-2-5, 32 points) will put their nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions on the line when they travel north of the border to face the Montreal Impact (6-11-0, 18 points) at 6 p.m. CT Saturday. FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest will air three hours of live coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. FOX and FS1 will collectively broadcast four FIFA World Cup Round of 16 matches across Saturday and Sunday — two each day at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. CT, respectively — while an additional four MLS contests will air nationally. We take a look at those games in the space below.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers| 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday, FOX
The two-time defending Western Conference champion Sounders (3-8-3, 12 points) have hit desperation mode. Seattle is 11 points below the playoff line with just 11 goals scored this season, nine fewer than any other team. Meawhile, the Timbers (6-3-5, 23 points) are unbeaten in nine straight league matches and have multiple games in hand on their conference counterpart. The Cascadia showdown will air on FOX immediately after the World Cup battle between Uruguay and Portugal.
Atlanta United FC vs. Orlando City SC| 6 p.m. CT Saturday, ESPN
The Orlando City soap opera has hit rocky bottoms in recent weeks, as a six-game losing streak prompted the firing of head coach Jason Kreis. The Lions (6-9-1, 19 points) saw their losing skid hit seven games in a 2-0 home defeat to Montreal last weekend, and the chances of that drought hitting eight matches are strong. Why? Because Supporters' Shield leaders Atlanta United FC (10-3-4, 34 points) are welcoming Orlando to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy| 9 p.m. CT Saturday, Twitter & UniMas
The newest installment of California Clasico features a pair of teams hungry for points. San Jose (2-9-5, 11 points) has defeated just one team this season, with both of their wins coming against Minnesota United FC. The struggling Quakes will host an LA Galaxy outfit (6-7-2, 20 points) that has yet to click on all cylinders in 2018 despite the high-profile addition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls| 3:30 p.m. CT Sunday, FOX
The reigning treble winners have found life much more difficult in 2018. Toronto FC (4-8-3, 15 points) occupy 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings and will need to turn the tide soon in order to salvage their campaign. On the opposite sideline, the New York Red Bulls (9-4-2, 29 points) boast the best goal differential in the league and have the looks of an MLS Cup contender on their day.
