Sporting Kansas City fans don't have to wait long for their favorite MLS club to return to the pitch.
Riding a six-game unbeaten streak, the Western Conference leaders are back at Children's Mercy Park on Friday to host Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the contest are available via SeatGeek.com, and the first 10,000 supporters through the stadium gates will receive a Tim Melia bobblehead courtesy of match sponsor Mark One Electric.
Better yet for the MLS diehards, Friday marks just the beginning of a packed Week 8 slate in which 22 of 23 clubs take the field. Three of the 11 fixtures will be available to national audiences, as detailed below.
New York Red Bulls vs. Chicago Fire | 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Twitter & Univision
New York (3-2-0, 9 points) showed no signs of a Concacaf Champions League hangover last Saturday, brushing aside the Montreal Impact by a 3-1 scoreline. Head coach Jesse Marsch's men have been a buzz saw in the friendly confines of Red Bull Arena, where they are a perfect 3-0-0 with 10 goals scored and just one conceded. Chicago (1-3-1, 4 points) has yet to find the rhythm that characterized a strong 2017 campaign, as Veljk Paunovic's side has just one win to show from its first five games despite four of them being played at home.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Minnesota United FC | 3 p.m. CT Sunday, ESPN
The Sounders (0-3-1, 1 point) scored their first goals and collected their first point of 2018 on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park, battling Sporting KC to an exciting 2-2 draw without the suspended Clint Dempsey and Kevin Leerdam. Both are set to return on Sunday as Seattle seeks its first victory against Minnesota United FC (2-4-0, 6 points). The Loons, meanwhile, have shown no signs of shoring up a leeky defense that conceded 70 goals throughout their inaugural 2017 campaign. Minnesota has allowed 12 goals through six games this season and brings a three-match losing skid to CenturyLink Field.
Portland Timbers vs. New York City FC | 5 p.m. CT Sunday, FS1
In one of the most compelling matchups of the weekend, the slow-starting Portland Timbers (1-3-2, 5 points) welcome arguably the league's best team. New York City FC (5-0-2, 17 points) holds an early lead in the Supporters' Shield standings and appears every bit an MLS Cup contender, having outscored opponents 16-6 with an impressive 2-0-2 record away from home. Eight different players have scored for the Sky Blues, the most in MLS, with Maximiliano Moralez and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi leading the way on four goals apiece. And that's not to mention the undeniable impact of superstar David Villa (two goals, two assists) or 20-year-old Jesus Medina (one goal, five assists).
