Galaxy vs. Timbers should be intense and fun

Not that long ago the Timbers were far out of the playoff race and couldn't buy a win. The team has won its last two games and now sits just three points out of a playoff spot. Despite being in seventh place, a win over the third-place Galaxy could draw the two teams even on points (although the Galaxy has played three fewer games).

Both Portland and Los Angeles entered the season with high expectations, and for the opening months it seemed like both teams were going to fall short. The Galaxy are playing very well at the moment with three wins in its past four contests and last weekend’s 3-0 win over Seattle was its best showing of the season. With a resurgent Omar Gonzalez back in the fold, expect the Galaxy to continue on its current trajectory.

Love soccer but don't care about MLS? That's fine too. With Gonzalez, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Juninho, and the exciting starlet Gyasi Zardes all in the Galaxy squad, this team is almost always fun to watch. And Portland's Diego Valeri ain't so bad either.

This weekend will tell us a lot about Toronto

Toronto spent a ton of money in the off-season to acquire Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley, and for a team that has never made the playoffs, sitting in third place at the start of August isn’t bad. But there are signs of concern. The team hasn’t won in its last four contests and in the previous two games, it looked completely outclassed by the top two teams in the east—DC United and Kansas City.

Now Toronto will travel to Quebec to take on Canadian rivals Montreal on Saturday (5pm ET, MLS Live). Montreal is the worst team in the league and has lost five in a row. It’s a very winnable game for Toronto, and anything less than a convincing win will raise alarm bells about Ryan Nelsen's squad.

Revs, Red Bulls, and Reality Checks

With each team having played 21 games this season, New England and New York are neck and neck for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have been played well at times, and both have been awful. New England has a one-point edge over New York and is coming off a dominating 3-0 win over Colorado on Wednesday. Before that, however, the team was mired in a five-game losing streak after starting off the season well.

The big question: Who will show up for Saturday's clash (7pm ET, MLS Live) in Harrison, N.J.? When the talented, veteran-laden Red Bulls are playing well, watch out. But inconsistency is a real problem with this club: Last Saturday's wasteful 1-1 draw against San Jose and a brutal 3-1 loss to Philadelphia before that are all the evidence you need. The team looked better in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, but the Red Bulls needs to start closing out games and stop dropping points.

American Players Star in Eastern Conference

Sporting Kansas City continued its fine form and D.C. United's stunning reversal of fortune have the two clubs miles above everyone else in the Eastern Conference. With teams like NYCFC and others grabbing headlines for acquiring big foreign stars, D.C. United and Kansas City are succeeding thanks to a strong core of American players.

For the last several weeks, D.C. United has featured an all-American starting lineup. Kansas City, of course, is led by the national team duo of Matt Besler and Graham Zusi, while fellow Yanks Benny Feilhaber and Seth Sinovic see regular minutes. Even English forward Dom Dwyer has his eyes on U.S. citizenship.

Kansas City has a one-point lead over D.C. United heading into the weekend, but D.C. has a game in hand. Both teams are riding four-game winning streaks. On Friday, Kansas City hosts Philadelphia and D.C. visits Houston. The race for the Eastern Conference title should come down to these two teams, and all eyes will be on both clubs the rest of the way.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.