FRIDAY

Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers
10:00 p.m. (all times Eastern)
NBC Sports Network
For the third time in August, Portland and Real Salt Lake will do battle. RSL followed a 2-1 victory in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup with a thrilling 3-3 draw in Week 26. Now, the Claret and Cobalt host the latest chapter of this battle between Western Conference elites. Look for national team veterans Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman to lead the charge for RSL Friday night.

SATURDAY

Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland
12:30 p.m.
NBC
Jozy Altidore opened his Sunderland account in the second round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. It may have been against MK Dons, but don’t let the quality of opponent devalue the achievement. One goal is all it takes to build a striker’s confidence. Flash back to Altidore’s goal in a meaningless friendly against Germany if you need proof. Now, the 23-year-old striker looks to build on that tally with a visit to Crystal Palace.

Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Leverkusen
12:30 p.m.
GolTV
Schalke punched another ticket to the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. A 4-3 win on aggregate over PAOK Salonika returned the club to European competition. The Miners were drawn into group play with Chelsea, FC Basel, and Romanian outfit Steaua. But before Jermaine Jones and company can turn their attention to Europe, they must first handle business in the Bundesliga. It starts with a match against Bayern Leverkusen.

Portland Thorns vs. Western New York Flash
8:00 p.m.
Fox Sports 2
Alex Morgan. Abby Wambach. The first-ever NWSL championship. Did you need another reason to tune in Saturday night? We didn’t think so.

SUNDAY

Roma vs. Hellas Verona
12:00 p.m.
beIN Sport
Michael Bradley went the full 90 minutes in Roma’s 2-0 victory over Livorno last Sunday. The American put together another stellar performance, completing 94.7 percent of his passes in the process. Look for Bradley to continue building on that consistent form in Roma’s home opener against Hellas Verona on Sunday.

BEST OF THE REST

Premier League: Cardiff City vs. Everton (10:00 a.m., Saturday, NBC Sports Network)—Tim Howard is still in search of his first victory this season. Will it finally come in Cardiff this Saturday? We’ll be watching to find out.

MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes (10:30 p.m., Saturday, MLS Live)—The California Clasico. Stanford magic reigned supreme the last time these two clubs met in Week 18. Look for the Galaxy to return the favor at the StubHub Center in Week 27.

NO U.S. ANGLE BUT...

UEFA Super Cup: Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (2:45 p.m., Friday, Fox Sports 2)—Jose Mourinho vs. Pep Guardiola. Round two. Fight.

Premier League: Arsenal vs. Tottenham (11:00 a.m., Sunday, NBC Sports Network)—It’s the North London Derby. Enough said.

So what are you watching this weekend? Let us know in comments section below.

Eduardo Mendez is a Brooklyn-based writer and an ASN contributor.