What to watch for Wednesday: 11 games unfold across action-packed night

Twelve games are coming to MLS airwaves Wednesday, as everyone but Minnesota United, Nashville SC, LAFC and Colorado will play from 7 pm ET through early Thursday morning. 

As you settle in for the full slate or even just one game, here’s a rundown of what to expect:

New York City FC vs. D.C. United

8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

Anton Tinnerholm has a serious argument for being NYCFC’s best player in 2020, as the Swedish right back’s now up to four goals on the year. That’s helped Ronny Deila’s team win back-to-back games, and now they return to Yankee Stadium looking strong favorites to make it three in a row. D.C. United have lost three straight and are winless in six matches. Head coach Ben Olsen called them “fragile” and “not very good” last weekend, which about sums it up.

Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas

8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

The Texas Derby returns for the third time in six-and-a-half weeks, continuing a rivalry that's tilted in FCD’s favor this season (1-0-1 against Houston). But the matchup will have a new complexion now that Alberth Elis and Reggie Cannon have both been transferred to Portuguese side Boavista FC. Homegrown right back Bryan Reynolds has ably stepped into the latter’s spot in the Dallas backline, while it sounds like it’ll be several weeks before Houston's new signing Mateo Bajamich is ready to take to the field.

Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire FC

8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

Sporting and Chicago are both in form, so this should be a quality matchup at Children's Mercy Park. Focus will be on the star No. 9s after a weekend in which Alan Pulido marked his return to the starting lineup with his first MLS brace (though he'll join Mexico on international duty) and Robert Beric scored in a fifth straight game for the Fire. If you’re looking for a Homegrown angle, you could do worse than watching Gianluca Busio and Djordje Mihailovic do battle in midfield.

Colorado Rapids vs. LAFC

Postponed

The Colorado-LAFC match was postponed following a positive COVID-19 test among Colorado's staff.

Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake

10:00 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

Seattle can make it five wins in six and extend their lead atop the Western Conference standings. But the big question is how they'll look without striker Raul Ruidiaz, who has a team-leading nine goals and is slated to join Peru’s national team for South American qualifying. But with Nicolas Lodeiro and Jordan Morris still around, there's unlikely to be too much of a dropoff. RSL, meanwhile, have one win in their last five games. They’ll be underdogs when heading into CenturyLink Field.

LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers

10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada (Local TV)

The Galaxy will be hoping that some home cooking snaps their four-game losing streak. They’ll need to get Cristian Pavon back to his scoring ways after five games without a goal since he scored five in six games in late July and early August. But Portland are well-rested and haven’t played since Sept. 27, so the MLS is Back Tournament winners represent a staunch challenge. The Timbers have won three straight, too, and boast an arsenal of final-third weapons.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN 1/4/5 in Canada (Local TV)

San Jose and Vancouver are both below the playoff line out West, though this game could prove explosive. Don't believe me? Just cast your mind back to the teams' unforgettable meeting at the MLS is Back Tournament when the Quakes came back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 with a goal eight minutes into injury time. It hasn't been plain sailing for San Jose since they left Orlando but after an eight-game winless streak, they've won two straight by knocking off both LA teams. The Whitecaps also aren’t too far removed from winning three of four so there's reason for optimism for both clubs going into the Wednesday nightcap.