Saturday's MLS predictions including Minnesota United vs. Portland Timbers

Atlanta vs. Columbus Crew (Saturday, 8.30pm)

Atlanta United will go for their first victory under interim manager Rob Valentino when they host the Columbus Crew on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Five Stripes earned their second successive point away from home in a 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati, while Columbus drew 0-0 at home to Nashville SC.

We say: Atlanta United 0-1 Columbus Crew

Fixing everything that is broken in the Atlanta camp will take some doing, and even though they earned a point on Wednesday, they still look lost in the final third.

The Crew are starting to get some key players back into the fold, and they have improved their play away from home with points in three of their last four games.

Chicago Fire vs. Toronto (Sunday, 1.00am)

Two teams near the bottom of the Eastern Conference face off on Saturday from Soldier Field as the Chicago Fire play host to Toronto.

The Fire let a two-goal lead slip away in their previous match, drawing 2-2 with DC United, while the Reds are unbeaten in their last three games after a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls.

We say: Chicago Fire 1-1 Toronto

Chicago seem to have found a way to put the ball in the back of the net with 12 goals over their previous five games, but they have failed to put a game out of reach when given the opportunity.

Toronto appear to have a lot more structure to their game since Perez took over, but they continue to look unsettled at the back, conceding at least a goal in every one of their regular-season games thus far.

Minnesota Utd vs. Portland (Sunday, 1.00am)

Seeking to build on victory over the formerly unbeaten MLS Western Conference leaders last weekend, Minnesota United welcome close rivals Portland Timbers to Allianz Field on Saturday.

While the Loons deservedly ended Seattle's league record 13-game streak last time out, Portland posted a second successive win to stay one point clear of this week's opponents in the standings.

We say: Minnesota United 1-1 Portland Timbers

As indicated by their one-goal encounter last month, these sides do not tend to give much away and are evenly-matched in many aspects.

Therefore, a low-scoring draw is on the cards - with only a few moments of magic breaking the deadlock - as both teams stay in the hunt for the playoff places.

Dallas vs. LA Galaxy (Sunday, 1.30am)

Supporters' Shield contenders Los Angeles Galaxy visit rock-bottom Dallas on Saturday, having suffered an off-colour month so far.

July has not been kind to Greg Vanney's side, as they have picked up only four points from as many Western Conference games, while their struggling hosts have won just once since May.

We say: Dallas 1-2 Los Angeles Galaxy

Despite being without some key men and having faltered a little of late, LA Galaxy can still end the hosts' admirable record in Texas due to their individual quality in important areas.

Dallas are often predictable in the final third and have not hit the opposition's net since the last time these two teams met - they can also be vulnerable to conceding later on when things have not gone their way - so are set to stay bottom for a while yet.

Nashville vs. Cincinnati (Sunday, 1.30am)

Seeking to end a run of four league games without a victory, FC Cincinnati make the journey to the Nissan Stadium on Sunday for their clash against Nashville SC.

Meanwhile, Nashville are aiming to preserve their unbeaten home record which has seen them amass more points on home turf than any other side in the division.

We say: Nashville SC 2-0 FC Cincinnati

Nashville have been a major force to reckon with this season, especially in home matches. While the away side have been relatively decent on their travels, we are tipping the hosts to claim a relatively comfortable win at the sound of the final whistle.

Salt Lake vs. Colorado (Sunday, 3.00am)

An out-of-form Real Salt Lake side welcome Colorado Rapids to the Rio Tinto Stadium on Sunday looking to move back into the playoff places.

On the other hand, the away side set out to strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the standings and could move into second place with all three points in this one.

We say: Real Salt Lake 2-1 Colorado Rapids

The visitors are the more in-form side coming into this one, but the home side have a significant historical advantage. We expect a close and end-to-end affair with Real Salt Lake just edging it by a narrow margin in the end.

Earthquakes vs. Houston (Sunday, 3.00am)

San Jose Earthquakes take on Houston Dynamo in the MLS Western Conference on Saturday, with both sides needing to win to keep themselves within touching distance of the playoff positions.

The Earthquakes are currently five points adrift of Minnesota United in seventh position, while Houston are three points ahead of their forthcoming opponents and therefore able to move into the playoff places with a victory.

We say: San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Houston Dynamo

The Earthquakes have drawn four of their last six, with five of Houston's last six matches ending as stalemates, too, so it is hard to envisage anything other than a share of the spoils on Saturday.

Both sides' confidence are low, with their winless runs combining for a total of 16 games, and we believe that could continue beyond the weekend.

Los Angeles vs. Vancouver (Sunday, 3.30am)

Los Angeles FC take on Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference of the MLS on Saturday, with the visitors needing a positive result to avoid being cut adrift towards the bottom of the table.

The hosts, meanwhile, saw their three-match winning run come to an end at the expense of Portland Timbers in midweek, but still retain a healthy cushion inside the playoff positions.

We say: Los Angeles FC 2-0 Vancouver Whitecaps

We cannot see beyond a comfortable home victory between these two sides on Saturday.

Bradley's outfit have far more attacking quality than their forthcoming opponents, whose record of one win in their last 10 matches suggests they could be in for a long, hard campaign ahead.