MLS Predictions: Teams Try to Catch Red-Hot Nashville and More Ahead of Matchday 22

After a busy 15-match midweek slate, Major League Soccer is back for Matchday 22 this weekend, bringing a 13-game Saturday schedule and a pair of Sunday games.

With Nashville SC leading the Supporters’ Shield race by seven points already, this weekend stands as a pivotal chance for teams to stay within reach, while others contend in increasingly feisty races for MLS Cup playoff spots.

Here, Sports Illustrated dives into how it might all unfold.

Charlotte FC vs. D.C. United

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Following a feisty 3–3 draw with Toronto FC midweek, Charlotte FC return home and will be favorites as they take on D.C. United at the Bank of America Stadium. While allowing eight goals in the last three games is far from ideal, they should find themselves with the home field advantage, even if D.C. United’s Tai Baribo has scored five in the last six games.

Score Prediction: Charlotte FC 2–1 D.C. United

FC Cincinnati vs. Seattle Sounders

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

The Seattle Sounders need something to break their way as they trudge through a record-long eight-game losing streak. Unfortunately for the exhausted Brian Schmetzer and his Rave Green group, that’s unlikely to come this weekend on the road against MLS MVP candidate Evander and a powerhouse FC Cincinnati squad. It’s one of the darkest periods the Sounders have ever had, especially when it comes to injuries—and another loss could put them more than two full games back of the MLS Cup playoff cutoff.

Score Prediction: FC Cincinnati 3–0 Seattle Sounders

Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Inter Miami have been poor lately, and Lionel Messi’s brilliance hasn't been able to smooth over the rest of the team’s faults as it has in the past. After a 2–2 draw with the Philadelphia Union, Miami will look to rekindle some form at home, where they will have to cool down the suddenly-hot Toronto FC, who will be without new star signing Niklas Dorsch due to a facial fracture. Neither team is particularly good defensively, but both have proven they can score over the last few weeks, potentially making this game a barnburner on Saturday night.

Score Prediction: Inter Miami 3–3 Toronto FC

CF Montréal vs. L.A. Galaxy

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Alexis Sánchez played 11 minutes and completed four passes in a relatively anonymous MLS and CF Montréal debut on Wednesday against the Columbus Crew; however, he could be in line for more significant minutes in his first home game as the the Quèbec side stands a chance of coming within a single point of the MLS Cup playoff spots, should they secure a win against the L.A. Galaxy and have some other results fall in their favor.

Score Prediction: CF Montréal 2–0 L.A. Galaxy

Red Bull New York vs. Chicago Fire

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Red Bull New York’s hot start to the season has evaporated. Sitting just one point above the playoff line, they are at risk of falling below should they be unable to find at least a single point against Robert Lewandowski’s Chicago Fire at Sports Illustrated Stadium this weekend.

One has to imagine Lewandowski could have some words for New York’s Julian Hall, who idolizes him. The 18-year-old star is eligible to represent both the USMNT and Poland and has previously been aggressively courted by Poland—a national team Lewandowski has yet to retire from.

Score Prediction: Red Bull New York 1–4 Chicago Fire

Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

Can we call it the Colin Guske derby? Fresh off a move from Orlando City to Real Salt Lake, the 19-year-old defensive midfielder is seeking more playing time and could make his debut for the Claret and Cobalt on the road against the team he just left. It’s a rare scenario, but it could offer an intriguing twist. At the same time, Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis hope to push Orlando back to winning ways after a 2–1 loss to Lewandowski’s Chicago on Wednesday.

Score Prediction: Orlando City 3–1 Real Salt Lake

Nashville SC vs. Columbus Crew

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

No team is close to matching Nashville SC’s excellence right now, as the Coyotes enjoy a two-game win streak, finding their Supporters’ Shield-leading form again after a pair of disheartening results against Orlando City and D.C. United. While Cristian Espinoza, Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar remain the focal points, the team has improved lately as well, with standout defensive play from center back Maxwell Woledzi and the return of Australian international Patrick Yazbek to a deep midfield. With their talent and form, they should have no trouble dominating the Columbus Crew.

Score Prediction: Nashville SC 3–1 Columbus Crew

St. Louis CITY SC vs. Houston Dynamo

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

Two of the hottest teams in the Western Conference are set to battle this weekend, as the Houston Dynamo bring their five-game win and clean-sheet streak to St. Louis. Meanwhile, the St. Louis CITY SC side is undefeated in their last 10, with seven of those games coming as victories. Expect a relatively defensive affair in this one, given Houston’s clean-sheet prowess as of late, but for both teams to ultimately settle for a point, which could be good enough for the Dynamo to stay atop the Western Conference, depending on other results.

Score Prediction: St. Louis CITY SC 1–1 Houston Dynamo

Austin FC vs. Philadelphia Union

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

Austin FC and the Philadelphia Union share a storied history. Still, both teams find themselves in similar positions, looking to stay in the mix for the playoffs despite being at the wrong end of the table. The Union, though, have the form advantage with four wins in their last five, with the other result being Wednesday’s dramatic draw with Inter Miami. They will have Cavan Sullivan to lean on as well, after MLS rescinded the 16-year-old phenom's red card offense against Inter Miami, making him eligible for the matchup.

Score Prediction: Austin FC 1–1 Philadelphia Union

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

The Vancouver Whitecaps surrendered the top spot in the Western Conference on Wednesday with a 1–0 loss at home against the Houston Dynamo, skirting any positivity that came from claiming the Cascadia Cup with a 2–0 win over the Seattle Sounders last weekend. Despite ample chance-creating, it’s become clear that Oliver Larraz’s improved form has not been enough to cushion the loss of Sebastian Berhalter in their midfield. It’s going to be tough for Thomas Müller’s side to turn things around against the red-hot Petar Musa and FC Dallas, but not an impossible task in front of likely more than 24,000 at BC Place.

Score Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps 2–2 FC Dallas

LAFC vs. Portland Timbers

LAFC needs to find form, quickly. Despite leaning on the talents of Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, the Black and Gold are now winless in three games, have scored just once in that spell and are now on a two-game losing skid. Manager Marc Dos Santos has abandoned an attack-focused approach in favor of absorbing pressure and counter-attacking, and it hasn’t quite worked. Taking on the Portland Timbers in Martí Cifuentes’s third game in charge won’t be easy, but a win is much-needed to calm a growing frustration among LAFC supporters.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

San Diego FC vs. Colorado Rapids

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

San Diego FC might be a far cry from their 2025 form, but last week’s 1–0 win against LAFC and a solid away performance, despite the 3–1 loss to the Portland Timbers on Wednesday, have given the team some hope. Returning home to Snapdragon Stadium this weekend, they’ll need to be at their best to snap the Colorado Rapids’ three-game win streak, but they could be further motivated by the intense Western Conference fight to remain in the playoff race. With a loss, San Diego could fall as many as seven points back of the playoff spots, while a win could bring them into the Wild Card places.

Score Prediction: San Diego FC 1–0 Colorado Rapids

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT

With one win in the last 10 games, and three losses in a row, the San Jose Earthquakes’ positive start to the season has completely evaporated. At this point, it looks like contending for the top spot in the Western Conference may be out of reach, and the focus turns to simply maintaining a playoff spot. Can Timo Werner rekindle the form he showed a couple of weeks ago with a goal and assist vs. Cincinnati? He’ll need to, as the Earthquakes hope to avoid potentially falling as far as sixth place in the West.

Score Prediction: San Jose Earthquakes 0–0 Minnesota United

New England Revolution vs. New York City FC

Date: Sunday, Aug 23

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT

The New England Revolution are flying with confidence right now after Alhassan Yusuf scored a hat-trick to lead them to a 3–0 beatdown against D.C. United, returning them to form after a disheartening loss to Toronto FC last weekend. Playing in front of the Gillette Stadium crowd this week, they’re hoping to take advantage of an out-of-form New York City FC, who are riding a three-game winless run in MLS play and coming into the away fixture on the back of losses against the Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati.

Score Prediction: New England Revolution 2–2 New York City FC

Atlanta United vs. Sporting Kansas City

Date: Sunday, Aug 23

Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

Is Tristan Muyumba a Golden Boot contender? No, not really—but if he continues his trend of scoring in each of the last three games, he could get up to 18 goals. That’s unlikely to happen, but his recent form has lifted spirits for Atlanta United, and they should be able to secure another three points against a historically-poor Sporting Kansas City this weekend. There’s good news for both teams though, as Swiss World Cup star Breel Embolo looks set to join the Five Stripes, and Sporting Kansas City celebrates the signing of André Luiz.

Score Prediction: Atlanta United 2–0 Sporting Kansas City

MLS Predictions: Matchday 22