The Philadelphia Union will look for a desperately needed win Saturday night when they host a Columbus Crew side that is also suddenly struggling again heading into the World Cup break.

The Union (1-9-3, 6 points) remain mired in one of the worst reversals in form for a reigning Supporters’ Shield winner in MLS history. They still haven’t earned a home league victory in 2026 and are now winless in their last six (0-3-3) league matches after consecutive away losses last Saturday and Wednesday.

And this Saturday is likely their best chance to earn three points anywhere before the league takes off from late May to late July for the World Cup, since their final game before the break comes May 24 at Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.

If there was a bright spot in Philadelphia’s 4-3 loss at Orlando on Wednesday, it was Cavan Sullivan, the highly touted 16-year-old who entered in the 44th minute for the injured Jovan Lukic, scored once and helped the Union climb out of a 2-0 hole before conceding a 90th-minute winner.

“Cavan comes on and makes a real chaotic environment against a fatigued back line,” Philly manager Bradley Carnell said. “And we have two chances to score 4-3 in our favor. So you would say that gameplan worked out, getting him on the field when we did. Just unfortunate we couldn’t bring anything home last night.”

The Union host a Crew side that has dropped three straight following their 3-2 loss at the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.

Columbus (3-7-3, 12 points) has arguably enjoyed the better chances in all three matches and averaged 62% of the possession across those contests despite being outscored 9-4.

“I think overall almost every game we have played so far this season, we are more often in our opponents’ penalty box, but still, they can hurt us,” manager Henryk Rydstrom said. “We will soon probably win two games in a row without deserving it, and then I will be happy and irritated at the same time.”

Diego Rossi scored his team lead-tying fifth goal in Wednesday’s loss and United States World Cup hopeful Max Arfsten added his fourth.

–Field Level Media

Charlotte FC will aim to end its five-game league winless streak with a home victory against a similarly embattled Toronto FC squad on Saturday evening.

Charlotte (4-6-3, 15 points) has gone nearly a month since its last win against New York City FC on April 18. Improving its stalling offense is a requirement to stop its freefall down the standings.

Charlotte’s home struggles against NYCFC last Saturday embodied their offensive struggles. The team managed only two shots on target, taking a 1-0 loss despite allowing just one shot on goal.

“In the (last) two home games that we’ve had, I would like us to be a lot more forceful in the final third. That’s probably been the biggest gripe of mine with the players,” Charlotte manager Dean Smith said. ” … We didn’t get a lot of players forward in a lot of the play on Wednesday night, and that’s something we spoke about.”

Charlotte will look to key players like Wilfried Zaha to lead the attack. Zaha’s future in Charlotte is in the air as contract negotiations to retain him past the end of his loan on June 30 are still ongoing.

Zaha, who hasn’t scored in his last five appearances, was recently left off the Ivory Coast’s 2026 World Cup roster.

Toronto (3-4-5, 14 points) isn’t doing much better, winless in its last six league games (0-2-4).

“Everyone knows where the standings are at and (that) points are vital, especially during this next stretch,” Toronto midfielder Kobe Franklin said. “We were focused on our home games and getting as many points as we could out of that, and now our focus shifts to being able to play away and pick up points while we’re on the road.”

Getting forward Josh Sargent back from a thigh injury which has sidelined him since March 25 could have been a boost to Toronto’s odds of earning a victory in Charlotte. Although Sargent is progressing well, he’s listed as out for Saturday’s match.

“He’s feeling great and he looks great and he’s moving really well,” Toronto manager Robin Fraser said of Sargent. “I think maybe out of an abundance of caution, if he’s not ready this week then he’ll be ready next week.”

Toronto will also be without key contributors Djordje Mihailovic (pelvis) and Jose Cifuentes (knee) against Charlotte.

–Field Level Media

The Seattle Sounders look to keep defending their home fortress when they host the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday.

The Sounders (7-1-3, 24 points) are unbeaten in their last 22 home matches (16-0-6) across all competitions, including a 4-0-1 mark during the 2026 regular season. Beyond just their home form, the Sounders enter Saturday with a 6-0-3 record in their last nine MLS matches.

Scoring efficiency could be the only flaw within this great start, as only six teams have scored fewer than Seattle’s 17 goals. Despite outshooting opponents 78-37 over their last three matches, the Sounders came away with two 1-1 draws and a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.

“We’ve put a lot of balls inside the box. I think we’ve done a good job in transition moments,” Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer said. “I think our possession has been pretty good. … It’s just we had two kind of sour results (the two draws) that I don’t think should poison the well.”

The Galaxy (4-5-4, 16 points) have scored at least once in each of their last 23 regular-season games, but translating the offense into consistent results has been the larger challenge. Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City was LA’s second loss this season to Sporting KC, who sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

“I thought we were low on the intensity level. … I felt like we couldn’t get out of our hotel rooms,” LA coach Greg Vanney said on Wednesday, in a reference to the Galaxy’s schedule.

The stretch of three road matches in eight days saw the Galaxy travel from Atlanta to Kansas City to Seattle.

“Time on airplanes, time zone shifts left and right. … I think you’re trying to make the best of a difficult situation when it comes to the travel part of this week,” Vanney said.

Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec (each with four goals and four assists) share the Galaxy’s team lead with eight goal contributions. Joao Klauss leads Los Angeles with five goals, but is out until at least August 1 due to foot surgery.

Paul Rothrock leads the Sounders with four goals. Albert Rusnak (three goals, four assists) and Jesus Ferreira (two goals, five assists) share the team lead with seven goal contributions.

–Field Level Media