Five Questions that Week 11 will answer in MLS

Who will win the Cascadia Cup?

With plenty of major games taking place this weekend in Major League Soccer, here are five looming questions that will be answered in Week 11.

Hedges vs. Zlatan: who wins?

The Zlatan Ibrahimović project for the Los Angeles Galaxy has not gone to plan. The team would have hoped the arrival of one of the world’s biggest superstars would help boost their team to winning ways. Nevertheless, Zlatan has not. The LA Galaxy currently sit eight in the Western Conference, one point behind a top-six spot. LA will need Zlatan and the rest of the team to get into gear in order to make the playoffs. However, their hope to make the top six this weekend may not happen. In past games when Zlatan has had to deal with immense center backs, he has not done so well. His matches against the New York Red Bulls and the Houston Dynamo have put Zlatan against sizeable defenders. This week will be much of the same for him as he is set to play Matt Hedges. Who will win the battle between the two? This Saturday, we will find out.

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Who will win the Cascadia Cup?

Perhaps, the most enjoyable MLS rivalry is set to take place this weekend in Portland, Oregon. Former MLS Champions, the Portland Timbers, are set to host long-time rivals and fellow former MLS Champions, the Seattle Sounders, this Sunday at Providence Park. Every contest between the two teams has been fierce and backed-up with immense support from both fanbases. With all of the talk leading up to the match, this will surely be one you will not want to miss.

Will Orlando City’s winning-streak end this weekend?

Orlando City SC is currently holding onto a six-game in-a-row winning streak. During this run, Orlando has defeated in-form teams such as the New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers. However, they also have defeated out-of-form teams such as the Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes, and Real Salt Lake. Orlando’s schedule has led to people stating that their win streak has come as a result of a simple game spread. This claim will be put to the test as they are set to host the best team in the Eastern Conference this weekend, Atlanta United FC.

Who will win the Barcelona reunion?

This Sunday night offers MLS fans a terrific star-studded game between two of the league’s best teams that reside in two of the league’s best markets. New York City FC is set to travel to the new home of Los Angeles FC, the Banc of California Stadium. One major storyline heading into this contest is the reunion of Barcelona midfielders David Villa and Carlos Vela. Both players spent considerable time with the Catalan side and now reside in North America. This weekend, we will see which ex-Barcelona player can better lead an MLS team.

Can Toronto recover?

The CONCACAF Champions League took a lot out of Toronto FC. Making it all the way to finals and losing resulted in Toronto having to throw games to rest starters for CONCACAF play. This plan has led to Toronto starting their year at the bottom of the MLS table. Now, in week 11, they have been able to climb slightly above the last place, but, it still is not enough for any applause. Toronto currently resides tenth in the Eastern Conference, with only two wins in-hand. Toronto will play the New England Revolution this weekend and will hope to return to winning ways, but can they do it? We will have to wait and find out.