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MLS action kicks off tonight with the New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo facing off on NBC Sports Network. After Sporting Kansas City's red hot start they've fallen behind and now the Red Bulls are sitting atop to MLS Eastern Conference. The Houston Dynamo are just one point behind them, so this match is quite important as the MLS playoff race ramps up.
Sunday night sees the other two nationally televised matches. The LA Galaxy taking on the Seattle Sounders in Seattle on ESPN is just as important in the Western Conference. The Galaxy are one point behind the Sounders who sit in third place in the Western Conference. The Sounders do have two matches in hand, so a Sounders win would be doubly harsh.
The Sounders had a CONCACAF Champions League match Thursday night, while the Galaxy played Real Madrid in a friendly. The Galaxy starters only went 45 minutes, and played with minimal contact, so there shouldn't be any issues with availability.
For Seattle, Fredy Montero went 89 minutes, Osvaldo Alonso went 45. It was enough of a mixed lineup that the Sounders shouldn't have any availability issues either. Estrada might start in place of Montero but otherwise both clubs should have their A-squads available Sunday.
The final nationally televised match is FC Dallas vs Portland Timbers on NBC Sports Network Sunday. FC Dallas need a win to get back in playoff contention, luckily Dallas defeated Portland 5-0 two weeks ago.