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Last Word SC MLS Pick ‘Em: Week 25

One of the busiest weeks of the 2017 MLS season begins Wednesday and includes a multitude of massive rivalry clashes including three on Sunday.

Not only is week 25 of the 2017 MLS season one of its busiest with a total of 18 games on tap, including seven midweek ties. It’s also full of mouthwatering rivalry matchups. All in all, seven games involve teams in search of bragging rights over their hated rival.

The first tussle associated with Heineken Rivalry Week gets underway Wednesday night at 8 PM ET when FC Dallas hosts the Houston Dynamo. It’s the last of three games between the two Texas Derby foes, with the previous two ending in draws. Needless to say, there’s plenty on the line in Frisco as both clubs vie for “El Capitan.” For the home side, they find themselves in an unfamiliar situation compared to recent years with Houston ahead of them in the standings.

Two days later, the final iteration of this year’s Hudson River Derby takes place at Red Bull Arena. For the home-standing Red Bulls, they can only salvage a small modicum of pride with New York firmly blue after NYCFC took the first two games. One thing’s for sure: if Bradley Wright-Phillips and David Villa turn in a performance resembling their exploits earlier in the month at Yankee Stadium, fans are in store for a barnburner of a game.

Saturday’s MLS proceedings conclude with a Rocky Mountain Cup matchup between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids. Both teams made midseason coaching changes with Colorado the more recent example. The club parted ways with Pablo Mastroeni last week as they currently find themselves mired at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. RSL are beginning to build some momentum under Mike Petke and come into this game having suffered one loss in their last seven. The home side certainly looks primed to get the full three points at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Finally, Sunday features a rivalry week triple-header. It begins in Montreal with a suddenly surging Impact side looking to cool off Supporters’ Shield leaders Toronto FC. It won’t be easy with the Reds unbeaten in their last seven. That’s followed by the third and final Cali Clasico of the year between the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes. Like Houston and Dallas above, there’s plenty to play for with the season series knotted up at one apiece. The night cap features the Portland Timbers facing their Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders on the road. Having witnessed the total solar eclipse at training on Monday, the Timbers will be looking to block Seattle’s path to the Western Conference’s best record on Sunday.

Dan took the Week 24 title in impressive fashion, getting nine of 11 picks correct. As a result, John’s lead in the overall standings is now down to four. With 18 games to pick this week along with first and last separated by just 12, there’s plenty of room for movement.

Last Word SC MLS Pick ‘Em: Week 25

EXPERT	CLB v. LA	DC v. ATL	DAL v. HOU	TOR v. PHI	RSL v. SJ	VAN v. SEA	POR v. COL	RBNY v. NYC
John Bava (9) @LWOSJohnBava	DRAW					DRAW
Daniel Sperry (4) @SperryDaniel94		DRAW				DRAW
Robert Kerr (6) @LWOSR2Kerr2					DRAW	DRAW
Matt Pollard (4) @LWOSMattPollard		DRAW	DRAW			DRAW