This week is an international window which means that most domestic leagues around the world are completely on hiatus. Not MLS. As usual, a majority of teams get the week off while a handful have to play games with ever-increasing importance as the postseason approaches.

Specifically, eight teams are in action this weekend, all on Saturday. What’s interesting is that only two of them, the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, are above the playoff line. But both are on the road against teams with legitimate playoff aspirations.

Last Word MLS Pick ‘Em: Week 26

Despite losing to Toronto over the weekend, Montreal have won four of their last five and host a Chicago team on a four-game losing skid. The Red Bulls travel to Frisco and face an FC Dallas teams who surprisingly are not one of the Western Conference’s playoff teams at this point. Winless in their last six, they’ll likely have extra motivation to get the full three points at home.

Orlando City SC travel to New England in a game featuring two teams whose playoff situation is extremely tenuous. The loser is likely on the sidelines for the postseason. Speaking of that scenario, it’s a foregone conclusion that the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids, who wrap up MLS play on Saturday in Carson, won’t be partaking in the playoffs this year.

There’s also the issue of two huge World Cup qualifiers for the USMNT. First up is a clash with Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ on Friday. The Stars and Stripes will be looking to avenge last November’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the Ticos. Their form has certainly improved since, as they’re undefeated since Bruce Arena replaced Jurgen Klinsmann as manager.

After that, the US travels to Central America to face Honduras this coming Tuesday. CONCACAF road trips are never easy and Los Catrachos have their backs against the wall from a qualification standpoint. Expect a dogged, physical encounter in the heat of San Pedro Sula. Securing four points at the minimum from these two matches can go a long way towards securing a spot in Russia next year.

We can’t forget our friends to the north (and south) this week. Also on the docket is Canada’s home friendly against Jamaica on Saturday. It’s a rematch of this year’s Gold Cup quarterfinals where the Reggae Boyz upended Les Rouges, 2-1. Octavio Zambrano’s men will certainly look to defend home turf at BMO Field.

Nobody really stood out with their picks last week. John, Daniel and Matt all tied for the best mark, going 8-9. That means John still maintains a slim lead on Daniel for the overall lead. But it’s still anyone’s game.

EXPERT	USA v. CRC	NE v. ORL	MTL v. CHI	DAL v. RBNY	LA v. COL	CAN v. JAM	HON v. USA	RECORD	PCT
John Bava (10) @LWOSJohnBava						DRAW	DRAW	135-159	45.9%
Daniel Sperry (5) @SperryDaniel94		DRAW			DRAW	DRAW		131-163	44.6%
Robert Kerr (6) @LWOSR2Kerr2	DRAW							125-169	42.5%
Matt Pollard (5) @LWOSMattPollard			DRAW	DRAW		DRAW	DRAW	123-171	41.8%