Kick Off: Heineken Rivalry Week kicks off Friday | FOX to air 1st MLS match

Greg Seltzer

Here are the top soccer stories everyone’s talking about this morning:

Hey, I Know You!

Philadelphia Union attacker Chris Pontius admits it will be strange when his new club hosts his old employers D.C. United on Friday night in the opening of the Heineken Rivalry Week slate (7 pm ET, UniMás in USA, MLS LIVE in Canada).

New York, New York

Red Bulls skipper Dax McCarty is out to show NYCFC who runs the town when the New York rivals butt heads on Saturday afternoon in the first MLS match on the FOX broadcast network (3 pm ET, FOX in USA and TSN2 in Canada). To help celebrate the clash, we had several New Yorkers explain how they picked their respective side in the derby matchup.

Watch: MLS Doc

If you missed the premiere on FS1 on Thursday night, here's your chance to take in the full version of the doc film "Gotham to Ghana" featuring NY rival players and fellow Ghanaians Kwadwo Poku and Lloyd Sam.

How The West Was Won

With another Cali Clasico on Sunday's menu (7 pm ET, FS1 and FOX Deportes in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada), participants (past and present) from both visitors San Jose and the LA Galaxy discussed the latest installment in the battle for California.

Rapid Belief

As league leaders Colorado get set to invade Seattle on Saturday (10 pm ET, MLS LIVE), incoming Rapids netminder Tim Howard says he's not surprised by their excellent start to the campaign.

History Lesson

Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps is a rivalry steeped in history -- just check out the logos of both teams over the years to see for yourself how far they go back. They meet on national TV this Sunday (4:30 pm ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes in USA; TSN in Canada). Portland's Darlington Nagbe is expected to play a major role in the match and he was profiled in the latest MLS Insider.

MLS LIVE Game of the Week

Expect something wild to happen in the Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew SC rivalry meeting on Saturday (5 pm ET, available on MLS LIVE everywhere in USA and Canada). After all, this is the same matchup that gifted us a last-minute goal scored ... by a goalkeeper.

Pick It Up!

With an important visit from Montreal on the weekend docket, Orlando City star Kaka is asking his teammates to raise their games come Saturday (7:30 pm ET, TSN5 and RDS in Canada; MLS LIVE in USA).

The Usual, Please

Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar wants his charges to get back to their regular ways when they visit Sporting KC on Saturday (8:30 pm ET, watch on MLS LIVE).

Rumor Smash

Though English tabloids are continuing to run reports to the contrary, Houston Dynamo boss Owen Coyle vehemently denies any link with Celtic over their vacant manager position. The Dynamo head coach has his focus firmly set on Saturday's trip to Chicago (5 pm ET, watch on MLS LIVE).

Welcome To The Party

With MLS clubs set to enter the tourney in a few weeks, the fourth round draw for the 2016 US Open Cup has been completed. The lone intra-league match-up? San Jose Earthquakes visiting the Portland Timbers.

The Quails' Nest

Major League Soccer expansion hopefuls Sacramento FC have announced that the initial capacity of their new home will be just a shade under 20,000, with the potential to add another 5,000 seats later.

Will They Or Won't They?

US Soccer chief Sunil Gulati has shot down reports that the federation has discussed a joint World Cup 2026 bid with Mexico.

Decisions, Decisions

The time is drawing near for US boss Jurgen Klinsmann to decide the No. 1 'keeper for Copa America. Naturally, that's just one of the squad decisions facing the national team manager: Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle offers up who he thinks could and should make the final 23-man roster (which is set to be revealed during halftime of Saturday's RBNY-NYCFC clash). One man who is set to enjoy the Copa America tournament is former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant -- and he let everyone know about it.

Firsts Upon Firsts

Of course, the USMNT's road to Copa America begins with Sunday's friendly against Puerto Rico. Though he's not on the provisional roster for that tournament, surprise US call-up Fafa Picault is hoping to earn his first US cap this weekend. Meanwhile, Seattle forward Herculez Gomez will make his first appearance in the Fox Sports broadcast booth when he serves as color commentator for the telecast of the inaugural meeting between these two closely related countries.

Tico Tops

Also warming up for Copa America is D.C. United striker Alvaro Saborio, who says his Costa Rica side are enjoying their own golden generation.

Export Playoff Exploits

Timothy Chandler set up the equalizer as Eintracht Frankfurt fought back for a 1-1 home draw in the opening leg of their Bundesliga survival tie. Next door in the Netherlands, Rubio Rubin notched an assist for the second straight game to help FC Utrecht claw back for a 1-1 share at Heracles in the first leg of the Eredivisie's Europa League playoff. Over in Mexico's Clausura playoff semifinals, Leon netminder William Yarbrough made a big breakaway save late as the home side held on for a 1-1 opening leg draw with Omar Gonzalez and Pachuca.