Photo by Tom Hauck/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

Hurricane Irene may have deprived MLS fans of three weekend contests, including Sunday's marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls, but elsewhere across the league, the games will go on.

The schedule, which also lost its New England-Philadelphia and D.C.-Portland fixtures because of the hurricane, will be headlined by Saturday's rematch of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup final between the Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew.

Elsewhere, Chivas USA will host Real Salt Lake in a key Western Conference clash, and Sporting Kansas City will look to continue its winning ways when FC Dallas comes to town.

Here is a rundown of the full Week 24 slate:

SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs. COLUMBUS CREW (Saturday, 4 p.m., Direct Kick)

Seattle coach Sigi Schmid hasn't lost to Columbus, the club he led to an MLS Cup, since taking over the Sounders, and he'll look to keep it that way Saturday.

Columbus will be without suspended centerback Julius James, which will make the task of containing Mauro Rosales (three goals, three assists in his past six games) and the Seattle attack all the more challenging.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO (Saturday, 7 p.m., TSN 2)

Although Vancouver possesses the league's worst record, the Whitecaps are a respectable 3-3-5 at home and could present a surprising challenge to Houston, which has risen to third in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to a five-game unbeaten streak.

But the Whitecaps will have to cope with the absence of suspended striker Camilo, whose eight-goal haul is good for second on the team behind Eric Hassli's 10 tallies (Alain Rochat and Atiba Harris are tied for third with just two goals each).

TORONTO FC vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (Saturday, 7 p.m., Direct Kick)

Mired in a club-record 12-game winless streak, San Jose is not exactly having the type of season the organization envisioned when it brought back most of a squad that fell one game short of the MLS Cup last year.

For Toronto, fatigue will undoubtedly be an issue after it was forced to replay Wednesday night's suspended Champions League game against FC Dallas in its entirety Thursday morning.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. FC DALLAS (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Direct Kick)

Like Toronto, FC Dallas faces a quick turnaround from CONCACAF Champions League duty, but with the extra burden of travel. Factor in the back line's continued adjustment to the absence of George John, and getting a win at Livestrong Sporting Park is sure to be a steep challenge for Dallas.

Kansas City, on the other hand, just keeps racking up the points. After spending the early months of the season in the Eastern Conference cellar, coach Peter Vermes' side is now in second place, largely thanks to forward Kei Kamara's splendid play of late (four goals in six games).

CHICAGO FIRE vs. COLORADO RAPIDS (Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Direct Kick)

Chicago got an enormous monkey off its back last weekend when it ended a 10-game winless streak with a 2-0 win over Toronto. Of course, Saturday's opponent — the defending MLS Cup champions, who happen to riding an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions — will provide a sterner test.

Although Colorado's combination of Omar Cummings and Sanna Nyassi has gotten a lot of attention lately, the streaking Caleb Folan (four goals in six games) and now-healthy Macoumba Kandji are also worth keeping an eye on.

CHIVAS USA vs. REAL SALT LAKE (Saturday, 10:30 p.m., FSC)

Winless in three, Chivas currently sits one point out of the final playoff spot. With four losses in its past five games, Salt Lake is still in safe playoff positioning but losing ground in the race for an automatic berth to the Western Conference semifinals.

Salt Lake seems poised to receive a notable boost Saturday in the return of centerback Jamison Olave, who hasn't played since suffering a sprained knee a month ago in the MLS All-Star Game.