Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports

By RYAN TOLMICH

A week after tying the MLS Cup champions at Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls will head up I-95 to take on the other team that played in last year’s MLS Cup, and a team riding the best run of results in the league.

The Red Bulls travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution, whose unbeaten run since March has carried Jay Heaps’ team to the top of the Eastern Conference.

In the northwest, the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps face-off with Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers, who were beaten by the Seattle Sounders, 1-0, last time out.

Elsewhere, the Houston Dynamo host FC Dallas in the Texas Derby, the red-hot D.C. United takes on fellow powerhouses the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC visits the struggling Philadelphia Union.

Here is a closer look at Week 9’s MLS action:

HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. FC DALLAS (Friday, 8 p.m, Univision Deportes)

FC Dallas will enter the first Texas Derby of 2015 without one of the team’s key contributors.

Blas Perez is set to miss out due to suspension, giving the slight advantage to a Dynamo team that could see the return of Boniek Garcia. While Perez’s red card dooms him to an absence, the Dynamo also see the benefit of the availability of Jermaine Taylor, who was unjustly sent off last week only to see his red card rescinded last week.

REAL SALT LAKE vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (Friday, 10 p.m., Univision Deportes)

The returns of Javier Morales and Nick Rimando couldn’t come at a more welcome time for Real Salt Lake.

RSL has been struggling mightily in recent weeks, dropping back-to-back decisions including a 4-0 shellacking at the hands of the Revs last week. The return of Morales and Rimando should add a bit more stability in both the back and middle of the field, the latter of which will be vital against a rested and energized Earthquakes squad that has proven inconsistently throughout the season

PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. TORONTO FC (Saturday, 4 p.m., MLS Live)

The Philadelphia Union are exactly the team Toronto FC wanted to see this week.

After getting back on track with a victory last week, TFC face the lowly Union, whose recent struggles have already threatened to derail the season in the early going. Possibly without centerback Steven Vitoria, the Union backline will be under constant threat due to the speed of Sebastian Giovinco and power of Jozy Altidore, the latter of whom proved dominant last week.

D.C. UNITED vs. COLUMBUS CREW (Saturday, 7 p.m., MLS Live)

D.C. United and the Columbus Crew are set to collide in a battle of two of the league’s hottest teams.

Riding the attack force led by Kei Kamara, Ethan Finlay and Federico Higuain, the Crew have proven lethal in recent weeks, but will face a new test in the always-disciplined backline of D.C. That backline will also be bolstered by the potential return of Bill Hamid, who could reappear this weekend joined by Taylor Kemp and Davy Arnaud.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., MLS Live)

The New York Red Bulls remain undefeated, but going into Gillette Stadium and claiming a result will be one of their toughest tests to date.

The Revs are coming off a 4-0 beating of Real Salt Lake, as Juan Agudelo continues to look like the missing piece from last season’s title runners-up. Agudelo, Lee Nguyen, Jermaine Jones and Charlie Davies are as fearsome as any attack force, providing a test for a Red Bulls defense that will be on short rest and still developing chemistry due to a slew of early-season injuries.

LA GALAXY vs. COLORADO RAPIDS (Saturday, 10:30 p.m., MLS LIVE)

The Colorado Rapids are earning a reputation as this season’s draw specialists, and snagging a point against the reigning champions would surely be a welcome achievement.

Despite the absence of Robbie Keane, which will likely continue into Saturday, the LA Galaxy have claimed seven points from their last three games. Keane’s absence has seen the emergence of Bradford Jamieson, whose speed should test a hulking Rapids backline known more for its size and strength than quickness of foot.

PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (Saturday, 10:30 p.m., MLS Live)

After falling to a Cascadia rival last time out, the Portland Timbers get another crack and Northwest opposition on Saturday.

Having been defeated by the red-hot Seattle Sounders, the Timbers now face a Whitecaps team that remains atop the Western Conference. However, the visitors will certainly be impacted by the absence of Matias Laba, whose red card last week will leave a gaping hole in the midfield for the Timbers to target.

SPORTING KC vs. CHICAGO FIRE (Sunday, 5 p.m., ESPN 2)

Sporting KC will have to hope that they didn’t use up all of their goalscoring prowess in last week’s battle with the Dynamo.

Coming off a 4-4 draw with the Dynamo, SKC face a Fire side that has collected all nine points from the team’s three prior contests. Part of the Fire’s resurgence comes from the emergence of the team’s Designated Players, including David Accam, who has caused havoc for backlines with his speed and touch in recent weeks.

NEW YORK CITY FC vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS (Sunday, 7 p.m., Fox Sports 1)

If NYCFC is to compete with the high-powered attack of the Seattle Sounders, the expansion side will have to do something that has proven all but impossible in recent weeks: score goals.

NYCFC has struggled for goals in recent weeks, having only scored just seven goals in eight games this season. David Villa’s status remains questionable, and NYCFC are winless in six, a streak that could surely be added to against a Sounders team that has seen Clint Dempsey provide either a goal or an assist in each of his five games played.