It all comes down to this! I could reuse that line for the next few weeks, but let’s take it one game at a time, shall we? The regular season wraps up this weekend in one of Major League Soccer’s best traditions: Welcome to Decision Day, everyone. Let’s track this table one last time.
The Easy East
We’ve known who was going to be in the Eastern Conference playoffs for a few weeks now. We’ve watched Columbus drop like a stone, Chicago catch fire (pun very much intended), and Philadelphia earn an unlikely Supporters’ Shield in a season where not much was expected of them. Miami’s quest to complete their Infinity Gauntlet of MLS trophies has still got some legs to it, and with the added motivation of sending Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba into retirement with one last trophy, I reckon the Herons will be playing with a little extra fire this postseason. But those aren’t the teams I want to talk about today.
While posturing for seeding will be going on up and down the table this weekend, the biggest stories to watch in the east are from seventh to fourth place. We already know that Philly, Cincinnati, and Miami will be the top three. Columbus and Chicago could both sneak out of the Wild Card spots if results go their way, but they can’t crack their way into hosting priority. But, from Charlotte in fourth (56 points) to Orlando in seventh (53 points), this weekend will be absolutely huge in setting up the playoff run ahead.
When the first set of Decision Day matches kicks off at 5:00 p.m. CT this weekend, I encourage you to flip between the following matchups:
- Toronto FC vs. Orlando City SC
- NYCFC vs. Seattle Sounders
- Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami
- Charlotte FC vs. Philadelphia Union
I’m not a betting man, of course, but if I were, I’d put the house on an Orlando win. They're the only side playing against opposition that’s already eliminated from the postseason, with the rest of the field taking on teams that will be motivated to maintain form, at the very least. The pressure is on NYCFC, Charlotte, and Nashville to stay ahead of the Lions, making the battle for the fourth spot the most exciting fixture of this season’s Eastern Conference Decision Day extravaganza.
The Procrastinating West
No alliteration for this one; they waited too long for that. Where the Eastern Conference has been essentially wrapped up for weeks, the battle in the Western Conference continues to rage, if you want to call it that. The top four are set: Vancouver, San Diego, LAFC, and MNUFC. Your Loons could finish as high as second, and as low as fourth. Seattle is a lock at fifth, and the rest? Well, the rest are up in the air.
Four teams are battling for the final two postseason spots: San Jose, Colorado, RSL, and Dallas. Austin is safe from falling into the Wild Card match, but if results don’t go their way, Portland could slide into eighth. None of these hopefuls are playing each other this weekend, which is a shame. Dallas and RSL have the spots at the moment, meaning that if every team in that pack of four achieves the same result, they’ll be partying in Frisco and Salt Lake City. Keep an eye on the scores of each of these games while the Loons play:
- Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas
- St. Louis CITY vs. Real Salt Lake
- San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC
- Colorado Rapids vs. LAFC
I’m going out on a limb here and predicting that RSL is the only bubble team to get a win this weekend, meaning they grab eighth from Dallas. I don’t foresee Dallas or Colorado earning a point, allowing Los Toros to squeak in by a single point in the final standings. At the upper end of the table, I’m predicting a San Diego loss and a Loons win to end the regular season, but the California club still wins the tiebreaker to keep them ahead of MNUFC. That would set up a four-five matchup between your Loons and the Seattle Sounders, assuming Vancouver and LAFC both win. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind the challenge; bring it on.
While Minnesota United won’t be fighting for their spot in the postseason on this particular Decision Day, the excitement of the occasion is no less palpable. The road to MLS Cup will be paved this Saturday; let’s see what obstacles lie in wait.
