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MLS begins to set schedule for upcoming playoff games

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

The MLS playoff picture became a little clearer on Saturday, and the dates and times for some of the games have already been set.

After being held to a draw by D.C. United on Saturday, the Chicago Fire will again play host when the Houston Dynamo travel to Toyota Park for the Eastern Conference knockout round game on Wednesday night. The Fire will have homefield advantage, but the Dynamo’s starters will be better rested after most of them sat out during the club’s regular season finale against the Colorado Rapids.

The other matches that were finalized on Saturday were the two Eastern Conference semifinals matches between rivals New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. The Red Bulls will host United at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 3 before the two teams head to RFK Stadium for United’s home game of the series four days later.

Here is the schedule for the upcoming MLS playoff games (all times Eastern):

KNOCKOUT ROUND

10/31 Houston Dynamo at Chicago Fire (9pm, ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes)

11/1 Vancouver Whitecaps at Los Angeles Galaxy (10:30pm, NBC & TSN)

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

11/3 D.C. United at New York Red Bulls (8pm)

11/7 New York Red Bulls at D.C. United (8 pm)

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How eager are you for the playoffs to start? Which of these matches do you think will be the most intense? Who will reach the conference finals?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think LA will beat a lousy road team (Vancouver) and then give SJ a run for their money on that conference semi. Then I think Seattle edges RSL over 2 legs.

    I’ll be interested to see how the Dynamo game goes. I think our controlled style is useful in early playoff rounds but we haven’t played Chicago well this year. We’re actually better v. KC this season and would get 2 legs to hammer that one out. DC-NY is hard to predict because they have scored lots of goals on each other, and both have negative road goal differences.

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  2. Looking at next weekend, I see a Saturday night game on NBCSN, Sunday afternoon on NBC, and Sunday night on ESPN. When/where is the other game?

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    • Probably a yet to be set game due to RSL/Seattle seeding to be determined. I’d assume a 10 PM (eastern) Seattle or RSL start to follow the Red Bulls/DC game. I suppose it could be in the afternoon, but that’d be an early start for a western game.

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  3. If you’re the Sounders you lose on purpose to avoid the mid week home game right? How does MLS continue to give the higher seed the midweek game. Madness.

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    • Hunh? That makes absolutely no sense. Why would Seattle care about a mid-week home game?

      Seattle needs to win so that they are 3rd overall and in position to get a CCL birth and host MLS Cup v anyone besides SKC.

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      • If Seattle has 30k instead of 38k, I think they’ll be alright. It’ll still be more than a RSL sellout. From the DC POV, I’d rather have our fans with a chance to travel and theirs with a lot harder travel plans. 8 PM midweek makes it kinda tough for them to make the trip to DC. I’m sure some still will. We’ll definitely have a lower attendance for the midweek game compared to what we could have done on the weekend. But, if we win this series, we get a weekend home game.

      • I didn’t think about finishing 3rd overall for CCL purposes but that only matters if either SJ or SKC makes the final. If LAG and NYRB make MLS cup they get the 3rd and 4th CCL spots. Forcing the better team to play on a W/Th night is insanity. Just start the season half a week sooner or something.

      • I’d put pretty good odds on either SJ or KC making the final, and midweek games during the regular season still draw well enough even if the crowd is sometimes arrives a little late because of traffic.

      • First, Seattle will draw the same crowd on any night.

        Second, I’ve read article after article on the new play-off format, and nowhere have I read your critique repeated. At worst, the midweek home game thing is a bit of an irritant. “Insanity”? Really?

      • Maybe not insanity but I can guarantee Seattle draws more fans on a Saturday than they do on a Wednesday, even if its a small number.

        I live in Houston and take evening classes during the week for my grad program and wouldn’t be able to go to a Thursday game versus a weekend game. If even one fan of the better team is inconvenienced than it’s not a good policy. But yes, at the macro level it’s not a big deal.

      • Seattle has over 60 consecutive sell outs and is averaging over 43k a game and has a chance to break the Cosmo’s all time attendance record if they have a long playoff run.

        Last Sunday night, in a driving, cold rain, they had 43k again for the game against FC Dallas. They could play the game on a weeknight at midnight and it would still be sold out.

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