The way the Major League Soccer playoff race has gone in recent weeks you would think some teams don’t want to reach the post season.
Opportunity after opportunity goes wasted by teams fighting for the final three playoff spots. Real Salt Lake, New York, FC Dallas and Colorado all had chances to make a major impact in the playoff race with victories, but all four teams settled for ties or losses. Only Kansas City stepped up with a victory when it needed it, a result that has helped KC climb into a playoff spot with two matches remaining.
Here is how the MLS playoff picture looks heading into the final two weeks of the season:
MLS PLAYOFF PICTURE
- Columbus…………..54 pts
- Houston—————-44 pts
- Chicago…………….43 pts
- New England———–43 pts
- Chivas USA————42 pts
- ——————————————
- Real Salt Lake……..36 pts
- Kansas City………..36 pts
- New York…………..36 pts
- —————————————-
- FC Dallas…………..35 pts
- Colorado…………..34 pts
- D.C. United………..34 pts
- Los Angeles………..32 pts
- Toronto FC…………32 pts
- San Jose……………30 pts
Here is this week’s schedule of matches:
- Wednesday-San Jose at Houston
- Thursday– New England at D.C. United
- Saturday– Chicago Fire at Toronto FC, Columbus Crew at New York Red Bulls, San Jose Earthquakes at Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy at Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake.
- Sunday– Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA
If you notice, all but one of those eight matches has real playoff implications (Chicago at TFC being the only one that won’t affect playoff qualification).
Red Bulls fans should also know that their team could clinch a playoff berth with a win against Columbus and losses by FC Dallas, D.C. United and Colorado. The losses might happen, but the Red Bulls haven’t won a game in a month and will have to try and beat a Crew squad unbeaten in its past nine matches.
Who will step up? Which team will collapse in the final two weeks? Can the Galaxy rattle off two more wins and sneak into the playoffs? Will the Red Bulls back their way into the playoffs? Will we see five East teams in the playoffs, or five West teams?
Share your thoughts on the MLS playoff race in the comments section below.