As far as who’s getting into the playoffs in the West, I see three teams (RSL, LA Galaxy & Portland) fighting for 2 spots… and then Seattle, refusing to go quietly. Each match will be critical until the slots are locked, which could be a few more weeks unless Portland stays red hot and Seattle goes on a winning streak.
Here are the matchups for those four teams:
There’s plenty of wrasslin’ to come when it comes to position within the playoff picture, but that’s for another week. On Saturday, all fourteen teams play at some point between 3:30pm & 10:00pm, making for another wild MLS holiday. There’s few relevant college football games on Saturday (RIP, Longhorns), so get comfy and enjoy the biggest MLS playoff race day of the year.
Here’s the team-by-team guide for our four still battling.
Real Salt Lake
RSL is hosting the worst team in the league, at a little altitude, on a Saturday night. While I mentioned the college football day is light, BYU actually hosts Baylor in one of the biggest games of the day. Kickoff is set for 45 minutes after RSL, so fans of both should be able to catch the entire RSL game and the second half of BYU unfettered.
Either way, Nashville hosts Galaxy much earlier in the day. I don’t see RSL getting to a 4th place spot, but the safe route here is to root for a tie. Similarly, I’d root for Minnesota over Portland to help secure any playoff spot… but that’s from someone who thinks Minnesota will do well over their final games, as RSL struggles with a rough schedule. RSL plays both LA Galaxy and Portland down the stretch, so if this week goes sideways there’s going to be time to correct things.
Best Case Scenario
LA ties in Nashville
Austin wins in Seattle
Minnesota wins in Portland
Portland
The Timbers picked a hell of a time to get hot. Last 3 contests: A rivalry home win, a top tier road takedown, and a dominating home performance all ending with a 2-1 score line.
The next four won’t be easy, however. All remaining opponents are in playoff position, and their away games are across three time zones in Columbus and at altitude in Utah. Factor in that the LA Galaxy have not one but two games in hand, and are three points behind them and face four teams not in playoff position, and you see how tenuous Portland’s playoff standing is. Here’s what to root for Saturday:
Best Case Scenario
LA loses in Nashville
Austin wins in Seattle
DC wins (or at least takes a point) in Salt Lake
LA Galaxy
The Galaxy have had lots of games in hand for weeks. That’s going to resolve soon, with another 3-in-8 Starting on Saturday. In this case, they go to Nashville, then to Vancouver, and end hosting the Rapids. Regardless, they’ll only have 1 game in hand on some teams after that stretch… and will play an odd “during the international break” California Clásico in Stanford to catch up fully. Right now I think LA succeeds in this run and will make the playoffs, but a bit of help with Portland and Seattle dropping points would help a bunch.
Best Case Scenario
Minnesota wins in Portland
Austin wins in Seattle
DC wins (or at least takes a point) in Salt Lake
Seattle
In order to catch Portland or RSL, The Sounders would need to kinda run the table. Out of their final 15 possible points, I think they’d need 13 to land on 49 for the season. Four wins, one tie. However, they play 3 teams out of the playoff hunt, host a flailing Austin on Saturday, and host never-been-to-the-playoffs and three-timezones-away FC Cincy in a midweek match after a 10 day break. Can they still do it? Yep. But more than anyone in the west, they need help.
Best Case Scenario
LA loses in Nashville
Minnesota wins in Portland
DC wins (or at least takes a point) in Salt Lake