After a weekend of dominant victories by the co-leaders in the Western Conference, Sounders FC and the LA Galaxy clinched home-field advantage in the Conference Semifinals. In addition, the two teams distanced themselves far enough from the rest of the league that their pair of meetings over the final two weeks will determine the winner of the Supporters’ Shield.
The playoff matchups didn’t change, but a few things did become clearer with them as the season winds down to its final three matches. Four of the top six teams in the West won, while the bottom three clubs have been eliminated from postseason contention.
If the season ended today, this is how the playoffs would look in the Western Conference.
Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas/Vancouver Whitecaps FC winner
Seattle holds the top seed and would have home-field advantage over the winner of the Knockout Round matchup between Dallas and Vancouver. FC Dallas and Vancouver split their season series 1-1-1 after the Whitecaps won 2-0 at BC Place on Saturday. Seattle is 6-2-0 in the last eight matches, steamrolling its way to the playoffs. Sounders FC went 2-1-0 against Dallas and is 0-1-1 against Vancouver, with the final meeting on Friday at CenturyLink Field.
LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake
The Galaxy is unbeaten in its last 10 matches at 8-0-2 to climb into a tie with Seattle on points, though Sounders FC holds the first tie-breaker with 19 wins to 17 for LA. Therefore, LA would be seeded second and hold home-field advantage against No. 3 RSL. This season, the two Western Conference foes went 1-1-1 against each other. This matchup would mark the fourth time the two clubs have met in the postseason since 2009.
The Portland Timbers are just one point behind Vancouver for the fifth and final playoff spot after their 2-1 win over San Jose on Saturday.
In the Eastern Conference, eight teams are still in contention for the playoffs and D.C. United is the only one to have already punched its ticket. The New England Revolution is 7-1-0 in the past eight matches to reach the No. 2 seed and Sporting Kansas City is in third after going 2-6-1 in its last nine matches. New York’s victory over the Houston Dynamo propelled the Red Bulls into fourth place, while Philadelphia was the only one of the other four teams in contention to manage a point during the weekend, drawing the Chicago Fire.
D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls/Columbus Crew winner
D.C. clinched a playoff berth with a 1-1 draw against Kansas City on Friday. United would await the winner of the Knockout Round match between the Crew and Red Bulls, which now would be at Red Bull Arena after New York’s win over the weekend. New York hosts the Crew on October 19 and holds a 1-0-1 edge over Columbus this year. D.C. went 2-1-0 against the Red Bulls this season and 0-1-2 against Columbus.
New England Revolution vs. Sporting Kansas City
New England is arguably the hottest team in the East and would have home-field advantage over the defending MLS Cup champions. Jermaine Jones has two goals and three assists in seven matches for New England, while Lee Nguyen continues to make his MVP case with 14 goals and five assists. The Revs went 3-0-0 against Kansas City this season.
The remaining three teams in the East – Toronto FC, Philadelphia, and Houston – are three, four, and seven points back, respectively.
