The Seattle Sounders are back in action for the third time in just a week on the road at BC Place against the Vancouver Whitecaps this Sunday (5 p.m. PT; FS1; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360am). Seattle finds itself above the red line for the first time this season after two wins in the last two matches. With that in mind, here are the other Western Conference matches this weekend and their implications for the Sounders.
Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers (Saturday, 6 p.m. PT)
Saturday features a matchup of the only MLS team which hasn’t lost at home all season (Colorado) and the only MLS team that hasn’t won on the road (Portland).
The Timbers fell beneath the playoff line on Wednesday when the Sounders defeated the Chicago Fire and took over the sixth playoff spot on a tiebreaker. Two of Portland’s three remaining matches are on the road and it has played one more match than the Sounders, meaning that it no longer controls its own postseason destiny.
The Rapids have two games in hand on FC Dallas and are only five points behind the Supporters’ Shield leaders. The Rapids should be in prime position to usurp the league’s top spot, but they’ve only won once in seven matches since Aug. 6.
FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy (Saturday, 6 p.m. PT)
Two of the West’s top three teams battle in Frisco with crucial playoff seeding at stake. Dallas has only lost at home once this season and is coming off back-to-back road draws in MLS play. FCD also played to a scoreless home draw on Wednesday night against Suchitepequez in CONCACAF Champions League play.
The Galaxy are trying to bounce back from a 4-2 home loss to the Sounders last week and push for a first-round playoff bye. Saturday is the first of two matches between these two sides in the final three weeks of the season. They have not met in MLS play yet this season, but FC Dallas did defeat the Galaxy in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal in August.
New England Revolution vs. Sporting Kansas City (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. PT)
Sporting KC sits just two points ahead of Seattle for fifth place in the West, but the Sounders have a game in hand on SKC as well. Sporting travels to Foxborough for the team’s first match against the Revolution since May 2015 and it won’t be easy against a desperate Revs team which sits just outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Roger Espinoza is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, but Sporting Kansas City may get Graham Zusi back, who has been recovering from a calf strain. Head coach Peter Vermes said on Wednesday that Zusi is available for selection and will be on the game day roster.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PT)
The Earthquakes’ postseason chances took a major hit on Wednesday when they lost to the Montreal Impact. San Jose is even on games with Seattle but now seven points below the playoff line with four matches remaining. San Jose has a real challenge in Real Salt Lake, a team firmly in the Western Conference’s postseason mix, but RSL has not won since Aug. 26 and only has two points from its last four matches. San Jose needs three points to stay alive, but even that might be too little, too late.
Houston Dynamo vs. New York City FC (Friday, 5 p.m. PT)
Somewhat surprisingly, the Dynamo have won back-to-back games and have only lost once in their previous seven matches. The last place team in the West, Houston is not yet mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, but it has a lot of ground to make up. It helps that the Dynamo have at least one game in hand on every team in front of them vying for the final playoff spot, but they are still nine points out. Houston doesn’t have an easy take on Friday either, as it hosts NYCFC, which has already clinched a playoff berth in the East for the first time in franchise history.
