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MLS Playoff Picture: Rising To The Top
Are you ready for the playoffs?
Sep 28, 2010 8:46:00 PM
By Mike Beauvais
Only four weeks remain in the 2010 Major League Soccer regular season and, after that, it’s Christmas for MLS fans: the playoffs. Speaking of Christmas, you know what sucked about it growing up? As you got older, your gifts would start getting practical. Hey Mom and Dad, 11-year-old Mike really appreciated those sneakers you got him that one year, but guess what? You were going to have to buy them for me anyway. They were shoes. Kids need shoes. That wasn’t a present. That was shoes. Super Nintendo games were presents. Shoes were not.
Anyway, this weekend saw the defending MLS Cup champions, Real Salt Lake, join the already qualified LA Galaxy in the field of eight, while DC United made room in the dead pool for Houston and New England. Six spots now remain with 11 teams mathematically still vying for them, but that could change in a hurry. Three clubs can clinch this week (Columbus, New York, and FC Dallas), while the quartet of Chivas USA, Toronto FC, Philadelphia, and Chicago might be able to start making vacation plans.
Let’s look at how this week breaks down:
The Cream of the Crop:
1. Los Angeles Galaxy (QUALIFIED), 50 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chivas USA (A) – Frankly, I was insulted to discover that nobody involved with the Galaxy read last week’s column. How do I know? Well, I mentioned last week that a strong run-up to the playoffs would be imperative for the Galaxy and then they went ahead and laid an egg at home to the Red Bulls. Yes, New York’s goals were rather fortuitous ones, but it was unforced Galaxy errors that led to them, especially the Dane Richards tap-in. The mental mistakes coupled with a seeming inability to get forward through the NYRB midfield meant that Bruce Arena’s side were simply outworked. The Galaxy were fortunate that RSL was unable to take full advantage of their slip-up or LA might have been looking up at the top of the table for the first time in a long while. On paper, CDC seems like an easier encounter this week, but derby matches are always unpredictable and if the Galaxy play like they did against the Red Bulls, this edition of the SuperClasico could head the Goats’ way.
2. Real Salt Lake (QUALIFIED), 48 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: New England (A) – Jason Kreis knew that resting as many of his starters as he did on Saturday versus the Rapids was a calculated risk. Though, RSL did extend its ridiculous home unbeaten streak to 24 matches, it took the first goal of the season from Nat Borchers in the dying seconds to do so and earn a draw. The full extent of the gamble won’t be known until Tuesday night’s Champions League tie with TFC. The likes of Nick Rimando and Jamison Olave will be back in the line-up, but travel troubles meant that most of the team didn’t arrive in T.O. until late Monday. The whole point in not playing the guys he didn’t versus Colorado was for Kreis to keep them well-rested for Toronto. Now that they aren’t, thanks to bad weather in Atlanta, if they can’t pull out a result in Toronto, then the missed opportunity to catch the Galaxy will be doubly rued.
3. FC Dallas, 46 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chicago (H) – Last week, I said that FCD might be the sleeper in the Supporters’ Shield race, but the Hoops got all that they could handle from the Revs midweek. Much like RSL, they needed a late strike (from Jeff Cunningham) to preserve a streak, in this case their 16-match unbeaten run. That being said, they were the only contender to get full points on the weekend and ran their streak to 17 with a huge 3-1 win over the Wizards. This leaves Dallas in a position to clinch this week. A win over the Fire would put the Hoops in the dance, but they can also get there with a draw versus Chicago coupled with Kansas City failing to win at New York. With three key divisional match-ups to close out the year, Heath Pearce and co. would like to get the playoff berth wrapped up ASAP in order to make their run at the Shield.
4. Columbus Crew, 45 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: San Jose (H) – Though they could only manage a draw in Foxboro on Saturday and face a possible playoff opponent in the Earthquakes this weekend, Robert Warzycha’s club is looking at what could be a pretty good week. An away draw on Wednesday night with Guatemala’s Municipal means that the 2008 MLS Cup winners will qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals. Then, later in the week, the Crew can clinch its third straight MLS playoff spot. How? Well, a Columbus win over San Jose coupled with the Wizards’ failing to win at New York will give the Crew a berth. But wait! There’s more. A draw with the Earthquakes and a Kansas City loss would also put Columbus in the playoffs. Obviously, that last scenario isn’t optimal, as it would also involve NYRB jumping into first in the East. Nonetheless, with the Red Bulls nipping at the Crew’s heels, a big week from Columbus would go a long way to right the ship heading into the post-season.
5. New York Red Bulls, 44 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Kansas City (H) – In a word, NYRB’s win over the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center was decisive and pulled themselves within a single point of the Crew for top spot in the East. This certainly looked more the Red Bulls who were laying waste to opposition over the past six weeks than the club who labored to get their offense going against FCD last week. Sans Thierry Henry, New York was led by Dane Richards, whose pace has the ability to turn a match on its ear at will. While the club is six points away from the Supporters’ Shield with 12 to play for, Hans Backe would be the first to admit that clinching a playoff spot as soon as possible is NYRB’s goal right now and anything else would be gravy. That spot could come as early as this week with a win over the Wizards.
Don’t Book a Vacation Just Yet:
6. San Jose Earthquakes, 39 Points, 6 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chicago (H) – Of Saturday’s 3-2 win over TFC, Frank Yallop said that it “could’ve been 6-6”. Well, it wasn’t. Through Chris Wondolowski’s hat trick, the ‘Quakes did exactly what they needed to do in Toronto and grab full points. At the beginning of the season, nobody thought San Jose had any business being where they are right now, but that just goes to show you that talk is cheap. Up next is the opportunity to crush some more dreams with a midweek tie against the Fire. RSL proved last season that a playoff spot is all you need to make some noise and if there’s a world-beater amongst the lower seeds in the 2010 playoffs, it might very well be these Earthquakes.
7. Seattle Sounders, 39 points, 4 Matches Remaining - Up Next: Toronto (H) – The Sounders are doing exactly what they need to do to ensure a second consecutive playoff spot. Unbeaten in three, the Sounders will turn their focus to eliminating Toronto FC from playoff contention this weekend. Granted, there is the matter of Champions League action on Wednesday with CD Marathon, but with Seattle already eliminated from quarterfinals qualification, the match will be used for Sigi Schmid to give some of his reserves and younger players some playing time. With Chicago down and Toronto and then Kansas City in the crosshairs, Seattle can put an exclamation mark on their post-season qualification by breaking the spirit of each post-season pretender in succession.
8. Colorado Rapids, 38 Points, 5 Games Remaining – Up Next: Philadelphia (H) – The Rapids were unlucky not to leave Utah with full points on the weekend leading for a majority of the match, through Conor Casey, against RSL before conceding a stoppage time equalizer. Seeing the result alone on paper, a draw at Rio Tinto, you’d think it was an accomplishment for Gary Smith’s side, playing in the most unfriendly confines in MLS. It should’ve been a win, though, with the Rapids controlling play against a weakened Salt Lake side. The dropped points mean that the Rapids slid into the final playoff spot behind the ‘Quakes and Sounders, but that shouldn’t be too much cause for concern. The teams on the outside looking in (Chicago, Toronto, and KC) all lost and the Rapids have two very winnable home games this week that could vault them right back up in the standings.
Get the Defibrillators Handy:
9. Kansas City Wizards, 33 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: New York (A) – Last week, I said that the Wizards were the one club who could still jump into the playoffs from outside the top-eight and they did their part midweek in beating the Dynamo, 4-3. They hid the skids on the weekend, though, in dropping a 3-1 decision to FCD. With the Earthquakes and Sounders winning, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Realistically, the team that KC should have its sights on is the Sounders, due to the game in hand. They’ll meet head –to-head next week, but before then, they have a tough away match in New Jersey. Drop points to the Red Bulls and the Seattle match next week won’t have the weight it does right now.
10. Toronto FC, 31 points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Seattle (A) – Sure, TFC’s loss to San Jose likely doomed them to missing the playoffs, but it’s not like Dwayne De Rosario expressed his displeasure with his current contract and demanded more money from the club after the match…oh wait, he did. The comedy of errors that is the Reds’ season took another unexpected turn on Saturday with DeRo’s out of nowhere revelation. Frankly, now’s not the time for this. The Reds are officially eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Sounders coupled with wins for the ‘Quakes and Rapids. While it might not happen this week, it’s become obvious that if the Reds want to salvage anything from this campaign, it will have to be through the Champions League and that means beating RSL on Tuesday.
11. Philadelphia Union, 27 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Colorado (A) – Consider the run-in to close the season for the Union as an extended audition for Brad Knighton. Chris Seitz, though a series of blunders and generally unassertive play over the course of the season, opened the door for the former Revs’ ‘keeper. Knighton is making the most of his opportunity. With two cleans sheets in his last three starts, the man who started the year as a back-up as won the confidence of his teammates and won over the Philly faithful. Seitz is still a solid prospect and a full blown goaltending controversy at PPL Park next season might be just what the 23-year-old needs to get back his swagger.
12. Chicago Fire, 26 Points, 6 Matches Remaining – Up Next: San Jose (A) - Simply put, lose at San Jose on Wednesday and it’s all over for the Fire. The winless streak is up to seven matches now and it seems like certain Chicago players are looking forward towards time off and not the playoffs. The one thing the Fire has on its side is a game (or two versus some) at hand over the teams in front of them, but making up 10 points in so little time is a big ask from anybody. The Fire have been far too streaky to legitimately contend this season.
13. Chivas USA, 25 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Los Angeles (H) – While two eliminated sides, the Revs and Dynamo, have more points than CDC, the Goats remain alive by the slimmest of margins thanks to a game in hand. Chivas might be able to survive for another week, but there’s also a chance that they’ll be done before they even step on the pitch on Sunday. If the ‘Quakes, Rapids, and Sounders are all victorious on Saturday, then the Goats are gone. Barring that, if they don’t get full points in the SuperClasico, Chivas will be gone in that scenario, as well. Really, though, barring a miracle, this team is not playing a second of post-season soccer. What Chivas should be concentrating on right now is local bragging rights and doing whatever they can to try to derail the Galaxy’s march to the Supporters’ Shield.
The Dead Pool
14. New England Revolution (ELIMINATED), 26 Points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Real Salt Lake (H) – Once again, scorelines can be deceiving. Simply looking at the Revs’ week and seeing draws with FCD and the Crew seems like a decent pair of games for New England, but this was a case of four points lost, rather than two earned. In both matches, sloppy play late led to penalties and two likely victories turned into draws. To be fair, wins really wouldn’t have done anything more than prolong the stay of execution, but you saw this week what has gone wrong all season for Steve Nicol’s (for now, at least) side. With Nicol’s name being linked to the Toronto job, movement, if any, in the Revs’ camp this off-season will be interesting to watch.
15. Houston Dynamo (ELIMINATED), 26 Points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Philadephia (A) – The Dynamo can still have a say in the 2010 playoff race before it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, their actions will have no bearing on their own post-season plans (golf, maybe? Fishing? Boardwalk Empire looks pretty good), but finishing the year off with the Earthquakes and Sounders means that Houston can still play spoiler and attempt to throw a monkey wrench into the plans of a couple of Western Conference rivals. The Dynamo is playing for pride right now and hopefully, the incentive to not finish dead last in the West is a enough of a carrot to play out the string in strong fashion.
Redskins Update:
16. DC United (ELIMINATED), 17 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Colorado (A) – Some people didn’t care for a Redskins update in this spot last week and wanted to some more insight into whether or not interim head coach Ben Olsen would be sticking around next season. Ok, fine. It’s too early to say whether or not he’ll be back. Olsen truly received a baptism by fire when he took over for the dismissed Curt Onalfo, but there’s some talk that president Kevin Payne still thinks that he’s too green for the permanent position. United will certainly not be the only club exploring the coaching market this off-season, but the issue becomes whether or not there’s an out-and-out better option available than Olsen. It makes no sense to dismiss him if there isn’t somebody else in mind. Like New England and Toronto, DCU will be a very intriguing team to watch over the coming months.
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Anyway, this weekend saw the defending MLS Cup champions, Real Salt Lake, join the already qualified LA Galaxy in the field of eight, while DC United made room in the dead pool for Houston and New England. Six spots now remain with 11 teams mathematically still vying for them, but that could change in a hurry. Three clubs can clinch this week (Columbus, New York, and FC Dallas), while the quartet of Chivas USA, Toronto FC, Philadelphia, and Chicago might be able to start making vacation plans.
Let’s look at how this week breaks down:
The Cream of the Crop:
1. Los Angeles Galaxy (QUALIFIED), 50 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chivas USA (A) – Frankly, I was insulted to discover that nobody involved with the Galaxy read last week’s column. How do I know? Well, I mentioned last week that a strong run-up to the playoffs would be imperative for the Galaxy and then they went ahead and laid an egg at home to the Red Bulls. Yes, New York’s goals were rather fortuitous ones, but it was unforced Galaxy errors that led to them, especially the Dane Richards tap-in. The mental mistakes coupled with a seeming inability to get forward through the NYRB midfield meant that Bruce Arena’s side were simply outworked. The Galaxy were fortunate that RSL was unable to take full advantage of their slip-up or LA might have been looking up at the top of the table for the first time in a long while. On paper, CDC seems like an easier encounter this week, but derby matches are always unpredictable and if the Galaxy play like they did against the Red Bulls, this edition of the SuperClasico could head the Goats’ way.
2. Real Salt Lake (QUALIFIED), 48 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: New England (A) – Jason Kreis knew that resting as many of his starters as he did on Saturday versus the Rapids was a calculated risk. Though, RSL did extend its ridiculous home unbeaten streak to 24 matches, it took the first goal of the season from Nat Borchers in the dying seconds to do so and earn a draw. The full extent of the gamble won’t be known until Tuesday night’s Champions League tie with TFC. The likes of Nick Rimando and Jamison Olave will be back in the line-up, but travel troubles meant that most of the team didn’t arrive in T.O. until late Monday. The whole point in not playing the guys he didn’t versus Colorado was for Kreis to keep them well-rested for Toronto. Now that they aren’t, thanks to bad weather in Atlanta, if they can’t pull out a result in Toronto, then the missed opportunity to catch the Galaxy will be doubly rued.
3. FC Dallas, 46 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chicago (H) – Last week, I said that FCD might be the sleeper in the Supporters’ Shield race, but the Hoops got all that they could handle from the Revs midweek. Much like RSL, they needed a late strike (from Jeff Cunningham) to preserve a streak, in this case their 16-match unbeaten run. That being said, they were the only contender to get full points on the weekend and ran their streak to 17 with a huge 3-1 win over the Wizards. This leaves Dallas in a position to clinch this week. A win over the Fire would put the Hoops in the dance, but they can also get there with a draw versus Chicago coupled with Kansas City failing to win at New York. With three key divisional match-ups to close out the year, Heath Pearce and co. would like to get the playoff berth wrapped up ASAP in order to make their run at the Shield.
4. Columbus Crew, 45 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: San Jose (H) – Though they could only manage a draw in Foxboro on Saturday and face a possible playoff opponent in the Earthquakes this weekend, Robert Warzycha’s club is looking at what could be a pretty good week. An away draw on Wednesday night with Guatemala’s Municipal means that the 2008 MLS Cup winners will qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals. Then, later in the week, the Crew can clinch its third straight MLS playoff spot. How? Well, a Columbus win over San Jose coupled with the Wizards’ failing to win at New York will give the Crew a berth. But wait! There’s more. A draw with the Earthquakes and a Kansas City loss would also put Columbus in the playoffs. Obviously, that last scenario isn’t optimal, as it would also involve NYRB jumping into first in the East. Nonetheless, with the Red Bulls nipping at the Crew’s heels, a big week from Columbus would go a long way to right the ship heading into the post-season.
5. New York Red Bulls, 44 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Kansas City (H) – In a word, NYRB’s win over the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center was decisive and pulled themselves within a single point of the Crew for top spot in the East. This certainly looked more the Red Bulls who were laying waste to opposition over the past six weeks than the club who labored to get their offense going against FCD last week. Sans Thierry Henry, New York was led by Dane Richards, whose pace has the ability to turn a match on its ear at will. While the club is six points away from the Supporters’ Shield with 12 to play for, Hans Backe would be the first to admit that clinching a playoff spot as soon as possible is NYRB’s goal right now and anything else would be gravy. That spot could come as early as this week with a win over the Wizards.
Don’t Book a Vacation Just Yet:
6. San Jose Earthquakes, 39 Points, 6 Games Remaining – Up Next: Chicago (H) – Of Saturday’s 3-2 win over TFC, Frank Yallop said that it “could’ve been 6-6”. Well, it wasn’t. Through Chris Wondolowski’s hat trick, the ‘Quakes did exactly what they needed to do in Toronto and grab full points. At the beginning of the season, nobody thought San Jose had any business being where they are right now, but that just goes to show you that talk is cheap. Up next is the opportunity to crush some more dreams with a midweek tie against the Fire. RSL proved last season that a playoff spot is all you need to make some noise and if there’s a world-beater amongst the lower seeds in the 2010 playoffs, it might very well be these Earthquakes.
7. Seattle Sounders, 39 points, 4 Matches Remaining - Up Next: Toronto (H) – The Sounders are doing exactly what they need to do to ensure a second consecutive playoff spot. Unbeaten in three, the Sounders will turn their focus to eliminating Toronto FC from playoff contention this weekend. Granted, there is the matter of Champions League action on Wednesday with CD Marathon, but with Seattle already eliminated from quarterfinals qualification, the match will be used for Sigi Schmid to give some of his reserves and younger players some playing time. With Chicago down and Toronto and then Kansas City in the crosshairs, Seattle can put an exclamation mark on their post-season qualification by breaking the spirit of each post-season pretender in succession.
8. Colorado Rapids, 38 Points, 5 Games Remaining – Up Next: Philadelphia (H) – The Rapids were unlucky not to leave Utah with full points on the weekend leading for a majority of the match, through Conor Casey, against RSL before conceding a stoppage time equalizer. Seeing the result alone on paper, a draw at Rio Tinto, you’d think it was an accomplishment for Gary Smith’s side, playing in the most unfriendly confines in MLS. It should’ve been a win, though, with the Rapids controlling play against a weakened Salt Lake side. The dropped points mean that the Rapids slid into the final playoff spot behind the ‘Quakes and Sounders, but that shouldn’t be too much cause for concern. The teams on the outside looking in (Chicago, Toronto, and KC) all lost and the Rapids have two very winnable home games this week that could vault them right back up in the standings.
Get the Defibrillators Handy:
9. Kansas City Wizards, 33 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: New York (A) – Last week, I said that the Wizards were the one club who could still jump into the playoffs from outside the top-eight and they did their part midweek in beating the Dynamo, 4-3. They hid the skids on the weekend, though, in dropping a 3-1 decision to FCD. With the Earthquakes and Sounders winning, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Realistically, the team that KC should have its sights on is the Sounders, due to the game in hand. They’ll meet head –to-head next week, but before then, they have a tough away match in New Jersey. Drop points to the Red Bulls and the Seattle match next week won’t have the weight it does right now.
10. Toronto FC, 31 points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Seattle (A) – Sure, TFC’s loss to San Jose likely doomed them to missing the playoffs, but it’s not like Dwayne De Rosario expressed his displeasure with his current contract and demanded more money from the club after the match…oh wait, he did. The comedy of errors that is the Reds’ season took another unexpected turn on Saturday with DeRo’s out of nowhere revelation. Frankly, now’s not the time for this. The Reds are officially eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Sounders coupled with wins for the ‘Quakes and Rapids. While it might not happen this week, it’s become obvious that if the Reds want to salvage anything from this campaign, it will have to be through the Champions League and that means beating RSL on Tuesday.
11. Philadelphia Union, 27 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Colorado (A) – Consider the run-in to close the season for the Union as an extended audition for Brad Knighton. Chris Seitz, though a series of blunders and generally unassertive play over the course of the season, opened the door for the former Revs’ ‘keeper. Knighton is making the most of his opportunity. With two cleans sheets in his last three starts, the man who started the year as a back-up as won the confidence of his teammates and won over the Philly faithful. Seitz is still a solid prospect and a full blown goaltending controversy at PPL Park next season might be just what the 23-year-old needs to get back his swagger.
12. Chicago Fire, 26 Points, 6 Matches Remaining – Up Next: San Jose (A) - Simply put, lose at San Jose on Wednesday and it’s all over for the Fire. The winless streak is up to seven matches now and it seems like certain Chicago players are looking forward towards time off and not the playoffs. The one thing the Fire has on its side is a game (or two versus some) at hand over the teams in front of them, but making up 10 points in so little time is a big ask from anybody. The Fire have been far too streaky to legitimately contend this season.
13. Chivas USA, 25 Points, 5 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Los Angeles (H) – While two eliminated sides, the Revs and Dynamo, have more points than CDC, the Goats remain alive by the slimmest of margins thanks to a game in hand. Chivas might be able to survive for another week, but there’s also a chance that they’ll be done before they even step on the pitch on Sunday. If the ‘Quakes, Rapids, and Sounders are all victorious on Saturday, then the Goats are gone. Barring that, if they don’t get full points in the SuperClasico, Chivas will be gone in that scenario, as well. Really, though, barring a miracle, this team is not playing a second of post-season soccer. What Chivas should be concentrating on right now is local bragging rights and doing whatever they can to try to derail the Galaxy’s march to the Supporters’ Shield.
The Dead Pool
14. New England Revolution (ELIMINATED), 26 Points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Real Salt Lake (H) – Once again, scorelines can be deceiving. Simply looking at the Revs’ week and seeing draws with FCD and the Crew seems like a decent pair of games for New England, but this was a case of four points lost, rather than two earned. In both matches, sloppy play late led to penalties and two likely victories turned into draws. To be fair, wins really wouldn’t have done anything more than prolong the stay of execution, but you saw this week what has gone wrong all season for Steve Nicol’s (for now, at least) side. With Nicol’s name being linked to the Toronto job, movement, if any, in the Revs’ camp this off-season will be interesting to watch.
15. Houston Dynamo (ELIMINATED), 26 Points, 4 Matches Remaining – Up Next: Philadephia (A) – The Dynamo can still have a say in the 2010 playoff race before it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, their actions will have no bearing on their own post-season plans (golf, maybe? Fishing? Boardwalk Empire looks pretty good), but finishing the year off with the Earthquakes and Sounders means that Houston can still play spoiler and attempt to throw a monkey wrench into the plans of a couple of Western Conference rivals. The Dynamo is playing for pride right now and hopefully, the incentive to not finish dead last in the West is a enough of a carrot to play out the string in strong fashion.
Redskins Update:
16. DC United (ELIMINATED), 17 Points, 4 Games Remaining – Up Next: Colorado (A) – Some people didn’t care for a Redskins update in this spot last week and wanted to some more insight into whether or not interim head coach Ben Olsen would be sticking around next season. Ok, fine. It’s too early to say whether or not he’ll be back. Olsen truly received a baptism by fire when he took over for the dismissed Curt Onalfo, but there’s some talk that president Kevin Payne still thinks that he’s too green for the permanent position. United will certainly not be the only club exploring the coaching market this off-season, but the issue becomes whether or not there’s an out-and-out better option available than Olsen. It makes no sense to dismiss him if there isn’t somebody else in mind. Like New England and Toronto, DCU will be a very intriguing team to watch over the coming months.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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