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After a long delay from late February to mid-October, MLS The regular season has reached the finish line of the regular season: Decision Day, when all games in each conference begin simultaneously and often the final honors of the regular season are determined.
This time the biggest honors have already been decided. The Supporter’s Shield has been stuck for a long time FC Cincinnatiand LAFC’s Denis Bouanga has taken a stranglehold on the Golden Boot, now with a three-goal lead over Cincy’s Luciano Acosta. However, there is much to see this Judgment Day; Playoff spots are still on the line, as are seedings and spots for those eventual games. Those great margins could make all the difference once the playoffs arrive.
Here are the games to look out for on Judgment Day, ranked by tier.
GO DEEPER
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Eastern Conference (kickoff 6 p.m. ET)
Level 1: Maximum importance
This isn’t a particularly sexy matchup given the shortcomings each team has had this season and the disappointing results of late, but this is the only Eastern Conference matchup between two teams on the playoff bubble, and these types of actions are what make the Day of Judgment. .
whether Charlotte could have held on to a lead in Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw with Inter Miami, NYCFC would have already been eliminated. Now, NYCFC must win to have a chance, while a win for Chicago would seal a spot for them as well (unless Montreal and the Red Bulls also win, which is unlikely but possible).
This is clearly a big moment for both teams and will be worth watching regardless of how much both teams have struggled this year.
Wilfried Nancy Bowl! The manager’s current club, Columbus, hosts his former employers Montreal with the chance to push the Canadian club to the brink of missing the playoffs. Montreal currently sits one point above the playoff line. A loss here would put them in a precarious position.
The crew has completed playoff qualification; they are playing for seeding and further revenge for Nancy against his old club, as Columbus won 4-2 the last time these two met. The Crew is a team to watch on the field, so it should be a fun team that also has big playoff implications: The Crew need a point to at least stay in fourth place and get home field advantage coming with him for the first time. round. A win could propel them into third place.
Level 2: Somewhat important or fun
The Red Bulls could still sneak into the playoffs (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
With wins in three of their last four, RBNY has stayed alive enough to enter Decision Day with something to play for — and now the team’s league-record playoff streak (13 straight seasons, tied for Seattle Sounders) is online. A trip to Nashville will be very difficult, but they have the inside track on last place with a win, because the only way to be eliminated is if the Fire make up a seven-goal margin in their game.
Nashville, currently seventh, could finish as high as fifth. They won’t have home-field advantage in the first round, but this is a team built for the playoffs, seeds be damned.
Charlotte FC vs. Inter Miami
Charlotte blew a big chance on Wednesday in the first impromptu home-and-home matchup with Miami, falling to a late tie at DRV PNK Stadium with Lionel Messi watching from the stands in jeans. A win would have put them above the playoff line and set up a scenario where a draw on Saturday would likely have been enough.
But no. It was the same story of Charlotte’s season: Late goals and dropped points. Charlotte is MLS worst with 25 points dropped from winning positions this year and MLS worst with -7 goal difference after 84th minute. They could very well be a playoff team if they were just league average or pretty bad instead of disastrous late in games.
Charlotte needs to win and some help. Messi says he will play too. These elements alone make this one worth watching.
Cincy won the Shield and Atlanta made the playoffs, but the latter is playing for seeding and to prove it can hang with the big boys.
“Right now, all we’ve proven is that we’re one of the top 18 teams out of 29 teams,” Atlanta CEO Garth Lagerwey said Athletics a few weeks ago. “Hallelujah.” … Winning a playoff series, that would be progress.”
Although FCC has nothing tangible on the line, they will want to build momentum and increase persistence to playoff levels after a hangover (perhaps figuratively AND literally) after well-earned Shield celebrations. It should be a fun game, even if most of the other games mean more in terms of direct playoff implications.
New England’s post-Bruce Arena (and post-Gjorgje Petrović) freefall continues, having won just once in the last eight. They are fifth in the East and can still get as high as seventh.
Philly must win to maintain third place, as Columbus is just one point back. If Philly wins and the scores bounce a certain way elsewhere, these teams could see each other in the First Round.
Level 3: Please save yourself
No neutral needs to watch Toronto FC for months. Orlando is a good team looking to make some noise in the playoffs, but their seed can’t change no matter what happens on Saturday. If you’re not a fan of one of these teams, you can skip this one (and if that team is TFC, we’re sorry).
Western Conference (9 p.m. ET)
SKC and Minnesota each have a lot at stake (Jeremy Olson/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Level 1: Who wants to make it to the playoffs?
This is a Western Conference matchup with two teams on the playoff bubble, both of which could sneak into the playoffs with a win.
KC and Minnesota are tied at 41 points, two behind each FC Dallas and San Jose. If either wins, both would have the tiebreaker (victory) in Dallas and San Jose. SKC would also have completed the tie Portland (also by 43 points) if they lose, same for the Loons.
A tie would eliminate SKC and Minnesota. There must be a winner.
A streak of one win in their last nine games has dragged the Quakes into the playoff line. However, they are with a win here – they can even go through the play-in round with three points. Even a loss could see them qualify if SKC-Minnesota ends in a tie. But Dallas will have the draw on them if they stay level on points, so the onus is on San Jose to not leave it to chance and take care of business against an Austin team that has already been eliminated.
Coach Luchi Gonzalez, in his first season with the club, said the goal should be to qualify for the playoffs. They are very close.
Dallas needs a win to secure a playoff spot, and San Jose can get out of the playoffs with three points. They, too, play a team with nothing to play for.
If you can, I’d recommend setting up three screens to start with in these three tier 1 games and then adjust accordingly.
Level 2: Planting the bonanza
An earlier Dynamo win changed the course of Portland’s season (Jeremy Olson/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
This game coming on Decision Day is poetic in the full context of Portland’s season. The last time these two teams played, on August 20, Houston dominated the Timbers 5-0. This resulted in long-time and well-known coach Gio Savarese losing his job. It looked like the Timbers’ season was over that day.
Instead, Portland rallied. They are now the most in-form team in MLS with 13 points in their last six games (tied with Orlando City over that span).
The Timbers haven’t officially qualified for the postseason, but are in seventh place thanks to draws against Dallas and San Jose. A win would see them through to the play-in round. A loss could mean they fall out of the play-offs entirely (although three more results would have to go against them).
A win for Houston would secure home field advantage in the first round. A defeat could see them drop from fourth to sixth.
LAFC has closed out the home field in the first round, but a win would seal second place in the Western Conference.
Vancouver’s situation is difficult to determine, as the team is currently in sixth place, but only one point behind fourth and three behind third. A win, of course, would do them a lot of good in the standings, but perhaps even more so for their playoff credentials to beat the defending champions.
This should be fun and could end up being a playoff preview.
Level 3: If only these games had more action
Given the quality of these teams, I would normally look forward to the prospect of St. Louis vs. Seattle on Decision Day, but there just isn’t enough at stake this time. The only thing on the line here is Seattle’s seeding.
Such is the nature of the muddled West, there are many changes if Seattle loses – the Sounders could even fall out of the top four entirely (but unlikely).
The Rocky Mountain Cup isn’t even on the line here, as Real Salt Lake won the previous two games against Colorado this season, ending this edition of the rivalry. RSL, currently in fifth place, could drop a place or move up to third, pending this game and other results.
Colorado is dead last in the West, but it won’t have the ignominy of “winning” the Wooden Spoon awarded to the league’s worst team. Toronto finished this a while ago.
(Feature photo: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports)
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