360 View: These Decision Day games are appointment viewing

Hello, folks. Welcome to 360 View with yours truly, Kevin Egan.

As the host of MLS 360 on Apple TV, I’m buzzing for Decision Day. Our live whip-around show is tailor-made for this manic and chaotic night, and I promise you Saturday will not disappoint.

Our Decision Day in studio looks like this:

I can’t believe we’re here already. It feels like just a few weeks ago that BWP, Sacha, Kaylyn and I were laughing throughout a hilarious photoshoot for the show back in January. It certainly feels like just weeks ago Sacha disagreed with BWP about Evander having Landon Donovan MLS MVP quality… or Kaylyn said Luis Suárez would be displaced in the Inter Miami starting XI by Leo Campana by Matchday 3… or BWP was president of the "Vancouver Whitecaps for top-four" push! I make fun because I love these guys, and their analysis all year has been top-notch. I love learning from them each and every week.

In the few hours leading up to #MLS360, I usually throw in the AirPods and drift into my own world to help me prepare for almost five hours of madness. Re-emphasizing the stakes for each team is so important, so that when we bounce from match to match, I can hopefully amplify the importance of each moment. Our brilliant producer, Pedro Ortiz, will usually pop by and we’ll have a quick chat about a few aspects of the show, one of which is the order of match importance on that specific day. In other words: When the games kick off, what stadium are we going to first and why? After that, it’s buckle up and let the fun begin.

Major League Soccer has a habit of making a mockery of those who like to predict outcomes. Decision Day may very well make a fool of me, but I’m going to give this whole predictions game a rattle, and tell you which three games in each conference I think will be the most compelling (and why).

Decision Day is going to be epic! Get involved by using #MLS360.

Philadelphia Union vs. FC Cincinnati

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 6 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

Something tells me Subaru Park will be bouncing in celebration on Saturday night. The odds of Philly making the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs are slim, with Jim Curtin’s side needing a win vs. Cincinnati, and either Montréal or D.C. to lose at home.

Maybe this is my heart shouting louder than my head, because the Union deserve to be exactly where they are, especially after a disastrous mid-season run of one win in 17 matches. They’ve also taken just one point from their last three games, as they close out the season with arguably the toughest schedule in MLS.

Here’s the thing: this Union team will never go out without a fight. They haven't missed the playoffs since 2017. Since then, they’ve been crowned 2020 Supporters' Shield winners and reached MLS Cup 2022. Many folks before the season kicked off had Philly challenging at the very top, with maybe one final push from this core group. Now Alejandro Bedoya, Andre Blake, Jakob Glesnes, Dániel Gazdag & Co. will need luck to bounce their way either in D.C. or Montréal. A loss for either of these teams, combined with a Philly win, will see Jim Curtin’s men move level on ‘wins’ (first tiebreaker), with a far superior goal differential (second tiebreaker), and thus, make the Wild Card game.

The Union have scored the third-most goals in the East, with Tai Baribo, Mikael Uhre and Gazdag combining for 36. In Blake, they’ve got their MVP available. And in Cincinnati, they’ve got an opponent that’s just lost three straight and are absolutely backing into the playoffs.

Bouncing between the D.C., Montréal, Philadelphia and Atlanta games, with all four teams hoping to lock in a playoff spot, is going to be a fun time!

Inter Miami CF vs. New England Revolution

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 6 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

Inter Miami may already be Supporters' Shield champions, but they have so much to play for on Decision Day. New England may have been eliminated from postseason contention, but they also have so much to play for. You see, the MLS record books will tell you that New England hold the all-time MLS regular-season points tally, and the Revs are mighty proud of that. Miami can eclipse that 73-point total from 2021 if they beat the Revs on Saturday.

This Miami team is built to break records, and on paper, Saturday’s game should be a breeze for Lionel Messi’s side. New England have lost 22 games in all competitions this season, a stark contrast to when they won 22 MLS games in 2021 to lift the Shield. Seven players remain on the New England squad from 2021, one of which is the MVP from that record season: Carles Gil. But he’ll unfortunately miss this clash with a hamstring injury.

We will, however, see Miami’s No. 10, the greatest of all time. Many folks I speak with aren’t sure who’s going to get their vote for MLS MVP (Oct. 21 deadline!), so Decision Day could play a crucial role. Lionel Messi just bagged a hat trick and had two assists in a hugely impressive win for Argentina over an in-form Bolivia. Messi isn’t slowing down, and he’ll see Decision Day as an opportunity to claim another all-time team record, as well as potentially securing his first MLS MVP award.

CF Montréal vs. New York City FC

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 6 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

There’s so much at stake in this game, and it’s bound to be a nervy night at Stade Saputo. This is déjà vu for CF Montréal. This time last year, as Decision Day rapidly approached, Montréal were above the playoff line. But when the full-time whistle blew, they missed out on the playoffs. Laurent Courtois was not in charge then, but you can be sure he’s aware of how perilous his team's standing is.

Here’s the scenario: Montréal simply need to not lose at home to make the Wild Card Game. They face a side that’s only won four road games all season. Easy right? Anything but.

New York City FC are the visitors, and their motivation is clear: win and potentially snatch a top-four place on Decision Day, leapfrogging Orlando City SC. Top four gives teams that crucial home-field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 series.

It seems that James Sands’ 95th-minute equalizer against Inter Miami on Sept. 21 has been the catalyst that’s sparked a revival for the Pigeons. Since that draw against Messi’s Miami, New York City have won three straight, scoring 11 goals. Alonso Martínez was supposed to be third on the striker depth chart, but the Costa Rican clearly doesn’t give a damn about charts. Sixteen goals this season in only 1,408 minutes played. Phenomenal!

With Josef Martínez now in double-digit scoring for Montréal, we’ve got two in-form strikers going head to head on the crucial final day. Martínez vs. Martínez! Let’s be havin’ ya!

Houston Dynamo FC vs. LA Galaxy

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 9 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

Does anyone remember last year when the Galaxy finished 13th in the Western Conference with a measly 36 points? It was a brutal season, leaving us wondering why the most decorated club in MLS had fallen so far from the glory years.

This is where Greg Vanney and the entire front office, coaching staff and players deserve enormous credit. For the first time since 2011, LA Galaxy can finish the MLS regular season at the summit of the Western Conference. To do so, they must avoid defeat in Houston.

The Dynamo will want to solidify fifth place and avoid slipping as far as seventh if they lose. If you finish seventh, you’ll be handed the mammoth task of taking down LAFC, with the 2022 MLS Cup champions having home-field advantage. Positioning here is so crucial.

But make no mistake, the neutral will have all eyes on the Galaxy here. For me, they’re the most fun team to watch in MLS. They concede too many goals, but they also score when they want! In Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil, Gabriel Pec and Dejan Joveljic, they’re the first quartet in MLS history to all hit double digits.

The Galaxy have yet to lose at Dignity Health Sports Park this season and they’ll want to secure top of the West, as well as second in the Supporters' Shield standings. That second spot means they’d host MLS Cup if Inter Miami are beaten in the playoffs.

This is going to be a brilliant clash in downtown Houston!

LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 9 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

LAFC are back!

Watch out, as the boys in downtown Los Angeles are out to leapfrog their El Tráfico rival on the final day of the season. If LAFC beat San Jose at home, and the Galaxy slip up at Houston, LAFC would move level with the Galaxy on points and wins, meaning we’re honing in on goal differential. LAFC trail the Galaxy by two goals right now, but I expect that’ll change on Saturday night.

Can you imagine if LAFC take the top spot off the Galaxy on Decision Day, and go on to host Greg Vanney’s side in a Western Conference Final, and maybe even host MLS Cup? This is what’s at stake here.

LAFC have navigated some murky waters and look to have truly rediscovered their best self. Steve Cherundolo has resorted back to operating with three center backs, and since then LAFC have won all five games, including the US Open Cup final. Hugo Lloris has been as advertised. Aaron Long may win Defender of the Year. Olivier Giroud has integrated well, albeit without scoring in MLS. Goals certainly haven’t been an issue for Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz, who’ve hammered home a combined 34 goals between them in league play. And maybe LAFC’s most impressive performer of late has been 18-year-old Venezuelan winger David Martínez.

I still wonder if LAFC’s central midfield is good enough to help win close games against the best in MLS. Timothy Tillman and Lewis O’Brien have been Cherundolo's preferred pairing, with Ilie Sánchez and Eduard Atuesta on the outside looking in.

Since LAFC arrived on the scene in 2018, the Black & Gold have finished ahead of the Galaxy in all but one season. The year that the Galaxy bested LAFC was in 2021, but it didn’t leave any bragging rights on offer, as both missed out on the playoffs.

It’s never been this good. These fierce rivals will finish first and second in the West this season. That one positional difference could play an enormous role once the playoffs kick off!

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers

• WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19 - 9 pm ET
• WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass

This is hard to believe, so listen up. The last time the Sounders tasted victory over their arch-rival Portland at home was in the summer of 2017. Caleb Porter was the Timbers coach. That was over seven years ago! My bet is that trend is bucked this Saturday.

Seattle started this season in disastrous fashion. Two points from their opening five games. Just one victory in nine. Talk of the Brian Schmetzer era coming to a close. Now? Those talks and that form feel like a decade ago.

The Sounders are hitting the playoffs as THE most in-form team in MLS. No other side has picked up 13 points from their last five MLS games, and I think you’d be a fool to bet against this team right now. They have the stingiest defense in the league, conceding just 34 goals in 33 games. They can boast the most clean sheets in the league with 13. That old saying about defense winning championships comes to mind.

That defense will face one of the league's most lethal attacks Saturday night, with Felipe Mora, Evander and Jonathan Rodríguez coming to town. That trident has scored a combined 45 goals. That’s more than eight MLS teams have managed to score all season! They’ve been electric, and so much fun to watch. Now they’ve got to hope that their defense plays their part and keep Seattle at bay.

Immovable object vs. unstoppable force? Yes, that feels pretty accurate right now.