Two bonus games this weekend
Columbus host New England tonight at 7:30 pm ET and Vancouver welcome LAFC tomorrow at 7:30 pm ET.
The world decided we could have a little MLS this weekend. As a treat. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on as we get in the last two rescheduled games before Decision Day.
The Crew can set themselves up for the future
Columbus already have the second spot in the East locked down, but there’s still one more thing to play for this year. The team with the highest point total during the regular season gets to host MLS Cup. For a team like the Crew, that’s a massive deal.
Heading into the weekend, Columbus are four points behind the Galaxy and two points ahead of LAFC. They have a game in hand on the Galaxy. A win over a bad New England side tonight would give them a shot at catching the Galaxy on Decision Day and making sure they stay ahead of LAFC.
It’s all pretty straightforward. There are a couple of complications for the Crew tonight. We’ve already seen an international break flip a Crew game on its head due to absences. I’m doubtful they’ll have to put in an outfield player at goalkeeper tonight, but they will be missing a ton of players. Due to either injury or international duty, Steven Moreira, Sean Zawadski, Mo Farsi, Patrick Schulte and Cucho are all out for this one.
To be blunt: They don’t need those guys to beat this New England side with nothing to play for. It’s just gonna make things more difficult.
LAFC are trying to catch the Galaxy, too
Like the Crew, the stakes are pretty straightforward for LAFC the next two weekends. Either they catch the Galaxy or they don’t. They have to win on Sunday against Vancouver and win again on Decision Day to even have a shot at it.
If they can win out though, all they need is a loss from the Galaxy on Decision Day to grab the top spot. That may even be enough to jump the Crew for MLS Cup purposes too. The best case scenario is still in play for this group. They just have to take down a Vancouver side with plenty to play for.
Vancouver try to salvage a late drop
Look, let’s be real: no one is viewing Vancouver as a genuine threat in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. If you’ve bought into this team as even a dark horse contender before, you’ve been burned. But the Whitecaps still have time to set themselves up in the best possible situation to surprise everyone and make a playoff run.
They’re entering tonight in eighth place. That’s a Wild Card spot that would likely put them against Portland in a play-in game. They absolutely do not want any part of that.
But they still have a shot at finishing as high as fifth in the West. A win Sunday would bump them up to seventh heading into Decision Day. At that point, they’d be just a win and dropped points from Houston and Colorado away from a 4-5 matchup with RSL or Seattle in Round One. It’s still not favorable. But it’s better than a Wild Card game and a Round One matchup against one of the LA teams.
All they have to do is… beat LAFC Sunday and RSL on Decision Day. It’s more likely they’re stuck in a Wild Card spot than not. But hey, this is the point in the year they need to start proving everyone wrong, right?
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Good luck out there. Be prepared for major events.
