With just a few weeks left in the season, Week 31 was a big one for a lot of teams in MLS along the red line.
In the East, Orlando City SC got a huge win at home against the sixth-place Montreal Impact to stave off elimination for at least one more week.
Out West, the teams sitting in the sixth and seventh spots failed to take advantage of each other's blunders.
The Timbers struggled yet again at home, losing to a tired Sporting Kansas City team that had just emerged victorious from a grueling US Open Cup on the other side of the country. The win all but secured Sporting's place in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs.
To the south, the San Jose Earthquakes had another chance to get a win at Avaya Stadium. But they couldn't build off of last week's win against Real Salt Lake, only managing a draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.
Does your team sit above or below the red line? Check out the current standings and the new 2015 playoff rules. Then take a gander below at the current playoff scenarios. Here's where things would stand if the season ended after Week 31:
EASTERN CONFERENCE (Seed in parentheses)
Byes to Conference Semifinals:
(1) New York Red Bulls, (2) D.C. United
Conference Knockout Round Matches:
(3) New England Revolution vs. (6) Montreal Impact
(4) Columbus Crew SC vs. (5) Toronto FC
WESTERN CONFERENCE (Seed in Parentheses)
Byes to Conference Semifinals:
(1) LA Galaxy, (2) FC Dallas
Conference Knockout Round Matches:
(3) Vancouver Whitecaps vs. (6) San Jose Earthquakes
(4) Sporting Kansas City vs. (5) Seattle Sounders
In the Supporters' Shield race, both the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas collected home wins that could separate them from the pack. Ten teams still sit within five points of the lead, but New York and Dallas both have four games remaining, giving them an advantage over their competition.
Will the playoff matchups and Shield standings hold through the final weekend of the season? Take a look at the table below, which illustrates each team's remaining matches and the strength of schedule.
The strength of schedule metric takes into account the average points per game (PPG) each team's oppponents earn at home and on the road. The lower the PPG, the easier the schedule.
For example, if FC Dallas traveled to play the LA Galaxy, who have averaged 2.5 PPG at home, and then hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have averaged 1.53 PPG on the road, their opponents PPG would be 2.02.
| Road to the Playoffs | ||
| Team | Games Remaining | Strength of Schedule Rank (Opp. PPG) |
| Eastern Conference | ||
| New York Red Bulls | 4 (MTL, @TOR, PHI, @CHI) | 6 (1.29) |
| D.C. United | 2 (CHI, @CLB) | 1 (1.03) |
| New England Revolution | 2 (MTL, @NYC) | 2 (1.05) |
| Columbus Crew SC | 2 (@TOR, DC) | T-12 (1.51) |
| Toronto FC | 3 (NY, CLB, @MTL) | 11 (1.49) |
| Montreal Impact | 4 (@NY, @COL, @NE, TOR) | 15 (1.60) |
| Orlando City SC | 2 (NYC, @PHI) | 4 (1.13) |
| New York City FC | 2 (@ORL, NE) | 5 (1.16) |
| Philadelphia Union | 2 (@NY, ORL) | T-16 (1.63) |
| Chicago Fire | 2 (@DC, NY) | T-18 (1.67) |
| Western Conference | ||
| LA Galaxy | 2 (POR, @SKC) | T-16 (1.63) |
| FC Dallas | 4 (@VAN, VAN, @RSL, SJ) | T-12 (1.51) |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 3 (DAL, @DAL, HOU) | 8 (1.34) |
| Sporting Kansas City | 3 (@SJ, COL, LA) | 3 (1.12) |
| Seattle Sounders | 2 (@HOU, RSL) | T-9 (1.38) |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2 (SKC, @DAL) | T-18 (1.67) |
| Portland Timbers | 3 (@RSL, @LA, COL) | 20 (1.72) |
| Houston Dynamo | 2 (SEA, @VAN) | 7 (1.31) |
| Real Salt Lake | 3 (POR, DAL, @SEA) | T-9 (1.38) |
| Colorado Rapids | 3 (MTL, @SKC, @POR) | T-12 (1.51) |
Do you think your team will make the playoffs? Tell us why (or why not) in the comments below.
