{"id":10504,"date":"2017-10-16T07:00:32","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T11:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonsoccer.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=10504"},"modified":"2018-03-29T10:55:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-29T14:55:30","slug":"mls-penultimate-weekend-what-it-means-for-mls-decision-day-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2017\/10\/16\/mls-penultimate-weekend-what-it-means-for-mls-decision-day-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"MLS Penultimate Weekend: What It Means For MLS Decision Day 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial (October 16, 2017)<\/strong> – This past weekend<\/a> was the MLS penultimate weekend of the 2017 regular season. Much was\u00a0at stake<\/a>. Just one match day remains in the campaign, October 22, 2017, otherwise known as MLS Decision Day<\/a> 2017. Let’s see what happened and how it will affect the playoffs.<\/p>\n

MLS Penultimate Weekend: What It Means For MLS Decision Day 2017<\/h2>\n

This past weekend every team was in action. Five Eastern Conference vs. Eastern Conference match ups kicked off at 5 PM EST. All the Western Conference teams kicked off at 7:30 PM EST. The Portland Timbers hosting<\/a> D.C. United was the only cross-conference game. Find the full list of results here<\/a>. Find the full Decision Day schedule here<\/a>. With that, here’s the highlights of what happened in the MLS penultimate weekend 2017 and what it means for Decision Day.<\/p>\n

Four Teams Vying For Bye In East:<\/h3>\n

All six Eastern Conference teams clinched their spots over a week ago. Toronto FC effectively won the Supporter’s Shield a few weeks ago<\/a>. The only thing teams were fighting for was seeding. With New York Red Bulls drawing at home<\/a> and Columbus Crew SC getting a road win<\/a>, RBNY are now locked into the sixth and last spot.<\/p>\n

While TFC and RBNY can’t move seeds, the middle of the Eastern Conference sandwich is up for grabs. Chicago Fire were able to jump Atlanta United FC thanks to a win off a hat trick<\/a> from Nemanja Nikolic. With that, New York City FC, Chicago, Atlanta, and Columbus all still have a chance at second in the East, and that coveted wild card round bye.<\/p>\n

NYCFC could have locked things up, but lost<\/a> after a first half red card<\/a>. All four teams face off against other playoff teams this weekend. We’ll have to see who’s able to finish second.<\/p>\n

Western Conference Powers Punch Ticket:<\/h3>\n

Going into the weekend, only Vancouver Whitecaps FC had clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Four teams joined them<\/a> this weekend: Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting KC, and Houston Dynamo. Seattle and Portland both got blowout wins<\/a> at home. Sporting and Houston drew<\/a> at Children’s Mercy Park in a game that featured 41 shots<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Seeding is still very much up for grabs. The three Cascadia teams all still have a chance to finish at the top of the conference. SKC and Houston can both still finish as high as second, though it would take a lot for Houston to get it. Portland hosts<\/a> Vancouver on Sunday and is essentially a playoff for a first round bye. The Sounders have Colorado Rapids at home<\/a>, so they’ve got a good chance to get a bye as well.<\/p>\n

Last Spot Still Up For Grabs:<\/h3>\n

One playoff spot still remains unclaimed, and we didn’t get much clarity as to who would get it yesterday. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake both lost<\/a>, while San Jose Earthquakes got a big road point<\/a> at Vancouver. That draw puts San Jose above the red line on a tie breaker on wins over Dallas. None of these teams can catch fifth place Houston at this point. They’re battling for the last seat at the table.<\/p>\n

All three have home games for Decision Day. The Quakes<\/em> host<\/a> Minnesota United FC and should be heavy favorites. Dallas play<\/a> LA Galaxy, a very winnable game. RSL have<\/a> Sporting KC. San Jose should be favorites to me. Dallas is on a bad run of form. RSL has the most difficult opponent of the three. This goal<\/a> by Vako could end up saving San Jose’s season. If the LA Galaxy can beat Minnesota 3-0 at this point, San Jose should be able to win at least 4-0.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>