Well boys and girls, the regular season\u2019s over and the second season is about to begin. Six teams left in the East to duke it out for a chance to hoist the MLS Cup. Questions abound. Theories and opinions do too. But let\u2019s set all that aside for a second and consider \u2013 which of these six teams is really under the most pressure in the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs? Let\u2019s take this in reverse order.<\/p>\n
A bit of a mea culpa here \u2013 I admit I had no idea they were gonna be this good. Good enough to qualify for the playoffs in their first year in the league? Good enough to scare the bejeezus out of me with that attack? Nope. Didn\u2019t see it coming. And I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the only one who was surprised either. But that\u2019s exactly why these guys have to have the least <\/em><\/strong>pressure of any team in the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs. Because they\u2019ve already exceeded expectations. They made the playoffs right out of the gate. NYCFC couldn\u2019t do that. Orlando couldn\u2019t either. So they\u2019ve already won. DID YOU HEAR ME ATLANTA? YOU\u2019VE ALREADY WON. SO KNOCK IT OFF.<\/p>\n Last year I think a lot of people expected Columbus to make a run, a run that, as we now know, never materialized. Or said another way, I<\/em><\/strong> expected them to make a run and I got burned and then mocked endlessly for that prediction. But that\u2019s exactly why the Black and Gold have the second least pressure in the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs this year. Sure, every NYCFC player I spoke to on Sunday said that Columbus was a quality side and that they were lucky to come away with a point. But these guys have to be happy just to be back in contention after a dismal 2016 in which they finished 18th\u00a0overall \u2013 especially with their future looking so chaotic<\/a>.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got a World Cup winner in Bastian Schweinsteiger and 2017\u2019s Golden Boot winner in Nemanja Nikolic \u2013 so why isn\u2019t there more<\/strong> pressure on the Men in Red to win? I mean, with a pedigree like that, they should be at the top of this list, right? Not if you\u2019ve been paying any attention to MLS for more than this season. These guys have suffered so much pain for so long \u2013 with only one playoff appearance since 2009 \u2013 that you have to think their fans are just happy to be one of the six sides to make it to the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs. The fact that they square off in what some are calling \u201cThe Dax McCarty Cup\u201d on Wednesday night in Bridgeview is just a bonus (okay, okay; I\u2019m<\/em><\/strong> the only one calling it that\u2026)<\/p>\n Am I being too easy on the team I have spent the better part of three years covering? Should these guys – \u00a0who scored more goals than any other team in MLS last year and yet couldn\u2019t put a single one into the net in the playoffs \u2013 be feeling more<\/strong> pressure than a third spot indicates? Especially with those big stars like David Villa and Andrea Pirlo. Especially with that big payroll. And especially since they play in New York City, where results are the only thing that matters (unless you own the Knicks, it would seem)? No – because those are all precisely the reasons they are<\/em><\/strong> at number three in this rundown of teams in the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs. Last year was an embarrassment \u2013 a huge disappointment – that their high-priced talent must avenge this season. But that\u2019s achievable without winning the Cup. Win one series<\/em> and they will have done that. Win one game and they will have done that. Hell, score one lousy goal and they… well, maybe not.<\/p>\n And now the other shoe drops. Really? The Red Bulls? These guys barely made it in at all, how can they have any pressure? They\u2019re probably just happy to be in the show, right? Au contraire, mes amis, and here\u2019s why. First, this is a team that has only missed the postseason once since 2003. Their fans expect<\/em><\/strong> them to be in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Plus this is a team that has won the conference four times since 2010 and the Supporters’ Shield twice. Which means the Viking Army doesn\u2019t just expect them to appear in the post-season, they expect them to succeed there. The fact that they\u2019ve not achieved the success that their supporters have wanted, is, I think, a key source of their pressure. As does the fact that the team now faces a one-game, do-or-die, match with the team they traded their heart and soul to. So yeah, there\u2019s a lot of pressure. A lot, but not the most.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if it was my buddy JJ Devaney or if it was Andrew Gundling<\/a> \u2013 or if it was basically anyone with a pulse who said it, but it was true. Our brothers from the Great White North will invariably look at this season \u2013 in which they set an MLS record for most points scored in a season (becoming the first Canadian team to win the Supporters’ Shield) AND won the Canadian Championship \u2013 as an utter disaster if they do not raise the Cup when the playoffs are over. That\u2019s<\/em><\/strong> a lot of pressure. And it\u2019s legitimate. They came about as close to winning it last year as you possibly can. And they\u2019ve acted like they were on a mission from God<\/a> this year. But mostly because they\u2019re playing for fans who had to stand by them for eight long years before even getting a sniff of the post-season. Those<\/em><\/strong> fans are hungry. And they\u2019re gonna make the cold Canadian winter even colder for the Reds if they don\u2019t bring home the big hardware.<\/p>\nColumbus Crew SC<\/h2>\n
Chicago Fire<\/h2>\n
New York City FC<\/h2>\n
New York Red Bulls<\/h2>\n
Toronto FC<\/h2>\n