{"id":19536,"date":"2018-10-10T19:44:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T23:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonsoccer.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=19536"},"modified":"2018-10-10T21:31:35","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T01:31:35","slug":"reading-mls-western-conference-tea-leaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2018\/10\/10\/reading-mls-western-conference-tea-leaves\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading the MLS Western Conference Tea Leaves: Who Finishes Where?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Editorial (October 10, 2018)-\u00a0<\/strong>The Western Conference, as usual, is in the midst of a tight race heading into the final few matchups of the season. With only three teams clinched, and valid question marks for five teams still in the hunt, we attempt to read the tea leaves and see how it will shake out.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>Reading the MLS Western Conference Tea Leaves: How Does It Shake Out?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>Three teams in the MLS Western Conference have already clinched postseason spots: FC Dallas, Sporting KC, and LAFC. There are still five teams in the hunt for the playoffs as well. With two or three games remaining for all teams still alive, the importance on their final set of fixtures continues to grow. We&#8217;ll split this into competitive portions since the numbers even out.<\/p>\n<h2>Fighting to Stay Alive<\/h2>\n<p>Here is how the standings currently look for those close to the red line:<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--><\/style>\n<table dir=\"ltr\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Team &quot;}\">Team<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Points&quot;}\">Points<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Games Played&quot;}\">Games Played<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Possible Points&quot;}\">Possible Points<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Wins&quot;}\">Wins<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;GD&quot;}\">GD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Real Salt Lake&quot;}\">Real Salt Lake<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:46}\">46<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:32}\">32<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:52}\">52<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}\">13<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:-3}\">-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Galaxy&quot;}\">Galaxy<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:45}\">45<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:32}\">32<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:51}\">51<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}\">12<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:1}\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Whitecaps&quot;}\">Whitecaps<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:43}\">43<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:32}\">32<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:49}\">49<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}\">12<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:-11}\">-11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Whitecaps have to have everything above them go according to plan, including most teams ahead of them losing. The Galaxy can only max out at 51, which is where Portland currently sit. So basically, the teams below the red line should be hoping more for Portland to win out as it puts them closer to leapfrogging Real Salt Lake.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the remaining schedules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>RSL: vs NER, at POR<\/li>\n<li>LAG: at MIN, vs HOU<\/li>\n<li>VAN: vs. SKC, at LAFC, vs. POR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As much as I like the Whitecaps, with all that needs to happen ahead of them, and the remaining games they have, I just don&#8217;t see them landing a top six spot. The Galaxy, however, might have a good shot. They take on two teams that have been pretty bad, while RSL has to travel to Portland, and have their season wrapped up on the second to last day, giving the Galaxy a full week of knowing how to take care of business. Again, Seattle and Portland shouldn&#8217;t be too worried unless they endure a massive collapse.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Gets a Home Playoff Game?<\/h2>\n<p>The top four race is actually the more interesting one in my opinion. FC Dallas are starting to pull away in first place, but the race for the bye spot and home field position is starting to heat up. Here is how the top standings currently look:<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--><\/style>\n<table dir=\"ltr\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/>\n<col width=\"100\" \/><\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Team &quot;}\">Team<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Points&quot;}\">Points<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Games Played&quot;}\">Games Played<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Possible Points&quot;}\">Possible Points<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Wins&quot;}\">Wins<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;GD&quot;}\">GD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;FC Dallas&quot;}\">FC Dallas<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:57}\">57<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:31}\">31<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:66}\">66<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}\">16<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}\">13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Sporting KC&quot;}\">Sporting KC<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:53}\">53<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:31}\">31<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:62}\">62<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}\">15<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:18}\">18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;LAFC&quot;}\">LAFC<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:53}\">53<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:31}\">31<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:62}\">62<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}\">15<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}\">15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Sounders&quot;}\">Sounders<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:50}\">50<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:31}\">31<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:59}\">59<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}\">15<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}\">12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Timbers&quot;}\">Timbers<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:51}\">51<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:32}\">32<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:57}\">57<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:14}\">14<\/td>\n<td data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}\">4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Sounders may have less points than the Timbers, but you&#8217;ll see why I have them there in a second. Here are the remaining schedules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>FC Dallas: at DCU, vs SKC, at COL<\/li>\n<li>Sporting KC: at VAN, at FCD, vs LAFC<\/li>\n<li>LAFC: vs HOU, vs VAN, at SKC<\/li>\n<li>Sounders: at ORL, at HOU, vs SJ<\/li>\n<li>Timbers: vs RSL, at VAN<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Does it make sense why I have them there? Seattle&#8217;s remaining schedule is by far the easiest, and the Timbers have two tough games remaining on their schedule. Throw in the game in hand, I&#8217;d put the Sounders ahead of them even though the standings technically have it flipped.<\/p>\n<h3>How does it all shake out?<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s hard to see FC Dallas finishing outside the top two spots, so I&#8217;ll just stick them in first for now, but that could always change. So what happens through the end? It will come down to the final day between LAFC and SKC. The winner of that likely takes that second seed and avoids the knockout round. Neither of these teams are losing out on a home playoff game, so they&#8217;ll likely be locked into the top four. As for the rest? Here is how I see it shaking out:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>FC Dallas<\/li>\n<li>Sporting KC<\/li>\n<li>Seattle Sounders<\/li>\n<li>LAFC<\/li>\n<li>Portland Timbers<\/li>\n<li>Los Angeles Galaxy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Agree? Disagree? See something different? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"5t_WgelgQ25ktgKa956Ekg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1038997010\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'5t_WgelgQ25ktgKa956Ekg',sig:'U2kBz8imLSyIQAsc5px3RioeQSe-zEo9QUmP_p9dDko=',w:'594px',h:'459px',items:'1038997010',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A look at what to expect in the MLS Western Conference as the regular season comes to a close and teams fight for playoff positioning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":19551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2,17,1444,67,119,24,18,22,19,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fcd","category-featured","category-galaxy","category-lafc","category-minnesota-united","category-mls","category-timbers","category-rsl","category-sounders","category-skc","category-whitecaps"],"modified_by":"Daniel Sperry, Staff Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}