By defeating the Kansas City Wizards Saturday on a dramatic, stoppage-time goal, Chivas USA became the fourth MLS team to secure a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs, which begin Thursday, Oct. 25 on ESPN2. The MLS champion will be crowned at MLS Cup 2007 being held in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET (ABC, TeleFutura).
D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution had previously clinched passage to the postseason. Chivas USA, led by Ante Razov's two-goal performance against Kansas City, moved to the top of the Western Conference and closed within two points of D.C. United, the current overall leader in the MLS standings. When the regular season ends on Oct. 21, the team with the most points will win the Supporters' Shield and will qualify for the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Most MLS teams have just four regular season games remaining.
Below are the scenarios in which teams could clinch or be eliminated this week:
FC Dallas:
Will clinch a playoff spot IF:
FC Dallas defeats Houston on Sunday AND
Columbus fails to win against Los Angeles on Sunday
OR IF:
FC Dallas ties Houston on Sunday AND
Columbus loses to Los Angeles on Sunday
New York Red Bulls:
Will clinch a playoff spot IF:
... New York defeats Real Salt Lake on Saturday AND Colorado fails to win against New England on Saturday AND
Columbus loses against Los Angeles on Sunday
Real Salt Lake:
Will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention IF:
... Real Salt Lake fails to win against New York on Saturday AND
Chicago defeats Chivas USA on Saturday
Toronto FC:
Will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention IF:
... Toronto FC fails to win against D.C. United on Saturday AND
Chicago defeats Chivas USA on Saturday
If the season ended today, the eight teams below would qualify. They are listed according to their would-be opponents in two-game, aggregate goals playoff series:
Eastern Conference Semifinals
D.C. United vs. Kansas City Wizards
New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls
Western Conference Semifinals
Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire*
Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas
*As the fifth team to qualify from the Eastern Conference, Chicago would shift over to become the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket. Full qualification and seeding procedure is below.
MLS CUP PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Individual clubs have information on specific dates for their respective home matches.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS:
Game 1: Thurs., Oct. 25 - Sun., Oct. 28
Game 2: Thurs., Nov. 1 - Sun., Nov. 4
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS:
Game 1: Thurs., Oct. 25 - Sun., Oct. 28
Game 2: Thurs., Nov. 1 - Sun., Nov. 4
CONFERENCE FINALS :
Thurs., Nov. 8 teams and site TBD (ESPN2)
Sat., Nov. 10 teams and site TBD
MLS CUP
Sun., Nov. 18, Noon (ABC) at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
MLS PLAYOFF RACE
Team: Points: Games: Left: Max Pts.
D.C. United: 50: 4: 62
Chivas USA: 47: 62
NE Revolution: 46: 4: 58
Houston Dynamo: 45: 4: 57
FC Dallas: 40: 4: 52
NY Red Bulls: 38: 4: 50
Kansas City Wizards: 36: 4: 48
Chicago Fire: 32: 4: 44
Columbus Crew: 31: 4: 43
Colorado Rapids: 29: 4: 41
Real Salt Lake: 23: 4: 35
LA Galaxy: 21: 6: 39
Toronto FC: 21: 5: 36
Key:
- Has clinched a playoff spot
The qualification and seeding are as follow:
• Eight teams qualify for the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs
• Playoff berths will be determined by points in the standings upon the completion of the regular season on Oct. 21; all 13 teams will have played 30 games.
• If two teams are tied on points, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, the second tiebreaker is goal differential, and the third is goals scored for the season. (Subsequent tiebreakers are available in the Fact and Record Book).
• The top two teams in each conference qualify and are seeded 1 & 2 in their respective four-team playoff conference brackets.
• The four MLS teams with the next most points, regardless of conference, receive "wildcard" berths.
The four wildcard teams will be seeded according to conference first.
• If more than four teams qualify from one conference, those finishing lower than fourth in their conference will shift over to the other conference bracket.
• A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.
MLS GAMES THIS WEEK
(All times Eastern)
Thursday, September 27
Los Angeles Galaxy at Kansas City Wizards, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, September 29
Colorado Rapids at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)
Toronto FC at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (HDNet)
Kansas City Wizards at Chivas USA, 10: 30 p.m.
Sunday, September 30
Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas, 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)
Los Angeles Galaxy at Columbus Crew, 5:00 p.m. (HDNet)
