Welcome to Starting XI, our Friday rundown of what to watch for this weekend in MLS and beyond. And don't forget to get your Spanish-language fix with FutbolMLS.com.
Recommended musical pairing new media editor Nicholas Rosano is "People Say" by Portugal The Man, because people will be saying a lot about Landon, the playoffs and more on what's sure to be a memorable weekend.
1. FAREWELL TO A LEGEND: Landon Donovan is retiring at the end of the 2014 season and the long goodbye (his last MLS regular season home game is Oct. 19 on ESPN2) begins with his final minutes in a US national team jersey on Friday night against Ecuador (7 pm ET, ESPN and UniMas). There's no script to follow here -- not for Donovan, who'll start and captain the team, and not for US supporters who've never had the chance to send off a legend quite like this. Add the layer of the icy Klinsmann-Donovan relationship, and it makes for a must-watch match to kick off Friday's tripleheader. – ANDREW WIEBE
2. PERMISSION SLIP: A note from owner Merritt Paulson to Timbers fans, who have a real red-line interest in Friday night's Seattle vs. Vancouver clash (more on that in the next blurb) – MATT DOYLE
6. SLOUCHING TOWARD THE PLAYOFFS: Last season’s MLS Cup finalists, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake, have hit a rough patch, with just three wins in their combined last 14 games. Both clubs are on the cusp of making the postseason, of course, but if Sporting can’t beat Chicago at home on Friday (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), and RSL can’t beat San Jose at home on Saturday (9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), what will it say about their actualy playoff chances? Seems like it's time for the stars like Graham Zusi and Javier Morales to step it up. – ALICIA RODRIGUEZ
