It was a quiet weekend in MLS due to the international break, with only the Montreal Impact inching closer to a playoff berth after their win at the Colorado Rapids.
Don't get used to the eerie silence: We're due for an uproar on Wednesday.
All three matches on Wednesday night hold huge playoff implications. The New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC will get things started at BMO Field (7 pm ET; TSN/MLS LIVE), with the Red Bulls aiming to secure the No. 1 seed in the East -- and take a giant step towards another Supporters' Shield -- while Toronto will be hoping to lock up the first playoff berth in club history.
In Texas, FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps will have a rematch (9 pm ET; TSN/MLS LIVE) of last Wednesday's scoreless draw, with both teams attempting to secure one of the top-two seeds in the West.
We'll close out Wednesday with one of the biggest matches of the season, with Real Salt Lake hosting the Portland Timbers at Rio Tinto Stadium (9:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE). An RSL win would move Salt Lake into a three-way tie with Portland and San Jose for the West's sixth and final playoff spot; a Timbers victory would take Caleb Porter's boys past the Quakes and above the red line.
Does your team sit above or below the red line? Check out the current standings and the new 2015 playoff rules. Then take a gander below at the current playoff scenarios. Here's where things would stand if the regular season ended today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE (Seed in parentheses)
Byes to Conference Semifinals:
(1) New York Red Bulls, (2) D.C. United
Conference Knockout Round Matches:
(3) New England Revolution vs. (6) Montreal Impact
(4) Columbus Crew SC vs. (5) Toronto FC
WESTERN CONFERENCE (Seed in Parentheses)
Byes to Conference Semifinals:
(1) FC Dallas, (2) LA Galaxy
Conference Knockout Round Matches:
(3) Vancouver Whitecaps vs. (6) San Jose Earthquakes
(4) Sporting Kansas City vs. (5) Seattle Sounders
With their games on Wednesday, the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas will look to keep charging toward the Supporters' Shield race. A win by the Red Bulls would be huge, eliminating everyone but FCD from the race. A New York win coupled with a Dallas loss would all but cement the trophy for the Red Bulls, who -- in that scenario -- would only need one point from their final two matches to lift the Shield.
Will the playoff matchups and Shield standings hold through the final weekend of the season? Take a look at the table below, which illustrates each team's remaining matches and the strength of schedule.
The strength of schedule metric takes into account the average points per game (PPG) each team's oppponents earn at home and on the road. The lower the PPG, the easier the schedule.
For example, if FC Dallas traveled to play the LA Galaxy, who have averaged 2.5 PPG at home, and then hosted the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have averaged 1.53 PPG on the road, their opponents PPG would be 2.02.
| Road to the Playoffs | ||
| Team | Games Remaining | Strength of Schedule Rank (Opp. PPG) |
| Eastern Conference | ||
| New York Red Bulls | 3 (@TOR, PHI, @CHI) | 10 (1.48) |
| D.C. United | 2 (CHI, @CLB) | 1 (1.03) |
| New England Revolution | 2 (MTL, @NYC) | 2 (1.10) |
| Columbus Crew SC | 2 (@TOR, DC) | T-13 (1.51) |
| Toronto FC | 3 (NY, CLB, @MTL) | 11 (1.49) |
| Montreal Impact | 2 (@NE, TOR) | 12 (1.50) |
| Orlando City SC | 2 (NYC, @PHI) | 4 (1.13) |
| New York City FC | 2 (@ORL, NE) | 5 (1.16) |
| Philadelphia Union | 2 (@NY, ORL) | 16 (1.66) |
| Chicago Fire | 2 (@DC, NY) | T-17 (1.67) |
| Western Conference | ||
| FC Dallas | 3 (VAN, @RSL, SJ) | 9 (1.45) |
| LA Galaxy | 2 (POR, @SKC) | 15 (1.63) |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 2 (@DAL, HOU) | T-13 (1.51) |
| Sporting Kansas City | 3 (@SJ, COL, LA) | 3 (1.12) |
| Seattle Sounders | 2 (@HOU, RSL) | T-7 (1.38) |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2 (SKC, @DAL) | T-17 (1.67) |
| Portland Timbers | 3 (@RSL, @LA, COL) | 19 (1.72) |
| Houston Dynamo | 2 (SEA, @VAN) | 6 (1.29) |
| Real Salt Lake | 3 (POR, DAL, @SEA) | T-7 (1.38) |
| Colorado Rapids | 2 (@SKC, @POR) | 20 (1.91) |
Will your team make the playoffs? Tell us why (or why not) in the comments below.
