The famed number-crunchers at FiveThirtyEight.com released their latest Soccer Power Index projections for MLS Cup 2017 on Monday, and they have a red and Rave Green tint.
With the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs field now whittled down to the final four survivors ahead of the Conference Championship stage later this month, Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders are FiveThirtyEight's most likely finalists, with last year's cup contestants rated at 66 percent and 61 percent likely to make the championship final, respectively.
Supporters' Shield winners TFC would host that clash, as they did last year, and the stats give them a healthy 46 percent probability to win MLS Cup compared to Seattle's 22 percent.
But first, the Sounders and Reds have to navigate past the Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew SC, respectively, and given what they've achieved to date, neither underdog is likely to be daunted by these projections.
The numbers aren't overwhelmingly against them, either: The Dynamo's MLS Cup probabilities stand at 39 percent, while Crew SC are rated at 34 percent. Columbus are slated at a 20 percent chance of eventual MLS Cup triumph, while Houston sit at a slimmer 12 percent.
