Don't turn your TV off after the inaugural Campeones Cup on Wednesday (8:15 pm ET | ESPN2, Univision, TSN, TVAS) because there's more soccer to consume, as a trio of west coast MLS matches kick off between 10:30 and 11 pm ET. Here's what's at stake:
Portland, Columbus jockey for playoff position in opposite conferences
Each with 44 points, the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew SC could both use a win to solidify their playoff positions on Wednesday (10:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info).
Columbus' playoff place is safe barring a catastrophic finish to the season, but the focus is on holding off the Philadelphia Union to secure a home Knockout Round game. Crew SC are only four points ahead with six games remaining for each.
Portland aren't as safe. Currently holding the West's final playoff place, the Timbers lead Cascadia rival Vancouver Whitecaps by just four points. The Timbers' 15-match unbeaten run feels far in the rearview as they have won just twice in their last eight matches. On Saturday, they went ahead of the struggling Houston Dynamo before allowing four unanswered goals for a loss. Panic levels will rise should poor form continue on Wednesday.
Sounders aim to take win streak to double digits
Already the longest win-streak in the post-shootout era, the Seattle Sounders look to extend their mark into double digits. The streak will inevitably end eventually, but Philadelphia (11 pm ET | TV & streaming info) is the last team they'll play this season that's currently above the playoff line. How long can the streak last? And how high can they climb in the Western Conference? They're six points back of second place FC Dallas with a game in hand.
The Union are coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss at home to the Montreal Impact on Saturday night, snapping their five-game unbeaten run. A positive takeaway from the loss: creator-in-chief Borek Dockal took sole possession of the league's lead in assists with 15, ahead of Kaku and Sebastian Giovinco, both on 14. He has nine assists in his last nine games.
Difficult first assignment for Steve Ralston
Ralston as a Rev | Getty Images
The Steve Ralston (interim) era is set to make its maiden voyage against the league's best on Wednesday (11 pm ET | UniMas, Twitter - full TV & streaming info).
Ralston takes over for recently-fired Mikael Stahre as boss of the San Jose Earthquakes and welcomes league-leading Atlanta United to town for his managerial debut. The Quakes, firmly last in the league, are focused on taking positives away from their final six games and Chris Wondolowski's chase for the MLS all-time goal record.
Atlanta, meanwhile, have an eye on history. They're on pace to level the league record for points (69) that Toronto FC set last season. They are three wins from tying the record for most wins in a season, and 11 goals from cracking the top five for most goals in a season in league history.
