Welcome to Major League Soccer, where a team that lost six straight matches in the summer responds with a six-game winning streak and rises to the top spot in its conference.
That team would be the New England Revolution, who are now atop the Eastern Conference standings thanks to their 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday. The Red Bulls are in second, meaning the two sides that met in last year’s Eastern Conference Championship would earn the two postseason byes if the season ended today.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the opponent for Sounders FC on Saturday, leads the Supporters’ Shield race with six weeks to go. All of Seattle’s remaining matches are against fellow Western Conference teams, including three opponents that sit below the Rave Green in the standings.
If the season ended today, Sounders FC would battle Sporting Kansas City for a spot in the Western Conference Semifinals. Seattle is 0-1-1 against SKC this year, and the two sides will meet once more on Sept. 27 in Kansas City. FC Dallas now own the No. 2 spot in the West after leapfrogging the LA Galaxy by virtue of a home win over New York City FC. The San Jose Earthquakes, winners of four in a row in August, are winless in their last three games.
No team in the league is eliminated from playoff contention, and no team has secured a spot in the postseason. The top three clubs in the East are very close to clinching, however. New England, the Red Bulls and D.C. United can all do so with a win this weekend.
Here is a look at the current standings in both conferences and how the playoff bracket would appear if the season ended today.
Knockout Round: 3) LA Galaxy vs. 6) Portland Timbers
Knockout Round: 4) Sounders FC vs. 5) Sporting Kansas City
Conference Semifinals: 1) Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. lowest ranked remaining seed
Conference Semifinals: 2) FC Dallas vs. highest ranked remaining seed
Knockout Round: 3) D.C. United vs. 6) Montreal Impact
Knockout Round: 4) Columbus Crew SC vs. 5) Toronto FC
Conference Semifinals: 1) New England Revolution vs. lowest ranked remaining seed
Conference Semifinals: 2) New York Red Bulls vs. highest ranked remaining seed
