A pair of mid-week games in the West have set up a sprint to the finish over the final two weekends of the MLS Regular Season.
Houston and Seattle played to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night, while Colorado beat the San Jose Earthquakes on Thursday night, 2-1, to take over the top spot in the Western Conference and eliminate the Quakes' playoff hopes. Here's what the table looks like heading into the weekend:
| # | Team | Points | Record | Games Rem. | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x - Colorado Rapids | 57 | 15-5-12 | 2 | 8 |
| 2 | x - FC Dallas | 56 | 16-8-8 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | x - LA Galaxy | 48 | 11-6-15 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 45 | 13-13-6 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | Real Salt Lake | 45 | 12-11-9 | 2 | -1 |
| 6 | Sporting KC | 43 | 12-13-7 | 2 | -1 |
| 7 | Portland Timbers | 41 | 11-13-8 | 2 | -3 |
| 8 | e - San Jose Earthquakes | 37 | 8-11-13 | 2 | -6 |
| 9 | e - Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 35 | 9-15-8 | 2 | -10 |
| 10 | e - Houston Dynamo | 33 | 7-13-12 | 2 | -5 |
Chasing the Shield
Colorado is in the driver's seat for the Supporters' Shield, but one small misstep could eject them from control in the next two weekends. If the Rapids win out, regardless of what FCD does, they would take the Shield. If the Rapids drop a single point, while Dallas wins their remaining two games, the Shield would come to Frisco.
Several other scenarios based around the final four games between the two sides can take place, but only one scenario would see the Shield awarded this weekend: If Dallas loses or draws Sunday to Seattle and Colorado wins Sunday in Portland, the Rapids would win it. Every other scenario has the race coming down to the final day of the season.
Regardless, the Supporters' Shield will be taken home for the first time ever in the next week and a half, as neither side has finished a season atop the league before.
Playoff Positioning
The race for the final three playoff spots is down to four teams. Portland faces a must-win on Sunday at home, or the other three teams will clinch. Dallas and Colorado will occupy the top two spots, but beyond that anything could happen in the remaining four. Seeding and hosting the Knockout Round games will become the focus after spots are secured, with LA, Seattle and RSL sitting best to finish in the 3-4 spots, but anything can happen.
The next to Sundays are set up for some incredible match-ups, so stay tuned and see how it all plays out.