And then there were two.
The Supporters' Shield race is, in all likelihood, down to FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids after a decisive weekend in the playoff chase around MLS.
Here's what happened over the weekend: Houston dropped their first match in five weeks to NYCFC, 2-0 on Friday night. Sporting KC lost a 3-1 game on the road to New England. Colorado topped the Timbers, 1-0, at home. San Jose took an important 2-1 game against RSL. Seattle won their fourth straight and eliminated Vancouver from the postseason with a 2-1 win over the Caps. And of course Dallas won the first of two late meetings against LA, 1-0.
| # | Team | Points | Record | Games Rem. | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x - FC Dallas | 56 | 16-8-8 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | x - Colorado Rapids | 51 | 13-5-12 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | x - LA Galaxy | 48 | 11-6-15 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Real Salt Lake | 45 | 12-11-9 | 2 | -1 |
| 5 | Seattle Sounders FC | 44 | 13-13-5 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 | Sporting KC | 43 | 12-13-7 | 2 | -1 |
| 7 | Portland Timbers | 41 | 11-13-8 | 2 | -3 |
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 37 | 8-10-13 | 3 | -5 |
| 9 | e - Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 35 | 9-15-8 | 2 | -10 |
| 10 | Houston Dynamo | 32 | 7-12-11 | 4 | -4 |
Chasing the Shield
With wins this weekend, coupled with a one-point week from Toronto in the East, Dallas and Colorado are essentially the only two teams left fighting for the Supporters' Shield heading into the final three weeks. And what a contrasting three weeks they will be.
While Dallas will enjoy their first week without a game of any competition since early June, Colorado will be busy bees during the International break. First, they'll face Houston on Saturday in Texas before heading home to face San Jose next Thursday and then up to Portland on Oct. 16th, the next date FCD is in action.
FCD maintains a 5-point lead on the No. 1 spot, but given Colorado's impending games in-hand, the Rapids control their destiny in the race. If they drop even one point in their next two, Dallas would take over control of their own destiny. Either way, barring a colossal collapse from both sides, the Shield will return to the Western Conference with all teams in the East holding a maximum point total of 57 points.
The Hunt for Late October
Colorado and LA officially locked up playoff berths over the weekend, but it's shaping up to be utter chaos for the other three spots in the Western Conference postseason.
Seattle made an appearance in a playoff position for the first time all season with a mid-week win, and then jumped up to the No. 5 spot with a win on Sunday night. With an extra game in-hand over the teams around them, the Sounders' bid for a spot is almost assured. They could even jump RSL to host a Knockout Round game, with Salt Lake losing for the 3rd time in 4 matches on Saturday.
Sporting KC lost both their match and ground on a playoff spot over the weekend. Now sitting just 2 points over the Red Line, they're in more favorable position than Portland for a postseason berth, but nothing is guaranteed.
San Jose won to keep their hopes alive, but have a steep hill to climb with a six point deficit to make up with just one game in-hand.
Portland's loss at Colorado was a pretty big blow, made even worse when their top rival to the North leapfrogged them for a spot earlier in the week. The Timbers sit two points out and essentially need to win both of their remaining games - first at home against Colorado (which FCD fans would appreciate) and then on the road at Vancouver to close out the year. If not, the defending champs could find themselves without a chance to defend their hardware.
Houston mathematically isn't eliminated yet, but would need the equivalent of a 99-yard Hail Mary as time expires to sniff the playoffs. Regardless, they're playing for jobs along the Gulf, and Dallas fans will begrudgingly cheer for the Dynamo this weekend against Colorado.
Vancouver's season is officially over and there's not much more we need to say about that.
