MLS Major League Soccer

Final Three Playoff Berths Up for Grabs in Last Week of the Regular Season

Published on October 20, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


WESTERN CONFERENCE RACE: Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids control their own destinies heading into the final weekend. This installment of the Rocky Mountain cup could not be more important.

With a victory, Real Salt Lake would have 42 points; they would clinch the No. 3 berth in the Western Conference, which would set up a first round matchup with Chivas USA

A Rapids victory would give them 40 points, leaving Real Salt Lake with 39 points; the Rapids would clinch the No. 3 berth in the Western Conference where they would face Chivas USA. Real Salt Lake would be eliminated based on all applicable tiebreakers even if they ended tied with any Eastern Conference teams.

A tie in the game would give Real Salt Lake 40 points and Colorado 38 points eliminating the Rapids from the playoffs, giving RSL the final Western Conference berth.

WILDCARD RACE: The wildcard race is down to three teams vying for two wildcard berths into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Real Salt Lake would be eliminated from all applicable tiebreakers versus Eastern Conference teams, so the final two berths will come down to D.C. United, the Kansas City Wizards and the New York Red Bulls.

New York and Kansas City control their destinies. A win by both teams this week would give them the first and second wild card spots. D.C. United is eliminated with a tie or a loss to Columbus on Sunday, and they could be eliminated regardless of their result if New York and Kansas City win their respective games.

The following scenarios outline the race for the two wildcard berths and playoff positions in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs:

- IF D.C. United win (40 pts) and Kansas City loses (39 pts) and New York loses (39 pts) THEN

- D.C. United is No. 4 in East; Kansas City is No. 4 West (NY loses head-to-head versus KC 1-0-1)

- IF D.C. United win (40 pts), and Kansas City and New York tie (all 40 pts) THEN

- Kansas City is No. 4 East (KC 7pts/4gms; DC 7/5; NY 5/5); New York is No. 4 West UNLESS

- D.C. wins by four goals or more (NY v DC: 1-1-1, 5-5 goals; NY -3 GD; DC -7 GD)

- IF D.C. United win (40 pts), Kansas City ties (40 pts), New York loses (39 pts), THEN

- Kansas City is No. 4 East UNLESS D.C. wins by three goals or more (KC v DC: 1-1-0, 2-2 goals; KC -4 GD; DC -7 GD); D.C. is No. 4 West (or KC)

- IF D.C. United win (40 pts), New York ties (40 pts) and Kansas City loses (39 pts) THEN

- New York is No. 4 East UNLESS D.C. wins by four goals or more (NY v DC: 1-1-1, 5-5 goals; NY -3 GD; DC -7 GD); DC is No. 4 West (or NY)

- If Kansas City, New York and RSL lose and D.C. fails to win (three tied at 39), THEN

- Kansas City is No. 4 East (KC 8pts/4gms; NY 5/4; RSL 2/4); New York is No. 4 West (NY v RSL: 1-0-1)

- D.C. United are out

- If Kansas City wins (42 pts) or ties (40 pts) and New York and D.C. United lose THEN

- Kansas City is No. 4 East; New York is No. 4 West

- If New York wins (42 pts) or ties (40 pts) and Kansas City and D.C. United lose THEN

- New York is No. 4 East; Kansas City is No. 4 West

Below are the current standings and a key to where each team would stand if the playoffs started today. For complete playoff qualification guidelines and tiebreakers click here. The MLS Cup Playoffs begin Oct. 30.

2008 MLS STANDINGS

INCLUDES GAMES OF Sunday, October 19, 2008

------- OVERALL ------- ---- HOME ---- ---- ROAD ----

EASTERN GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA *Columbus (1) 29 16 7 6 54 49 36 13 10 2 2 29 15 6 5 4 20 21 *Chicago (2) 29 12 10 7 43 39 31 8 6 5 3 18 15 6 5 4 21 16 *New England (3) 29 12 10 7 43 39 40 -1 6 4 4 23 17 6 6 3 16 23 Kansas City (X) 29 10 10 9 39 34 38 -4 9 2 4 22 15 1 8 5 12 23 New York (Y) 29 10 10 9 39 40 43 -3 9 3 3 30 20 1 7 6 10 23 D.C. United 29 11 14 4 37 43 50 -7 9 4 2 32 19 2 10 2 11 31 Toronto FC 29 9 12 8 35 34 41 -7 6 2 7 17 12 3 10 1 17 29

WESTERN GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA *Houston (1) 29 13 5 11 50 44 31 13 10 1 4 30 14 3 4 7 14 17 *Chivas USA (2) 29 12 11 6 42 39 40 -1 7 4 3 20 14 5 7 3 19 26 Real Salt Lake (3) 29 10 10 9 39 39 38 1 8 1 6 24 10 2 9 3 15 28 Colorado 29 11 14 4 37 43 44 -1 7 5 2 21 13 4 9 2 22 31 FC Dallas 29 8 10 11 35 43 39 4 5 4 6 23 19 3 6 5 20 20 Los Angeles 29 8 13 8 32 53 60 -7 6 4 4 33 25 2 9 4 20 35 San Jose 29 7 13 9 30 30 38 -8 5 5 4 20 19 2 8 5 10 19

* Clinched a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Columbus has clinched the Supporter's Shield and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

(1,2 or 3) - Currently occupying an automatic playoff berth.

x - Kansas City currently holds the first wildcard and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York who is tied on points.

y - New York currently holds the second wildcard and the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

FC Dallas, Los Angeles and San Jose have been eliminated from playoff contention.

MLS Week 31: Oct. 23-26, 2008

(All times Eastern)

Thursday, October 23

New York Red Bulls at Chicago Fire, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

The Red Bulls know that a win guarantees them a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs; anything less means they'll depend on other results to make it. Chicago is playing for home-field advantage in its upcoming series with New England. Two of the League's top players are at their best recently: New York's Juan Pablo Angel has five goals, one assist in his past six matches while Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco has three goals and three assists in his past four games. For New York it will be an uphill battle as they are 0-2-0 versus Chicago this season and the Red Bulls head into the game with one of the worst road records (1-7-6) and they've scored a League-low 10 goals on the road.

Saturday, October 25

Kansas City Wizards at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

The Wizards know that a win guarantees them a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs; anything less means they'll depend on other results to make it. Perhaps not as prodigious as some had hoped when he signed as a Designated Player, Kansas City's Claudio Lopez now leads his team in combined goals and assists (11). Unlike recent years when the Revolution have roared down the stretch, New England is winless in its past five MLS games and has won just once in all competitions since Aug. 21. Kansas City has struggled on the road this season (1-8-5); they scored the fourth fewest goals on the road with 12. Taylor Twellman (99 goals) is one goal from becoming only the fifth player in MLS history to reach the century mark.

Real Salt Lake at Colorado Rapids, 9:30 p.m. (HDNet)

- Sheer drama: Rocky Mountain rivals collide with an automatic playoff berth on the line. A win by either team clinches passage to the MLS Cup Playoffs. A tie will qualify RSL for the first time in team history.

- In their first two meetings this year, the teams split a pair of 2-0 decisions, with the home team winning each time.

- Several groups of RSL fans are making plans to cheer on their club at this road match. Some will make an eight-hour bus trip from Utah to Commerce City, Colo.

Toronto FC at San Jose Earthquakes, 10:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

This is just the second meeting all-time between the expansion clubs of the last two years. They have yet to score on each other - the teams played to a scoreless draw July 19 at BMO Field. Three midseason acquisitions nearly led the Earthquakes to a playoff berth: In the 12 games since their arrival, Darren Huckerby scored six goals and added four assists, while Scott Sealy had three goals and three assists. Arturo Alvarez, who arrived a week later, has three goals and three assists with San Jose. Rohan Ricketts has scored four goals on the season - with two, 2-goal games. He scored a pair against Colorado on June 14, and then added a double against Chicago over the weekend. Toronto FC has 35 points, a 10-point turnaround from their first season. Chivas USA improved 25 points from their inaugural season to their second season (18 to 43); Real Salt Lake improved by 19 points (20 to 39). The Miami Fusion and Chicago Fire actually went backwards in their respective Year 2s - the Fire going from 56 to 48 points, the Fusion from 35 to 29. The Earthquakes come into the game with 30 points in their expansion season.

Houston Dynamo at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

This is the second consecutive season the teams have met in the season finale, though there is less on the line this year than last. When the teams played at The Home Depot Center on Oct. 20, 2007, the Dynamo needed a win to capture first place in the Western Conference. But the teams played to a scoreless draw, giving Chivas USA the top seed. This is the third meeting between the teams this season. They played to a scoreless draw on May 3 in Houston, then on Aug. 20 at Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo laid a 4-0 defeat on Chivas. It matched the heaviest defeat in Chivas club history - also a 4-0 loss inflicted by the Dynamo at Robertson Stadium, on June 21 of last season. The teams met in a fierce Western Conference Semifinal Series in 2006, Chivas USA's first-ever playoff series. After a 2-1 Chivas USA win in Carson, the Dynamo recorded a 2-0 win in Houston to win the series on aggregate. Since the loss to Houston, Chivas USA have lost just twice in the nine games, conceding just nine goals (with four shutouts). The Dynamo have not lost in eight consecutive league games (5-0-3) and just once in MLS competition since June 12. A win or tie for Houston will match the season's longest unbeaten streak, equaling Columbus (Aug. 16-Oct. 12) and San Jose (July 12-Sept. 13).

Sunday, October 26

FC Dallas at Los Angeles Galaxy, 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)

- Up for grabs in this game is the Budweiser Golden Boot. The Galaxy's Landon Donovan has 19 goals; FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper has 18.

- In accordance with FIFA's tiebreakers for this award, assists are used as the first tiebreaker for the Budweiser Golden Boot. If the players are tied on goals and assists, then goals per minute are used to determine the winner.

- While both teams are eliminated from playoff contention, there is plenty of pride on the line. With a loss or tie, LA would finish the season with the fewest regular season wins in club history.

D.C. United at Columbus Crew, 5:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

- Before this game starts, D.C. United will know if their playoff hopes are still alive.

- After this game, Columbus will have a ceremony to celebrate with its fans the Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record in MLS this year.

With an assist in this game, Guillermo Barros Schelotto would become just the second player in MLS history to reach the 20 assist mark in a single season. Carlos Valderrama's 26 assists in 2000 stands as the all-time single-season record; the 19-assist mark has been reached four other times: Marco Etcheverry (1996 and 1998), Carlos Valderrama (1997), and Steve Ralston (2002). Schelotto's 19 assists are tied for the second most in a season in League history. With an assist in this game Jaime Moreno would reach the 100 assist mark, becoming the first MLS player to have 100 goals and 100 assists in their MLS career.

Kansas City Wizards Forward Claudio Lopez Wins MLS Player of the Week Award

Claudio Lopez was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 30 of the 2008 season. Lopez scored one goal and added two assists in one of the most dramatic games of the season. The Kansas City Wizards defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 on a last-second goal set up by Lopez. The win moved the Wizards' to 10-10-9 with 39 points and allowed them to hold onto a wildcard spot heading into the final game of the season.

This is Lopez' first Player of the Week award. He joined the Kansas City Wizards on March 7, 2008 filling the Wizard's Designated Player spot. Lopez has had an illustrious professional career, including stints with Valencia (Spain), Lazio (Italy), and Club America (Mexico), and 58 caps for Argentina. Lopez and the Kansas City Wizards control their own destiny for the postseason and will clinch a spot with a win versus the New England Revolution at 7:30 ET on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 20, 2008


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