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October 16, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


This Week in MLS - October 16, 2017

Golden Boot, Postseason positioning on the line during Decision Day presented by AT&T East sides jockeying for second place, coveted first-round bye in Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Three teams battle for one final playoff spot, Cascadia rivals square off for top seed in wild Western Conference Final MLS game set for RFK Stadium as historic run comes to an end Atlanta United's Andrew Carleton, USMNT U-17s charge in to FIFA U-17 World Cup Quarters Sweet Tweets Week 33 Game Previews

Golden Boot, Postseason positioning on the line during Decision Day presented by AT&T

It's the final week of the MLS regular season, and heart-pounding drama is set to unfold during Decision Day presented by AT&T on Sunday, October 22. The annual sports spectacle has become an MLS tradition, as the regular season grand finale features all 22 teams in action during 11 simultaneous matchups - all kicking off at 4 p.m. ET. In the wild Western Conference, the stakes couldn't be higher with two teams in contention for the top seed and three others fighting for the final spot in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs. In the East, four clubs are racing to second place for a postseason bye, and the Golden Boot winner will finally be revealed once the dust settles.

ESPN's extensive coverage will move from game to game during the whiparound show "MLS Decision Day with Goal Zone," while ESPN Deportes carries wall-to-wall, single-game coverage of the Houston Dynamo hosting the red hot Chicago Fire. Digital pregame coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET with MLSsoccer.com's hour-long "Decision Day Live presented by AT&T," which resumes after the action from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (YouTube/Facebook/ Twitter/AT&T Facebook).

East sides jockeying for second place, coveted first-round bye in Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs

The script couldn't have been drawn up much better heading into Decision Day presented by AT&T. Four Eastern Conference sides enter this Sunday jockeying for a coveted first-round bye in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, with New York City FC, the Chicago Fire, Atlanta United and Columbus Crew SC all having a chance at the runner-up position in the standings.

Second-place NYCFC (16-9-8, 56 points) host fifth-place Crew SC (16-12-5, 53 points) on Sunday at Citi Field in Queens (4 p.m. ET). If Columbus notches a road win, it would corral the victories tiebreaker over New York and open a number of potential scenarios in determining the East's second-place finisher, which would secure a conference knockout round bye. Columbus is in the midst of a current league-high nine-game unbeaten streak and is coming off a 1-0 road victory against Orlando City SC, while NYCFC fell 2-1 to the New England Revolution.

Waiting in the wings are the third-place Chicago Fire (16-10-7, 55 points), led by MLS Golden Boot frontrunner Nemanja Nikolic. Following his hat-trick performance and 3-2 Chicago win against the Philadelphia Union, Nikolic is atop the goal-scoring leaderboard with 24. That total ties for sixth all-time among MLS single-season performances, and he is three shy of matching the MLS record of 27 held by Bradley Wright-Phillips, Chris Wondolowski and Roy Lassiter. Nikolic and Chicago visit the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Also still in the mix are Atlanta United (15-9-9, 54 points) who host Supporters' Shield winners Toronto FC (20-5-8, 68 points) in one of the league's biggest blockbuster matchups of the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta announced on Oct. 5 that it has broken its own league record attendance of 70,425, set earlier this year against Orlando.

Fans should be in for a treat with Toronto (72 goals) and Atlanta (68 goals) touting the top two offenses in MLS. In fact, this represents the strongest attacking duo since the 1998 MLS season when the LA Galaxy posted a league-record 85 goals and D.C. United touted an MLS Cup runner-up squad that registered 74 regular-season tallies.

From the second-place standings dash to the Golden Boot race, the Eastern Conference preps for plenty of high-flying Decision Day drama.

Three teams battle for one final playoff spot, Cascadia rivals square off for top seed in wild Western Conference

Three clubs will be battling to extend their season on Decision Day presented by AT&T, as FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and San Jose's postseason hopes come down to one final match. The Earthquakes control their own destiny and will clinch the sixth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference with a victory over Minnesota United FC at Avaya Stadium on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE). FC Dallas needs a victory when hosting the LA Galaxy at Toyota Stadium (4 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE) along with a San Jose loss or tie to lock up its fourth consecutive appearance in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. RSL, meanwhile, needs a victory over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday at Rio Tinto Stadium (4 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE) and draws or losses from both San Jose and Dallas to lock up back-to-back postseason appearances.

At the top of the conference, Vancouver Whitecaps FC take on Cascadia Cup rival Portland Timbers at Providence Park (4 p.m. ET, TSN/MLS LIVE) for the top spot in the Western Conference. A win by either club would guarantee home-field advantage through the Western Conference Final and a first-round bye. MLS MVP candidate Diego Valeri's recent run of form has seen the Timbers win five stra

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