Suspense Over MLS Eastern Conference Playoff Race Ends

By Douglas Smith @DFresh39 on October 12, 2014

With two weeks to go in the MLS regular season, the Eastern Conference playoffs are all but set. Barring a major six-point swing, Toronto FC and Michael Bradley will miss the playoffs despite a great start.

The drama is gone in what is perceived as the inferior Conference in MLS. A lot of attention will shift to the fifth spot in the Western Conference and the Supporters’ Shield race.

D.C. United‘s 3-1 win over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday was the last in a series of results over the weekend that basically finalized the playoff picture. If D.C. United can draw their final two matches, it will be the best worst-to-first turnaround ever in MLS. Another big match of the weekend included the Columbus Crew scoring three goals between the 78th and 82nd minute to eliminate the Philadelphia Union.

Finally, the New York Red Bulls beat Toronto. Toronto is 2-5-1 under Greg Vanney and now six points behind Columbus. Frustration has mounted and Bradley will miss their next match based on caution accumulation after arguing with officials. They have lost three in a row while Columbus has won three of the last four. Columbus hosts Phildelphia the last week of the season while Toronto travels to New England. The odds are stacked against a listless Toronto team.

Meanwhile, the last spot in the Western Conference is far from settled as the Portland Timbers are one point behind the Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver has the edge with a three-game winning streak and favorable matchups in the coming weeks. The top spot in the West is up for grabs also. Seattle Sounders travel to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, Oct. 19 and then host the Galaxy the following week. The teams are tied at 60 points in the Supporters’ Shield race.

The Eastern Conference race ended somewhat anticlimactically with the results of Week 32. Before the 2014 MLS Playoffs, most of the attention will shift to the Pacific Northwest. It is MLS and almost anything can happen, but do not plan on tuning back into the Eastern Conference until the end of the month when the playoffs start.

Douglas Smith is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DFresh39, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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