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MLS Playoff Picture: Vancouver’s Turn On Top

By Eric Harris

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 19: Portland Timbers defender Roy Miller and Real Salt Lake midfielder Albert Rusnak fight for possession during the Real Salt Lake 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on July 19, 2017 at Providence Park, Portland, OR (Photo by Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).
PORTLAND, OR - JULY 19: Portland Timbers defender Roy Miller and Real Salt Lake midfielder Albert Rusnak fight for possession during the Real Salt Lake 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on July 19, 2017 at Providence Park, Portland, OR (Photo by Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). /
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The Merry Go Round at the Top of the West Continues

The four top teams in the Western Conference seem content with letting each take a week at the top spot. Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and Kansas City have all been at the top, and right now it’s the Whitecaps turn.

Next week? It could be any of the four because they’re all within one point of each other. With three of the four taking on teams outside the playoffs picture at home, the one that trips up could really regret in a few weeks.

Eastern Conference

The Top Two

  1. Toronto FC, 62 points, 5 games remaining
  2.  NYCFC, 51 points, 5 games remaining

Knockout Round Bound (For Now)

3. Chicago Fire, 48 points, 5 games remaining

4. Columbus Crew, 44 points, 4 games remaining

5. Atlanta United, 43 points, 7 games remaining

6. New York Red Bulls, 42 points, 6 games remaining

On The Outside, But Still Has a Shot.

Sorry Montreal and Orlando, but the eastern conference teams are set.

We have our six participants in the East, the only question is where they fall. Atlanta’s draw to Orlando essentially confirms they won’t be able to NYCFC for a bye. With three games in hand and just one point to make up, it feels likely they’ll pass up Columbus. With all respect to Crew Stadium, that’s for the best. That atmosphere in Atlanta alone deserves a home playoff game.

Western Conference

The Top Two

  1. Vancouver Whitecaps, 45 points, 6 games remaining
  2. Portland Timbers, 44 points, 4 games remaining

Knockout Round Bound (For Now)

3. Sporting KC, 44 points, 6 games remaining

4. Seattle Sounders, 44 points, 5 games remaining

5. San Jose Earthquakes, 39 points, 5 games remaining

6. Real Salt Lake, 38 points, 4 games remaining

On the Outside, Still Has a Shot

7. Houston Dynamo, 38 points, 6 games remaining

8. FC Dallas, 38 points, 6 games remaining

Well, well, well. Could we see a playoffs without either Texas team? Probably not with the games in hand, but boy both the Dynamo and FC Dallas have been slipping. The slide is so bad Real Salt Lake is back in. It’s a valiant effort on their part, but they just dug too big of a hole in the beginning of the season.

At the top, its a log jam that is going to come down to if the teams with extra games can take advantage of them. Vancouver and Sporting KC both can pull away from Portland, forcing them to come through the knockout stage where anything can happen. If the congested schedule pulls them down though, it could be a short playoff stay for the two again.

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