With the major league soccer season winding down the playoff races are heating up. In both the Eastern and Western conference the top spots are up for grabs, while the last few spots remain unsettled as well.
At the top of the Eastern Conference sees both teams from New York in the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. These two sides are at 51 points through 32 games. The Red Bulls were “riding a franchise best 12 match unbeaten streak in MLS regular season play (15 games unbeaten if you count all competitions!). They haven’t lost since the first week of July and are tied for second place in the Eastern Conference, sitting just two points behind Toronto FC” http://www.empireofsoccer.com/the-longest-and-most-forgettable-unbeaten-streak-in-red-bulls-history-53562/. They have continued to keep that streak alive. There most recent game came against the Philadelphia Union were they picked up a 3-2 victory for there 14 straight unbeaten. That win brought them to “14-9-9 and finishes the weekend atop the Eastern Conference, tied with New York City FC on points but ahead on goal differential”http://www.firsttouchonline.com/red-bulls-unbeaten-streak-continues-with-win-over-philly/. The players are also feeling very confident. They know they are on a special run of form and are focused on keeping that going. “We just feel that we’re like unbeatable right now,” Kljestan said. “We have this presence about us. Without being cocky without being worried one way or another, we just feel we are very hard to beat right now. We just feel we are in a very good place as a team” http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=46036. With that place being another run at the supporter shield.
New York City FC is in only there second season of play being founded in 2015. This was a team that finished its first season with just 37 points and in eighth place. And here they are having turned things around and tied at the top of the table. It does not look like they will hold on at the top as “odds are decidedly against New York City FC finishing first in the East, much less winning the dinner plate. Bu the very fact that they aren’t mathematically eliminated from either through 32 od 34 games is utterly spectacular” http://www.hudsonriverblue.com/2016/10/1/13130926/nycfc-2-houston-dynamo-0-recap-david-villa-mls-playoffs. So New York will have some exciting action for the final two games for these teams.
However as the Eastern Race is heating up with the teams in New York we cannot forget about what is happening over in the West. This is becoming a three- team race with some familiar names right in the mix. That team is the Los Angeles Galaxy. A team that has seen stars such as David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard wearing their kits. This year has been no different for Coach Bruce Arena and his team as they are right in the mix playing a major role. “Furthermore, Arena’s men have lost just five matches all season; three fewer than Western Conference leaders FC Dallas”(http://total-mls.com/2016/la-galaxy-still-the-team-to-beat-this-season.html. Although they have recently taken a tough blow when they picked up there sixth lose of the season to those very same Dallas team. That saw FC Dallas extended its lead in the conference to four points. With the team with the best chance to win out west actually being the Colorado Rapids. They sit in second place; four points behind yet have two games in hand to close the gap.
The Major League Soccer regular season is coming to a close. Yet with things still as wide open as they are, we are in for some exciting, must see games to close it out.
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