MLS Cup Playoffs: Who’s in and who’s out after week 30?
With just a handful of games outstanding in the regular MLS season, the pieces are starting to fall into place as teams punch their tickets for the play-off stage.
The regular stage of the 2022 MLS season heads into the final furlong with most teams having just four or five games outstanding with the postseason action commencing on 15 October. The staging of the 2022 Qatar World Cup has seen the season’s games condensed into a smaller time frame given the action in the gulf getting underway with Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT side pitted in Group B with Wales, England and Iran.
MLS season
Following a full round of fixtures this weekend, we’re starting to slowly see a clearer picture as teams look to mathematically confirm their postseason activity with others runners and riders falling out of he picture.
As things stand, three sides have guaranteed their places in the playoff with Philadelphia Union, LAFC and Montreal have all guaranteed postseason action.
Situation in the East
Both New York sides looks well positioned to make the playoffs and based on the current standings, they would be joined by Orlando, Cincinnati and Columbus.
At present the only team to be mathematically ruled out of contention is DC United.
LAFC boss the West
Los Angeles FC have impressed this season and the gold and black are many experts favourites to lift the 2022 MLS Cup having just lost three games all season. Gareth Bale’s men are the only side in the Western Conference currently mathematically guaranteed to be in the playoffs. The other six sides currently looking solid bets for a playoff place are the chasing sides in: Austin, Dallas, Nashville, Portland, Minnesota and Real Salt Lake with LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders both hoping they can make the cut in what is expected to be a pulsating race to the wire for the teams in contention.
Only Houston Dynamo are mathematically out of the picture with San Jose and Kansas City cut adrift at the wrong end of he table.