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| A glimpse at the top of the conferences. |
Yeah, yeah. I got tired of editing my phrasing three times just to get under 280 characters. That said, I still want to honor the concept of brevity, so I’ll keep things tidy or try to.
This is Major League Soccer Week 30, apparently, despite virtually the entire league having played 28 games. Damn new math. Wherever we are on our shared journey, the goal here is to provide a little context for Saturday and Sunday’s match-ups. As such, I’ve woven together a brief narrative (with helpful data in parentheses) to forecast the weekend’s action. First up, here are all of Week 30’s games, listed in the order in which they’ll be played:
L’Impact du Montreal v Philadelphia Union (whoops, already on)
Los Angeles FC v San Jose Earthquakes
Columbus Crew SC v Inter Miami CF
New England Revolution v Chicago Fire FC
FC Cincinnati v Orlando City SC
DC United v Nashville SC
Toronto FC v Atlanta United
Houston Dynamo FC v Seattle Sounders
Austin FC v Minnesota United FC
Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids
Los Angeles Galaxy v Portland Timbers
Red Bull New York v New York City FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Sporting Kansas City
Now, to address them in completely different order, starting with the two teams on top of both conferences.
Given the opposition, Seattle and the Revs are like two warriors glaring at each other across a battle, each steadily moving toward the other, killing fodder (e.g., Houston and Chicago) on their way. I know New England’s chasing the single-season points record (just seven points to go!), but I wouldn’t blame either team for resting players. Seattle’s only five points clear in the West, but remain a solid bet to win it. That same separation speaks to a general truth about MLS’s Western Conference….hold on, I have to remind myself how this shit works again. OK, ready.
This is Major League Soccer Week 30, apparently, despite virtually the entire league having played 28 games. Damn new math. Wherever we are on our shared journey, the goal here is to provide a little context for Saturday and Sunday’s match-ups. As such, I’ve woven together a brief narrative (with helpful data in parentheses) to forecast the weekend’s action. First up, here are all of Week 30’s games, listed in the order in which they’ll be played:
L’Impact du Montreal v Philadelphia Union (whoops, already on)
Los Angeles FC v San Jose Earthquakes
Columbus Crew SC v Inter Miami CF
New England Revolution v Chicago Fire FC
FC Cincinnati v Orlando City SC
DC United v Nashville SC
Toronto FC v Atlanta United
Houston Dynamo FC v Seattle Sounders
Austin FC v Minnesota United FC
Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids
Los Angeles Galaxy v Portland Timbers
Red Bull New York v New York City FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Sporting Kansas City
Now, to address them in completely different order, starting with the two teams on top of both conferences.
Given the opposition, Seattle and the Revs are like two warriors glaring at each other across a battle, each steadily moving toward the other, killing fodder (e.g., Houston and Chicago) on their way. I know New England’s chasing the single-season points record (just seven points to go!), but I wouldn’t blame either team for resting players. Seattle’s only five points clear in the West, but remain a solid bet to win it. That same separation speaks to a general truth about MLS’s Western Conference….hold on, I have to remind myself how this shit works again. OK, ready.
