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We don’t have many matchdays left. There’s still plenty to sort out though. Here’s what to keep an eye on.
The Shield race could be wrapped tonight
All Inter Miami needs is a win. Three points clinches their first-ever Supporters Shield. The problem is, they need a win in Columbus. The other problem is that they haven’t looked interested in winning lately.
The Herons are in what might be their worst run of form of the season. Now, their worst run of form is different than everyone else’s, but still, we’ve talked plenty about their notable issues this season. Three straight draws with Lionel Messi back on the field and the points record on the line is cause for concern that some of those flaws are starting to show at the worst time.
But there’s a decent chance that the Herons haven’t been pushing the pedal to the floor. Consciously or subconsciously, it’s hard to get up for games that don’t matter as much. They’ve had the Shield pretty much wrapped for weeks now and the points record is something that may just only matter to people with daily MLS newsletters and people who read them.
Tonight will be different though. It’s not so much that the Crew can catch them in the Shield race—they could, but it would take a miracle—or that Miami needs to win out to beat the points record. It’s more that the Crew will be their biggest obstacle to pairing the Shield with MLS Cup. There is a pride in beating the best of the best and that should result in both teams bringing a ton of energy tonight. Plus, ya know, it might be the first time Inter Miami have felt alive in a while. If there’s anything the millions of superhero movies from the last 15 years (and the anime “One Punch Man) have taught me, it’s that being invincible is boring. The Crew are one of the only teams that can make Miami feel real danger.
It may also be the kind of game that sets the tone for what this matchup looks like in the Eastern Conference Final. The Crew already got the better of Miami in Leagues Cup. What would a second-straight Columbus win do to Miami’s mentality in a bigger game down the road? Sometimes when a team gets the better of you, you start to think, “Oh no, it’s happening again” as soon as anything starts to go wrong.
The Rapids need to beat the Galaxy to keep their home playoff hopes alive
After last week’s performance against Minnesota United, I’m not confident it’ll happen. Still, this is one of the best games of the day and it will shape a few things. First and foremost, a Galaxy loss would suddenly put them back in genuine trouble atop the West. LAFC’s remaining schedule is a cakewalk and they have a game in hand. If LAFC are within three points by the end of the night, then things may start to get very uncomfortable.
Then there’s the Rapids and the rest of the dogpile in the West. Colorado are in fourth heading into tonight. A loss could make fourth their ceiling if the LAs and RSL win. Plus, with Seattle and Vancouver facing each other tonight and Houston playing a highly winnable game against New England, they could be forced to start jumping teams over the last two games to even make it to fourth. They need a huge bounce-back win tonight against one of the best teams in the league. Otherwise, their odds of making a deep run in the playoffs will begin to slip away.
The last breaths of the Eastern Conference Wild Card Race
Look, likely whoever comes out of the Wild Card spot in the East is set to be a sacrificial lamb for Inter Miami. But it’s still fun to see which of these mediocre teams can get their lives together just enough to make the playoffs. All of us who are also mediocre want to see other mediocre accomplishments. MLS is a mirror for humanity, we’ve always said this. And we mediocre humans want to see the MLS equivalent of, like, making a really ok ham sandwich or learning some of the riff to “Smoke on the Water” on guitar and feeling proud. We want to see teams overcome the pretty favorable odds to do what so many teams could have done but a few did not: Make the Wild Card in the East.
Anyway, Philadelphia plays Orlando, Toronto plays New York, Montréal and Atlanta play each other, and Nashville and D.C. play each other. It would be un-mediocre of us to do the math here, but just know that the Wild Card race could be a whole lot clearer by the end of the night. If the Union and Montréal win and Toronto loses, well, that might be that.
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