Opinions will vary on whether or not this is good news – this writer, for one, is rather excited – but the signs are showing more and more that summer is coming to an end and fall is getting underway. Cooler days have slowly been working their way into the forecast (though maybe not again for another week or so), the leaves on some trees are starting to change color – and the MLS playoff race is revving up.
The overall playoff picture may be starting to take shape, but as of right now it is only Inter Miami CF, atop the Eastern Conference standings, that has punched a ticket to the 2024 MLS postseason. Similarly, no teams have officially been eliminated from contention, though over in the West the San Jose Earthquakes are standing on the brink of mathematical elimination.
For everyone else, it’s a race from now until Decision Day to get to the right side of 9th place. And for the New England Revolution, that goal, which has been a major focus for head coach Caleb Porter and the entire squad all season, is still well within reach. Sitting in 12th place with 27 points (8-15-3), only five points separate the Revs from the last wild card spot, and, importantly, New England holds at least one game in hand over all the teams around them.
It's been an up-and-down season for the Revolution, there’s no denying. But the team has shown remarkable grit to overcome everything from multiple injuries across the starting lineup to controversial refereeing decisions that didn’t go their way. Now, with eight games left in the regular season, and with just about the entire first-choice squad back to availability, it’s time for New England to take everything they’ve learned this year and put it to good use.
For Porter and the Revs, the focus will be on what they can control: their own games. And this weekend, that means a trip to face Orlando City SC, currently 7th in the East with 37 points (10-10-7) and seven games left to play. The reverse fixture back in July went the way of the Lions, but the Revs have made some key additions since then, perhaps none more important than club-record signing Luca Langoni, whose Revolution career is already off to a flying start.
But for the rest of us watching along, it’s hard not to keep an eye on the scores from around the grounds and hope for a little extra help in the playoff push. And so, from now through to Decision Day, revolutionsoccer.net will be keeping you updated on the playoff picture at large, and how each Matchday’s slate of fixtures will factor into New England’s hopes for a postseason berth.
To start, there are five Eastern Conference matchups (and one interconference showdown) this weekend that Revs fans should keep an eye on due to their potential playoff implications:
Saturday, Sept. 14
D.C. United (9th: 8-12-7, 32 pts.) vs. New York City FC (5th: 11-10-6, 39 pts.)
Audi Field, 7:30 p.m. ET
The current Eastern Conference bubble team is D.C. United, five points ahead of the Revolution with two fewer games left to play. Fortunately, they face stiff competition this weekend in the shape of NYCFC; unfortunately, United are finding their form at just the right time for a playoff push, while the Bronx Blues have hit something of a stale patch, now winless in their last six matches in MLS (0-2-4).
Key to D.C.’s run of four wins in their last five league games (4-1-0) has been striker Christian Benteke, who has notched six goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions and currently leads the MLS Golden Boot race with 18 scores. Meanwhile, New York City’s winless run in the league, not to mention their fairly tepid Leagues Cup campaign, might have some of their fans a little nervous, but their overall quality and their position in the table should be enough to see them through to the playoffs comfortably enough.
For New England, the best thing that could happen here would be for NYCFC to shake their slump and return to winning ways at Audi Field, keeping the Capital club and the playoff line within reach.
Atlanta United FC (10th: 8-12-7, 31 pts.) vs. Nashville SC (15th: 6-13-8, 26 pts.)
Mercedez-Benz Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET
The East is currently so tight that even last-placed Nashville SC are still only six points out of a wild card spot. That said, it will likely be Atlanta United, who sit just one point and one place below qualification, who will feel that they have more to play for here, especially being the home team.
Nashville’s season has been a tricky one; for a while it may have felt like it was never really taking off while never really falling flat either, though their group-stage Leagues Cup knockout sandwiched inside of their now eight-game MLS losing streak will surely have their fans feeling differently at this point. Atlanta, on the other hand, have been flirting with the wild card for a while, and with Leagues Cup and the international break in the books they will be fully focused on breaking into the postseason over the course of the stretch run.
From a Revolution perspective, this one’s going to be tough. An Atlanta win would put a key playoff rival that much further out of reach, while three points for the visitors could see Nashville leapfrog the Revs, depending on how their own trip to Orlando goes. The Five Stripes have only drawn three times at home this season; the best worst option here is probably to hope that they make it a fourth on Saturday.
Inter Miami CF (1st: 18-4-5, 59 pts.) vs. Philadelphia Union (11th: 7-11-9, 30 pts.)
Chase Stadium, 7:30 p.m. ET
Reason dictates that a Miami win over Philadelphia, the team ahead of the Revolution by only three points, would be the hands-down best possible outcome for a Revs fan, the Herons doing New England a favor by keeping Philly within striking distance after having already secured their own postseason berth.
But pride can’t help but to creep in and point out that Miami is within reach of breaking the MLS regular season points record, set by none other than your 2021 New England Revolution. History is very much in play over these last few weeks of the season: With seven games remaining, Inter Miami could finish the season with as many as 80 points should they win out, which would beat New England’s ‘21 tally by seven.
But more immediate concerns must take precedence; Philadelphia sits between New England and the playoff line, and right now that’s really the most important factor. Pull for a Miami win here – and then pull for them to drop more than a few points between now and Decision Day.
CF Montréal (13th: 6-12-9, 27 pts.) vs. Charlotte FC (6th: 10-9-8, 38 pts.)
Stade Saputo, 7:30 p.m. ET
Similarly to the Miami-Philadelphia matchup, one team is much more threatening to the Revolution here than the other – and fortunately, that other in this case is not at risk of snatching any historical points totals away from New England. Charlotte FC sit fairly comfortably up in 6th, while Montréal, only a couple of weeks removed from their 5-0 collapse against the Revs, is tied on points with New England, behind in the table only on total wins.
Things didn’t get much better for Montréal after that heavy home loss, falling 4-1 to high-fliers FC Cincinnati in Ohio the following weekend, but still only sitting outside of the playoff spots by five points. Charlotte, meanwhile, shouldn’t have to worry too much about sinking below the wild card line, but their recent loss to playoff hopefuls Atlanta United should serve as a reminder that just about anything can happen in MLS.
The international break gave both teams a week’s reprieve from league action, but Revolution fans should hope that Montréal retakes the field with a few leftover cobwebs and falls again at home when The Crown comes to town.
Chicago Fire FC (14th: 6-14-8, 26 pts.) vs. New York Red Bulls (4th: 10-5-13, 43 pts.)
Soldier Field, 7:30 p.m. ET
Chicago sit tied on points with Nashville at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, while New York are perched happily in fourth place and would need a fairly significant collapse to fall outside of playoff contention. One might think that this dynamic would indicate how the game on Saturday should play out, but you can never really be sure, can you?
The term “draw specialists” can be hurled as something of a footballing insult, but RBNY, with their league-leading 13 ties (level with St. Louis), don’t seem to mind all too much, particularly now that their 1.54 points per game should be more than enough to see them through to October. The Fire, however, have no such luxury; with every nearby team holding at least one game in hand over them, Chicago will be desperate to find wins between now and the end of the season.
The Windy City side has found wins over the likes of FC Cincinnati and the LA Galaxy over the last couple of … well, months. You can decide for yourself how likely they are to repeat the feat this weekend against the Red Bulls.
Toronto FC (8th: 10-15-3, 33 pts.) vs. Austin FC (11th WC: 9-11-7, 34 pts.)
BMO Field, 7:30 p.m. ET
There’s only one interconference match this weekend, and it sees Austin FC make the trip East to face Toronto FC. TFC lead D.C. United by just a point, occupying the other wild card slot, and trail Orlando by four points for direct Round One qualification. Like D.C., Toronto has two fewer games left to play than the Revs, and with only six points separating the two sides, the Canadian club should certainly be seen as a rival for postseason contention.
Interestingly, Austin and Toronto come into this weekend right next to each other in the Supporters’ Shield standings, although with one less game played it is ATX that boasts the marginally better points-per-game tally. However, both teams have done better at home than on the road this season, and Toronto find themselves in a better run of form, giving the edge to TFC on paper.
This game is an opportunity for Revolution fans to root for a Western Conference team absolutely guilt-free. The odds may be slightly stacked against the Verde and Black, but Toronto dropping points at home to a team from out West would be nothing short of a godsend for New England’s playoff hopes. Besides, they’ve got a thing for green trees too, and if you squint hard enough I’m sure you won’t even be able to tell the difference.
