Major League Soccer has dubbed the final matchday of its regular season “decision day“, because this is when the final places in the league’s 18-team playoff tournament are decided.
Only two of those spots remain unclaimed, but that doesn’t make this decision day disappointing. LAFC and the Galaxy both enter their final Saturday with a chance to finish first in the Western Conference and secure home-field advantage in the first three rounds of the playoffs, greatly easing their path to a possible MLS Cup appearance.
The Galaxy (19-7-7) leads the standings with 64 points and will win its first conference title in 13 seasons with at least one tie in Houston. A loss, however, opens the door for LAFC (18-8-7), which can overtake its rival by beating San Jose at home and overcoming a two-score deficit in goal differential, the key tiebreaker.
“We don’t spend a lot of time discussing scenarios. For us the important thing is to do what we can and focus on that,” said LAFC’s Steve Cherundolowho is trying to become the first coach to lead his team to three consecutive MLS Cup finals since New England’s Steve Nichol from 2005-07.
Home field advantage will make this task much easier since LAFC’s 10 home wins in MLS are behind only the Galaxy’s 13. On the road, LAFC is a mediocre 8-6-3.
The divide between home and road in the Galaxy is even more pronounced: Greg VanneyThe team hasn’t lost in 16 games at Dignity Health Sports Park, but is 6-6-4 away. Still, that’s a far cry from last season, when the team won just eight times, finishing 13th in the 14-team conference standings.
“We have changed the group quite a bit compared to last year. We signed guys who are difference makers,” midfielder Edwin Cerrillo said of a team that has added eight starters since the start of the 2023 season.
Although the Galaxy heads into Decision Day ahead, it also faces greater challenges. Not only will they be on the road, but they will also face a Houston team that is fighting for a favorable playoff seeding and will be without suspended midfielder Mark Delgado and likely winger. Joseph Paintsil (tendon). Another midfielder, Marco Reuswill have limited playing time due to a hamstring injury.
“Here we are, with everything in front of us to play for,” Vanney said. “We want to win this game to give us the field for as many playoffs as possible. We are going there to get a result and try to consolidate our position.
LAFC will play at home against the worst team in the league, the one that has conceded a record 75 goals in MLS. But the Black and Gold, who will play for the 99th time since the start of the 2023 season, will be focused inward, midfielder Timothy Tillman said.
“If we don’t do our job, then it doesn’t matter what the Galaxy does,” he said. “If we do a good job, it’s all in our hands.”
The only playoff spots unsettled before Decision Day are the final two spots in the Eastern Conference, currently occupied by DC United and Montreal. Philadelphia and Atlanta, who are three points behind, can move forward with wins if DC and Montreal lose.
The playoffs open Tuesday with wild card games between the eighth and ninth places in each conference. The first round, a best-of-three series, will begin on October 25.
