What We Want to Happen Today 9/2

Sporting Kansas City is off this weekend with the international break, but there are still four MLS matches taking place this weekend. The games will certainly have an effect on Kansas City's standing in the table heading into KC's midweek match next week against New York City FC. Here's what we want to happen today.

Orlando at New England

What we want to happen - Win for either.

Honestly there's not a lot here for Kansas City as these two teams are in ninth and tenth in the Eastern Conference right now. With them having to leap over three to four teams to make it into the playoffs their chances of making the playoffs this year are extremely slim. A win for either team though would pull them closer to the playoff pack. It would put Orlando one point behind sixth place Atlanta, while New England would be just three points back with a game in hand still on Orlando. The key thing here is keeping teams in the playoff chase later into the season so that they're still fighting and forcing other teams higher up the list to bring their best.

Chicago at Montreal

What we want to happen - draw

This is a tough one, because on one hand you have the Chicago Fire sitting on 41 points, currently ahead of Sporting KC in the standings, but at the same time has won just one of their last eight games, and have lost four straight. On the other hand you have a Montreal Impact side that is currently outside the playoffs looking in and will have played two more games than Atlanta, who is tied with them on points. In this case you really want to just go for the draw, sure Chicago will gain points, but it also keeps them within a single win of passing and it keeps Montreal three points behind KC having played one more game than Sporting.

New York at Dallas

What we want to happen - draw

Like with the Chicago and Montreal game, choosing a winner here isn't easy. FC Dallas currently sits outside the playoffs in the Western Conference, but are tied on points with the San Jose Earthquakes, who have played two more games. A win would see Dallas jump from seventh into fourth right behind Kansas City. A win by the New York Red Bulls would see them jump ahead of Kansas City in the league's single table, which is important for potential MLS Cup hosting. A draw will tie the Red Bulls with KC, but will put them ahead in terms of games played, while at the same time keeping Dallas three points behind KC.

Colorado at LA

What we want to happen - does not matter

Probably the dud match up of the weekend, you have the worst road team in the league (Colorado is 0-10-2 on the road) against the worst home team in the league (LA is 1-8-4 at home). The teams are at the foot of the Western Conference with LA on 23 points and Colorado on 22. Unlike the New England/Orlando match up earlier in the night, neither one of these teams is really even going to have much of a chance to put pressure on teams close to the playoff chase, they're 12-13 points behind eighth place Real Salt Lake at this point. While it's still possible with a run, the way both teams have played makes it unlikely, so with that in mind this match is pretty much meaningless for KC.