What We Want to Happen Today 10/31

I’d been delaying doing these this year specifically because the league was likely to change the playoff qualifications after the COVID-19 outbreak within the Colorado Rapids organization. With the possibility of points and points per game (PPG) being utilized to decide playoff positions, I was waiting for official word on how positioning would be decided to look at what Sporting Kansas City wanted out of each game.

With that decided the first thing I’m going to start all of these out with this season is Sporting’s PPG depending on their results because it will help in understanding where other teams playing can end up. With two games left in their season, Sporting sit on 1.8 PPG, 36 points in 20 games. Here’s KC’s other possible PPG the rest of the way

36 points, 1.64 PPG

37 points, 1.68 PPG

38 points, 1.73 PPG

39 points, 1.77 PPG

40 points, 1.82 PPG

42 points, 1.91 PPG

With that out of the way, here’s what we want to happen in today’s two games.

Houston at Dallas

What we want to happen: Houston win or draw

FC Dallas have three games left this season, and the only way that they can top Sporting on points per game is if they win out and KC lose out. The Houston Dynamo have just two games left and can’t catch KC in the standings. A question comes with regards to potential playoff match ups KC may want to avoid Dallas, who has not lost in their last five against KC and are 7-3-3 in their last 13 against Sporting. Given that ending up in third for Sporting seems the most likely outcome, if KC want to avoid Dallas in the first round Dallas dropping as many points as possible is necessary.

Chicago at Nashville

What we want to happen: Does not matter

Neither team can catch Sporting KC in PPG, even if either team wins out so KC would host any potential MLS Cup featuring those two teams.