Here’s what to know about the Union’s playoff scenarios heading into the regular season finale
Four other games will have impacts on the Union's potential path in the playoffs. But the first priority is beating Toronto and snapping a four-game winless skid.
The Union don’t really need extra motivation heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Toronto FC at Subaru Park (4 p.m., Apple TV). Win the game against a team already eliminated from the playoffs, clinch sixth place, and head off to the postseason on a good note.
But give any team an opportunity to create a chip on its collective shoulder, and the invitation will almost always be accepted. The Union’s current four-game winless skid — two ties and two losses, to be precise — does exactly that.
So if the fuel tank is topped up with a dash of annoyance heading into the weekend, interim manager Ryan Richter won’t complain.
“’Annoyed’ is probably better a word to describe the coaching staff, just with the way the results have gone,” he said. “But the players, I feel like they’re motivated. And now that this last game of the regular season is really meaningful for us, it gives us that extra little bump of what we’re pushing for exactly.”
Though Richter had expected leading scorer Milan Iloski to return this weekend from a hamstring strain, he isn’t ready yet. Richter called him “questionable” on Thursday, and did not sound optimistic. Centerback Japhet Sery Larsen is also out due to concussion symptoms.
Iloski is expected to be back in shape next week, and should be on the field for the playoffs.
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“As far as a training point of view, I don’t think he’ll miss next week,” Richter said. “I think he’ll probably be part of the group next week. It’s just a little tight for this weekend, the turnaround, but he’s close to being fully back in with the group.”
The Union (13-12-8, 47 points) would clinch sixth with a win, and at least seventh with a tie. That would keep them out of the 8-9 game in the Wild Card round. A loss could knock them into those last spots.
Two teams can overtake the Union from below: seventh-place Cincinnati (12-11-10, 46 points) and eighth-place Columbus (13-15-5, 44 points).
Cincinnati hosts Nashville, which has clinched the Supporters’ Shield for the best record and is now playing to beat 74 points and set a new league record. Columbus visits fourth-place Chicago, which has to get a better result than Charlotte to keep that spot and home field in the first round.
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Charlotte goes to second-place Miami, another game the Union will have an eye on. The same goes for third-place New England at ninth-place Orlando. Miami and New England will finish second and third in some order, but right now they are just one point apart.
If the standings stay as they are, the Union will face New England in the first round for the second time in four years. But you can be sure plenty of people will hope for the combination of results that sets up a Union-Miami series, pitting Cavan Sullivan against Lionel Messi.
“Some stuff is out of our control as far as how the opponent goes after [Saturday], but what is in our control is taking care of business, winning the game, finishing in sixth place, and then we can assess where we’re at after that and see what the opponent looks like,” Richter said. “I think the group is really motivated right now, and excited [with] how we bounce back from a tough week — a tough week physically, mentally, and then the results not going perfect either. But we’re ready for the game this Saturday.”
As is always the case on Decision Day, all the games in each conference kick off at the same time: 4 p.m. for the East and 7 p.m. for the West. Apple TV will carry them all, and the “MLS 360” whiparound show — a weekly feature similar to “NFL RedZone” — should be especially handy.
National team honors
Union striker Bruno Damiani earned his first callup to Uruguay’s senior national team, a reward for his good form since the World Cup. La Celeste plays two friendlies this month, visiting old rival Argentina (in that team’s first game since Lionel Messi’s international retirement) and hosting the Dominican Republic.
Another striker, academy product Malik Jakupović, was named to the U.S. squad for the upcoming under-17 World Cup. The tournament is Nov. 19-Dec. 13 in Qatar, and he will leave Chester after this weekend for a training camp.
The Union have been planning for this for months, even as the team got good enough to earn a playoff berth. They will hope they don’t miss Jakupović too much - and they will really hope Ezekiel Alladoh finally does something good if he’s called upon.
Former Union centerback Mark McKenzie was added to the senior U.S. national team squad for the Nations League quarterfinals, after Chester native George Campbell had to withdraw due to a groin injury suffered in a game on Wednesday. It wasn’t a surprising move, as U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted when he announced the roster that Campbell might not be able to travel.
