A Numbers Game

With only a few games remaining, jockeying for playoff position has commenced in Major League Soccer. If, by "jockeying," you mean "finishing games almost randomly just to confuse things." Dallas got within striking distance of San Jose in the West by knocking off Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Quakes gift-wrapped not one but TWO chances for the Burn to take the top spot by losing to bottom-dwelling DC United, except Mike Jeffries' squad drops both of those matches. The second of which was to the Metrostars, who had just been pasted by the Galaxy as THEY moved into a tie for the first spot, which put NY/NJ in a tie for first in the East with Columbus, who moved past Chicago by tying New England, while the Fire could finish off neither that same New England squad, who is still in the running for the last playoff spot, nor Kansas City. Got it?

Numbers are funny things this year in MLS. No team has won three in a row. New England had never won after yielding the first goal until two weeks ago versus the Fire. The Metrostars haven't lost when Clint Mathis scores. And the Western Conference has dominated both at home and against the Eastern Conference, usually at the same time. So what does this mean for the Fire in the stretch run?

In a nutshell, it means win the division so none of this matters. If they don't, they could get lucky and finish seventh, drawing the winner of the East, and having to play road games in Crew Stadium or the Meadowlands, both of which have been good to the Fire in the past. Or they could finish eighth overall and have to face the Quakes or Galaxy, both of whom have dominated at home, or maybe the Burn, who aren't quite as good in the Cotton Bowl. Except against the Fire. Or they could surge, not get first, and wind up in sixth, which is the same as eighth in terms of opponents, barring a late run from Colorado, who noone can really figure out anyway, except that a lot of people show up for the fireworks.

So, like I said, win the East. Anything else and we're at the mercy of some ugly numbers. Two wins and a tie should do it, since we know three wins in a row won't be allowed.