The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Whitecaps can make history in the final match of their regular season on Sunday in Portland.Ìý
On the line: a shot at their best-ever MLS regular-season finish and a chance to end the year at the top of the Western Conference standings.
will go into Sunday’s match against the Portland Timbers holding down first place in the MLS Western Conference with 52 points – two ahead of the Timbers and the Seattle Sounders. A playoff spot is assured but the stakes remain high.
Sunday is Decision Day. All 22 MLS team will be in action, with every game running concurrently, starting at 1 p.m. PT. It’s smart planning by the league, guaranteed to keep fans on the edges of their seats until the final seeding is determined.
After adding two franchises at the beginning of this season, MLS is now made up of two 11-team conferences. The top six teams on each side will make the playoffs, with the top two teams in each conference bypassing the first round and advancing directly to a two-game conference semifinal. The teams ranked third to sixth on each side will play a knockout match next week to stay alive.
The Whitecaps clinched their fourth playoff spot in their seven-year MLS history on Sept. 30, with a 1-0 win on the road against Sporting Kansas City. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»has been in first place in the West since Sept. 13, when they capped off a three-match winning streak with a 3-0 win over Minnesota United FC.
Give coach credit for turning the Whitecaps around after they ended the 2016 season with a 10-15-9 record. That landed them in eighth place with 39 points, seven shy of a playoff berth.Ìý
Working with a roster that wasn’t expected to contend and didn’t place a single player on the 2017 MLS All-Star Team, Robinson’s ability to get the most out of his players has earned him consideration as MLS coach of the year.Ìý
On Tuesday, the Whitecaps named as their Player of the Year. The 29-year-old centre back has tallied three goals and one assist this season and has matured into team’s most reliable defender. Waston also achieved a personal career highlight on Oct. 7 when his goal clinched a 2018 FIFA World Cup berth for his native Costa Rica.
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Wat Nederland niet lukt... "El Mundial! El Mundial! El Mundial!" How Waston's goal sounded on Teletica:
— Fons Dellen (@fonzdellen)
Other Whitecaps award winners announced Tuesday included centre back Tim Parker (Unsung Hero), midfielder Russell Teibert (Humanitarian of the Year) and rookie right back Jake Nerwinski (Most Promising Player).
Two new additions to the roster have been the Whitecaps’ offensive difference-makers this season. Fredy Montero leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and striker Yordy Reyna has shown much-needed game-breaking potential – five of his six goals have been game winners.Ìý
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Last weekend, the Whitecaps failed to clinch first place in front of their rabid supporters at B.C. Place after settling for a 1-1 draw against a San Jose Earthquakes team that’s sitting on the playoff bubble.Ìý
That sets up this weekend’s complex scenario:
• A Whitecaps win or draw against the Timbers guarantees first place
• A loss to the Timbers and a loss or draw by Seattle would land the Whitecaps in second place.
• A loss to the Timbers and a win by Seattle would bump the Whitecaps to third place, forcing them to play in the knockout round.
Here’s what we know so far about the playoffs: The Whitecaps will host at least one game at B.C. Place and they’ll be looking for their first-ever postseason win.Ìý
In 2012 and 2014, the Whitecaps were eliminated in the knockout round. A second-place finish in the West in 2015 advanced them straight to the conference semifinal, but they were eliminated by the Timbers after a scoreless draw in Portland, followed by a 2-0 loss at B.C. Place.
If the Whitecaps finish first or second this year, they’ll open their conference semifinal on the road against an opponent that will be determined in the knockout round. Game 1 will take place on Oct. 29 or 31, then they’ll come home for Game 2 at B.C. Place on Nov. 5. If they finish third, they’ll play their knockout round game at B.C. Place on Oct. 25 or 26.
The MLS conference semifinals and conference championships are both two-match aggregate affairs, where the team that scores the most goals will advance. In the event of a tie, the team with more away goals is declared the winner. If both teams have the same number of total goals and away goals, then the second game will go to extra time and – if necessary – a penalty shootout.
Elsewhere in Canada, Toronto FC has secured its first ever Supporters’ Shield as the top regular-season team in the league, following up impressively after losing the MLS Cup Final to Seattle on penalty kicks last season. The Montreal Impact will finish outside the playoff picture for the first time in three seasons.
With first place in the West on the line, expect an intense playoff-type atmosphere – and plenty of rain – when the Whitecaps and Timbers square off at Providence Park in Portland on Sunday.Ìý
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Whitecaps at Portland Timbers, Sunday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m., TSN1, TSN1040
Follow Carol Schram on Twitter @pool88.
