In the Fire, TFC faces a team having the sort of season Reds fans are all too used to. Currently last placed overall, it’s possible that Chicago could become the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention by kickoff. That’s in a historically weak Eastern Conference, with more playoff spots than ever before.
The reality is that the Chicago’s season has been done for weeks. That lead to another TFC tradition: the firing of a coach before the end of the season. Why Fire ownership waited until the point was already moot to make that decision, but couldn’t wait until the end of the season, is an interesting question to ponder. A mere 13 wins in nearly two full seasons in charge was a remarkably poor record for Frank Yallop, and will likely prove to be the final stop in his MLS head coaching career.
New interim head coach Brian Bliss faces his second match of the week after being appointed at the end of last weekend. The Fire failed to benefit from the fabled “new coach bump” in their midweek loss in Montreal, and travel to Toronto on only a few days rest for an early kickoff.
Remarkably, this is actually Bliss’s third appointment as an interim head coach. He previously had short stints in charge of the Kansas City Wizards and Columbus Crew, before being replaced by a permanent appointment. Whether the final few games of 2015 are meant to be a tryout, or a place holding exercise, is another question to be answered by Fire ownership. Already, reports have emerged linking them to charismatic former Mexican national team manager Miguel Herrara.
If, for the Fire, 2015 is basically over, Toronto FC have hit a vital stretch. Any chance at hosting a playoff game during the first round will take a strong run of results during the season’s remaining matches. At this point, draws are nearly as useless as losses: two points dropped rather than one point gained. Fortunately, DC United’s seeming collapse has left the door open.
On the other hand, the Reds must also be wary of Montreal behind them. The Impact’s victory over the Fire has brought them right onto the heels of Toronto, and minutely ahead in points-per-game. And Montreal hosts United this weekend. If TFC fails to win, they could find themselves in sixth place by Saturday evening. Win, and fourth place could be within touching distance.
This is the reality of MLS’s new playoff format. While much attention has focused on the effect of allowing a sixth team in each conference to qualify, not enough has been given to the tiers of seeding. Just “making the playoffs” may be a little easier – particularly in the East – but the advantages of finishing higher are significant, and should not be ignored.
While the chance of TFC finishing high enough to avoid the play-in round is virtually nil, and the chance of missing altogether has largely disappeared, Toronto still has important games to play before the playoffs begin. Beating a forlorn Chicago won’t convince many that the Reds are capable of beating a playoff calibre team in a high stakes game but, if the Reds can keep winning, it could go a long way to making that task easier when it arrives.