Not much going on over the weekend in Dynamo Land with the team off thanks to a scheduling change that moved the KC game from 9/11 to 9/22. Houston remains mathematically alive for a playoff spot but logic and reason tell us this is a long shot at best.
Meanwhile across the rest of MLS, the Galaxy rebounded from a recent poor run of form, beating up the Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew 3-1. The Crew's lost, combined with New York's 3-1 victory over Colorado allowed the Red Bulls to climb within four points on the first place Crew.
The Western Conference remains in control of all four playoff wildcard spots with FC Dallas, Colorado, San Jose and Seattle starting to build a cushion between them and the rest of the teams trying to make it to the post season. FCD and San Jose put the world to sleep on Saturday with a listless 0-0 draw that saw Dallas extend their unbeaten streak to 14 games. Fortunately for the not-hoops still wearing hoops, if there was ever a league that rewarded ugly tactics and boring play, it's MLS.
Before you go accusing me of being a bitter Dynamo fan, just realize it's true, Schellas Hyndman is the Sandman and he's putting you in to a dream world. That said, FC Dallas fans should be celebrating every second of it because if Houston were putting the world to sleep on their way to a playoff spot, I'd be just fine with that.
Congrats are in order for the Philadelphia Union who earned their first clean sheet of the season, defeating the Chicago Fire 1-0 at PPL Park.
So if the playoffs started today, here are the teams that would be in. I'd attempt to lay out the brackets but figuring out the MLS playoff structure is like attempting to prove Fermat's Last Theorem. I'm not convinced the league office has any idea what is going on until the last day and even then everyone is confused. Making things even more wheels-off this year is the fact that the West is likely to secure all the wild card spots.
Nothing makes the idea of have conferences more pointless than a team from the east winning the Western Conference playoffs (NYRB, 2008) and a team from the west winning the Eastern Conference playoffs (RSL, 2009)...but I digress since nothing is ever going to change.
A lot could still change of course with a month and a half left in the season. Every team with the exception of DC United theoretically could still make the playoffs, but given recent performances, Toronto FC, Kansas City and Chicago are doing little to help their cause.
The Dynamo sit at 23 points, 10 points out of the final playoff spot.