We are still three months away from the MLS play-offs, but the race to secure a play-off spot is intensifying as fringe teams try to get themselves into the top seven.
Two teams who seem a strong bet for a playoff spot are defending champions Atlanta United and early season pacesetters LAFC, who meet at the Banc of California Stadium this weekend, in what could be an interesting rehearsal for the knock-out rounds.
LAFC go into this game in top spot in the Western Conference, nine points clear of their nearest challengers LA Galaxy. They are also seven points clear of the best team in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia Union, with two games in hand. If MLS were a straightforward league contest like the Premier League or La Liga, we might already be calling this season over.
But there is a long way to go for Bob Bradley’s side to be crowned the best in MLS in what is only their second season in the competition. And as the weekend’s events showed, there are likely to be setbacks along the way. LAFC made the short trip across Los Angeles to take on LA Galaxy, against whom they have a good record. But this time, Galaxy finished on top, running out as 3-2 winners thanks to a Zlatan Ibrahimović hat-trick, and speaking after the game, Bradley admitted that the home side had surprised his players with their intensity.
As the home side this weekend, they may have more room to impose their high-pressing, possession-based game, but they won’t get an easy ride against a fast-improving Atlanta side. Under new coach Frank de Boer, they have taken time to find their best form but there has been a steady improvement by the reigning champions, who have won their last two games, against Houston Dynamo and Eastern Conference rivals DC United by an aggregate of 7-0.
They play a similar possession-based game to LAFC, so this clash could be one for the purists, although it is the home side who will start as short-priced favourites. According to BetCris, LAFC are the -200 favourites, with Atlanta United rated as +400 outsiders and the draw at +364.
Home field advantage helps to explain why LAFC have such an edge with the bookmakers, as well as the distance involved in travelling from Georgia to southern California. Having played at home against DC United on Sunday, there is just a five-day turnaround to make the trip to the west coast and complete their preparations. And this is the stage of the season when the intense travel demands associated with US sport can start to take their toll on weary squads.
But LAFC will not take this game for granted and MLS fans will enjoy the treat of seeing the reigning champions take on the main challengers, in an encounter that could yield clues for future play-off clashes later this season.
