MLS Decision Day: Toronto FC sets points record, San Jose claims final playoff berth
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Oct 23, 2017
Toronto FC got goals from Sebastian Giovinco -- with his sixth goal on a free kick, a record since MLS began tracking the stat -- and Jozy Altidore as it twice came back from a goal down to earn the tie.
Photo courtesy of Atlanta United FC
"One
of the things we said with this group is that we wanted to try to do something different, to try to be the best ever, maybe," said TFC coach Greg Vanney. "You never really know how to define
that until you just get going and you see how a season goes and you see what things you can accomplish. As far as the regular season goes, I think we’ve accomplished that. Now, obviously, we
have a big task in front of us. Today was a great preparation match for what the playoffs are all about."
At the other end of the MLS standings, the five-time champion LA Galaxy finished
last when it lost to FC Dallas, 6-1.
These were the key positions with playoff implications that were decided on Sunday:
Eastern Conference: second place (New York City FC).
NYCFC's 2-2 with Columbus was enough to claim second place when Chicago lost to Houston, 3-0, and Atlanta United tied Toronto FC, 2-2.
Western Conference: first place (Portland). The Timbers won the Western Conference when they rallied to beat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1, on goals by
Darren Mattocks and Liam Ridgewell. The 'Caps, who took only one point from their final two games, dropped to third place, forcing them into a Knockout Game against San Jose.
Western Conference: second place (Seattle). Nicolas Lodeiro scored two goals to lead the Sounders to a 3-0 win over Colorado and claim second place when Vancouver lost. Seattle played the last 64 minutes
with 10 men after Clint Dempsey was sent off. He will miss the first leg of the conference semifinals.
Western Conference: sixth place (San Jose). Marco Urena,
remembered by American fans for his two goals that gave Costa Rica a 2-0 win over the USA in World Cup 2018 qualifying, came off the bench in the 88th minute and scored in stoppage time to give the
Earthquakes a 3-2 win over Minnesota United and the three points necessary to claim the sole remaining berth in the playoffs. With FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake both winning, the Quakes needed to win
to advance. There were seven different changes in who held sixth place during the course of the afternoon when all games were played at the same time.
MLS results:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22
Atlanta United-Toronto FC (2-2)
Seattle-Colorado 0 (3-0)
D.C. United-NY Red Bulls (1-2)
Portland-Vancouver (2-1)
Montreal-New England (2-3)
Houston-Chicago 0 (3-0)
NYCFC-Columbus 2 (2-2)
Real Salt Lake-Sporting KC (2-1)
Philadelphia-Orlando City (6-1)
San Jose-Minn. United (3-2)
FC Dallas-LA Galaxy (1-5)
Eastern Conference:
PTS (GP) TEAM W-L-T GF/GA
69 (34) *Toronto FC 20-5-9 74/37
57 (34) *NYCFC 16-9-9 56/43
55 (34) *Chicago 16-11-7 61/47
55 (34) *Atlanta United 15-9-10
70/40
54 (34) *Columbus 16-12-6 53/49
50 (34) *NY Red Bulls 14-12-8 53/47
------------------------------------------
45 (34) ^New England 13-15-6 53/61
39 (34) ^Philadelphia 11-14-9 50/47
39 (34) ^Montreal 11-17-6 52/58
39 (34) ^Orlando City 10-15-9 39/58
32 (34) ^D.C. United 9-20-5 31/60
Western Conference:
PTS (GP) TEAM
W-L-T GF/GA
53 (34) *Portland 15-11-8 60/50
53 (34) *Seattle 14-9-11 48/39
52 (34) *Vancouver 15-12-7 50/49
49 (34) *Sporting KC 12-9-13 40/29
47 (34) *Houston
13-10-11 57/45
43 (34) *San Jose 13-14-7 39/60
------------------------------------------
43 (34) ^FC Dallas 11-10-13
48/48
42 (34) ^Real Salt Lake 13-15-6 49/55
36 (34) ^Minn. United 10-18-6 47/70
33 (34) ^Colorado 9-19-6 31/51
32 (34) ^LA Galaxy 8-18-8 45/68
*Clinched playoff berth.
^Eliminated from playoffs.
