Your Friday Kickoff: Playoff spots, seeding & a points record up for grabs on Decision Day

What you need to know

Decision Day tomorrow

It’s almost here. Check out the full schedule here.

There but for the grace of god goes the Watchgridometer

Happy Decision Day to you and yours. The Watchgridometer, in its final moment of the season, is more important now than ever.

The Watchgridometer is here to help you plan your Decision Day by giving each game a potential watchability score. A 50/50 game has “best game of all time” potential. Games are ranked in order relative to their time slot. We have reached the point in the season where games carry a “playoffocity” score, too. 50/50 means a win or go-home game on Decision Day.

TIER THREE: THE SATISFACTION OF EXPECTATIONS BEING MET

Sometimes, you want the best, and you get it.

CF Montréal vs. New York City FC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 42/50
Playoffocity Score: 48/50

This is the most consequential game in the East tomorrow. If Montréal win, they’re in the playoffs. If they lose, they could miss out entirely. Meanwhile, New York City FC could finish the day in a home playoff spot or locked into a road matchup with FC Cincinnati in Round One.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 48/50
Playoffocity Score: 38/50

The Timbers are locked into a Wild Card spot and the Sounders are locked into a home playoff spot. Both teams are still jostling for position though. Portland can still host the Wild Card game and Seattle can finish in either third or fourth. Plus, there’s the whole thing where no one on either side seems to be friends. Oh, and the whole thing where Seattle’s conference-best defense is up against Portland’s elite attack. Good soccer game.

Houston Dynamo FC vs. LA Galaxy
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 47/50
Playoffocity Score: 40/50

Houston can’t jump into a home playoff spot or fall into a Wild Card spot, but they can finish anywhere from fifth to seventh place. In one timeline they get a Round One matchup with an RSL side finding their way back to their best form, in another they’re stuck going up against one of the LAs.

Speaking of, the Galaxy just need a point to seal the top spot in the West. A loss though… with LAFC facing San Jose, probably sends the Galaxy to second place.

TIER TWO: THE JOY OF STUMBLING ONTO A MATCH YOU PREVIOUSLY WEREN'T INVESTED IN BUT NOW ARE

Every now and then, you go into a game not asking for much and come away with more than you ever imagined

D.C. United vs. Charlotte FC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 38/50
Playoffocity Score: 47/50

A point for D.C. gets them into the Wild Card game. I… have no idea how we got there, but I do know that it has almost everything to do with Christian Benteke putting in a Golden Boot-winning shift. The rest of the group has picked up some of the slack lately though. They’re close to pulling off something that felt incredibly unlikely just a few weeks ago.

Charlotte are in. We’re just trying to figure out if they’re going to finish in fifth, sixth or seventh.

New York Red Bulls vs. Columbus Crew
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 36/50
Playoffocity Score: 35/50

We could see this game a few more times. The Crew are stuck in second place and the Red Bulls can only finish in sixth or seventh. If it’s seventh, we’ll see this matchup in Round One. The Red Bulls probably want no part of that. They need a win.

Orlando City SC vs. Atlanta United
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 33/50
Playoffocity Score: 42/50

A rivalry matchup that could be a “yeah, but…” game. If Orlando City deliver a killing blow on Atlanta United’s season while simultaneously clinching a home playoff spot, they can bring this one up for years in any friendly conversation with Atlanta fans. “Yeah, but remember that time we ended your season while we earned a home playoff spot?”

Atlanta need a win and help from two of the three of D.C., Montréal and Philly to make the Wild Card.

Philadelphia Union vs. FC Cincinnati
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 35/50
Playoffocity Score: 38/50

The Union, like Atlanta, need some help. A win here against a Cincy team playing for nothing is a must. After that, they need one of Montréal or D.C. to lose.

Real Salt Lake vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 38/50
Playoffocity Score: 38/50

RSL are playing to jump Seattle for third place while the Whitecaps are fighting to avoid a Wild Card spot. The ‘Caps need a win and they need Minnesota to come up short against St. Louis CITY SC.

At some point, both of these teams need their newest DP attackers to start stepping up and making a major impact if either is going to make a run in the playoffs. There’s no time like Decision Day.

TIER ONE: THE DELIGHTFUL HUM OF A SOCCER BROADCAST ON TELEVISION

Soccer is nice to have on. And sometimes you look up and see something fun…

Inter Miami vs. New England Revolution
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 28/50
Playoffocity Score: 0/50

If you’re super invested in Miami breaking the points record against the last team to hold it, this one is for you. If not, there are many important games on at this time.

Austin FC vs Colorado Rapids
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 29/50
Playoffocity Score: 30/50

The Rapids can finish in fifth, sixth or seventh. Either way, man, they really should just take care of business against an Austin side with nothing left to play for.

Minnesota United FC vs. St. Louis CITY SC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 25/50
Playoffocity Score: 27/50

The Loons are one of the hottest teams in the league. They need to stay hot if they’re going to finish off their improbable run out of a Wild Card spot. A win gets the job done (and could put them as high as fifth) while a draw might put them ahead of Vancouver on goal differential.

LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 28/50
Playoffocity Score: 20/50

This is an “If… then” game. If the Galaxy go behind against Houston, then this one will become very, very interesting, very quickly. A Galaxy loss and an LAFC win could gift the top spot in the West to the black-and-gold half of Los Angeles.

Chicago Fire FC vs. Nashville SC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 6 pm ET
Watchability Score: 10/50
Playoffocity Score: 0/50

Legally obligated to play it.

FC Dallas vs. Sporting KC
WATCH: Apple TV - MLS Season Pass | Saturday, 9 pm ET
Watchability Score: 10/50
Playoffocity Score: 0/50

Like, they would get fined if they didn’t.

Other Things

St. Louis CITY sign Yaro to contract extension: St. Louis CITY SC have signed center back Josh Yaro to a contract extension through 2025 with an option for 2026. Yaro, 29, has scored one goal in 13 appearances for St. Louis this season.

The Reading Rainbow

Gregg Berhalter has begun his new chapter in Chicago.
Kevin Egan let you know which Decision Day games are appointment viewing.
LA Galaxy’s Jalen Neal was featured in the “Celebrating Impact” content series.
Who’s going to lock up the top spot in the West?
Will the Union make the playoffs on Decision Day?
The Timbers live and die with their star-studded attack.

Full Time

Good luck out there. Spend time outdoors.

First cast, first catch 🐟 @DjoMihailovic tackles fly fishing and shares how his experiences have shaped his growth both as a player and a person.

Watch The Journey with @jordangeli exclusively on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV » https://t.co/h2644ZjTc7 #Rapids96 pic.twitter.com/ivbABtaDrz
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) October 16, 2024