EASTERN STANDARD TIME
Justin Morrow and Toronto FC might have to fend off the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals — where there’s no easy way out.
Toronto FC spent much of the regular season focusing on itself, but now the Reds’ attention is turned to the rest of the Eastern Conference as they await news on their first playoff opponent.
The No. 3 Chicago Fire host the No. 6 New York Red Bulls in the East’s first knockout game on Wednesday, before No. 4 Atlanta United welcomes No. 5 Columbus Crew for a do-or-die match on Thursday. The lowest seeded survivor will take on Supporters’ Shield-winning TFC in the two-leg conference semifinal starting early next week.
Reds coach Greg Vanney doesn’t necessarily think those seedings will dictate who advances — though he does give a slight edge to the sides playing at home.
“That’s the only reason that I would give anybody the advantage,” Vanney said recently. “I think the Eastern Conference is anybody’s ball game.”
Seven of the eight teams that won their knockout games since Major League Soccer expanded to 12 playoff berths in 2015 were victorious at home. But this season’s Eastern Conference is a particularly tough bunch: of the six contenders, only the Red Bulls finished with fewer points than the Western Conference’s No. 1, the Portland Timbers.
“The East is extremely challenging and it’s going to be a dogfight to try to get through the East,” Vanney said. “I don’t know who we’ll play but whoever it will be, it will be a good team.”
Here is what we know about the teams TFC could face:
CHICAGO FIRE
STRENGTHS: Never count out the team with the league’s Golden Boot winner in its ranks. Nemanja Nikolic racked up 24 goals this year, 20 of which came from open play and five of which were game winners. Chicago’s 12-2-3 home record was the second best in the East during the regular season. WEAKNESSES: After a successful first half of the season during which Chicago spent time in the conference’s No. 1 spot, the Fire had only six wins in their final 17 matches of the year, along with eight losses. A 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Houston Dynamo on the final day of the reg- ular season did little to inspire confidence.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
STRENGTHS: The Red Bulls are the lowest-ranked Eastern Conference team remaining, but their five road wins during the regular season came in at fourth best in the league. New York comes with experience, returning to the post-season for the eighth year in a row, while their opponents from Chicago are seeing playoff action for the first time since 2012. WEAKNESSES: New York managed just one win in their final seven regular-season road games, and were victorious in just three total games since mid-August. That comes alongside something of a slump for the Red Bulls’ star striker, Bradley WrightPhillips, who scored just four goals in the final 12 games of the season.
ATLANTA UNITED
STRENGTHS: Atlanta will likely be surrounded by a rowdy home crowd on a turf that has seen just three home losses. Their relentless attack — spearheaded by Josef Martinez, Hector Villalba and the healthy Miguel Almiron — scored the second most goals in the conference this season, with their defence conceding the second fewest goals. AUFC had Columbus’s number in the regular season, winning both meetings. WEAKNESSES: Atlanta has not won a game since late September, failing to pick up three points in two home matches in the month of October. Defender Michael Parkhurst, who started 33 of AUFC’s 34 regular season games, is questionable for Thursday after sustaining a knee injury during last weekend’s tie with Toronto FC.
COLUMBUS CREW
STRENGTHS: If momentum is key to a playoff win, the Crew is the team to watch. Columbus comes into the playoffs unbeaten in their last 10 games, with three wins in their most recent four matches, one of which came on the road to boost their away record to 4-9-4. WEAKNESSES: The Crew have never visited Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the away match Columbus played at Atlanta in June was held at the expansion side’s temporary venue, Bobby Dodd Stadium. The venue, with a capacity of more than 70,000, gives Atlanta one of the most potent 12th-man advantages in the league thanks to its oppressive atmosphere, which could faze the visitors.