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SANDY - Here we are at the close of the 2011 regular season. Real Salt Lake has only one game remaining, as do most other teams in the league. Nine of the 10 playoff spots have been decided while four teams vie for the final spot during the last week of games. Playoff positioning can still change during this next week, determining who first round playoff opponents will be.
Currently, Real Salt Lake is sitting in the third spot in the West. They are tied with FC Dallas for that spot but have a better goal differential, giving them the tie breaker. With only one game remaining, RSL can only finish in its current third place position or be overtaken by FC Dallas and fall into the number one wild card position. So which of these spots is better for Real?
With the current playoff format (which you can check out at here), it would seem appealing to be the first place wild card. Assuming that the 1 seed would defeat the 4 seed on the higher seed's field, that team would get placed in the Eastern Conference bracket. As has been the case for the last few years, the Eastern bracket has been the easier of the two brackets. That would give RSL the presumably easier path to the MLS Final.
However, finishing in third place in the West (and incidentally third in the league overall) is where Real needs to end the regular season for a couple of reasons.
First of all, having to play an additional game to get out of the wild card round could prove costly to any team. Fatigue, injuries, and possible discipline in that round could hurt the first choice lineup in the actual first round.
Second, third place would put Real in great position to get back into the CONCACAF Champions League, as RSL is well aware. Major League Soccer gets four seeds into that competition: the Supporters Shield winner (spot claimed by LA Galaxy, number one in the West), the Open Cup winner (spot claimed by Seattle Sounders FC, number two in the West), and the two MLS Cup Finalists. If a team that already has claimed a spot (i.e. LA or Seattle) gets into the Final, the next team in league standings will claim the berth. With LA, Seattle, and RSL all in the Western bracket, that would give RSL a 75 percent chance to return to the coveted competition. Of course Real wants to make it to the Final but if it falls short and LA or Seattle make it, Real gets the consolation prize of a return to the competition they came one goal away from winning.
RSL still controls its destiny. Win on Saturday at home versus a Portland team that is still fighting to get that last playoff spot and it will clinch the third spot. If they tie or lose to Portland, they need to hope that FC Dallas slips up against already-eliminated San Jose in California in order to finish in third. As Real has stated on numerous occasions, their goal is to return to the regional CONCACAF tournament. Hopefully they stick to their word and put themselves in the best position possible to do so. To do so, they need to win. One week's time will tell.
