Wednesday’s slate of MLS games have huge playoff implications in the Eastern Conference. Three teams, and maybe a 4th are fighting for the last two playoff spots in the conference. As of Tuesday Orlando City, and Inter Miami are in 6th, and 7th respectively. That 7th spot is the last one that grants access to the postseason. They both have 45 points heading into their head-to-head matchup on Tuesday.
If there’s a team that loves the fact that these two are going to be facing off it’s Columbus. All three of these teams are tied with 45 points a piece, but as of today Columbus are on the outside looking in. They also have a game Wednesday against Charlotte. Charlotte is right below Columbus on the table, but they are 4 points back. They have an outside chance to get in, but they need to win out. These Wednesday games are looking to be an all out slug fest!
Meanwhile, Cincinnati are hoping and praying that they don’t find themselves in a tough spot after Wednesday’s games. They are currently 5th in the conference with 46 points, but they only have one game left to go. A win by either Florida team in their matchup, and a win by Columbus leaves them hanging on by a thread to the last playoff spot heading into the final matchday!
Columbus & Orlando City Are Essentially In A Play In Tournament
Both Columbus and Orlando City will be facing off against teams that are competing for those final playoff spots in their last two games of the season. Essentially both teams are in win, and in scenarios. Of course the plot twist is that they actually face each other in the final game of the season. Columbus are coming into their game against Charlotte after a win last Saturday over the New York Red Bulls. That was a win that they desperately needed, as they were unable to pick up three points in the entire month of September. The fact that they are fighting for their playoff lives at this point stems from their inability to pull out close games in recent dates.
Orlando City is all over the map at this point. They’re coming off a loss to the other New York team, but that was preceded by a 4-0 rout of Toronto. All in all they didn’t have a great September. Sure they won the U.S. Open Cup, but they’ve dropped 3 out of their last 4. That includes getting blown out by Philadelphia. There’s an argument to be made that Columbus have been more consistent, but Orlando City is still favored at home by odds makers.
Inter Miami Are Coming In Hot & Want To Give Higuain A Good Send Off
While it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Gonzalo Higuain announced his retirement (The Argentine had already said he would hang up his boots at the end of the season), it kind of seems like the timing couldn’t have been worse for Inter Miami. The team is coming in hot having beaten Columbus, DC, and Toronto on Friday with an Higuain late goal. They are very much in the hunt for a playoff spot, and putting one of your top players through this emotional roller coaster hours before you fight for your playoff lives doesn’t seem ideal.
If Inter Miami supporters want to look at the glass as being half full, the team could use this as an opportunity to rally around Higuain. Trying to delay that retirement party as much as possible. They are without a doubt the team in the hunt that’s playing the best at this point in the year. Wednesday is set to be electric in the Eastern Conference for sure!
