Playoff Picture

With the hope of winning the league title all but gone, it is time to look forward to the playoffs. A playoff birth is far from guaranteed, but with the ridiculous MLS format we are still in the running. Here's how it works...

The top two teams from both the East and West qualify automatically. After that, the next best six teams go through, no matter what conference they are in. Last year Red Bull New York played in the West, playing in the final against a second Eastern team, Columbus.

To increase the confusion, many teams have not played the same amount of games. Sounders are currently in 5th, but once everyone has played an equal 23 games we could fall as far as 8th. Here is a link to the table:

Current MLS Standings

If the playoffs started today, here is what it would look like..

1. Columbus
2. Chicago

1. Houston
2. LA Galaxy

5. Sounders
6. Chivas USA
7. Colorado
8. New England

So how many more points do we need to secure a playoff birth? Was a good result in Houston the beginning of a strong push for the post season?