There may not have been a winner between Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union in their 1-1 draw on Friday night, but two other teams certainly did come out on top with the result.
The tie between the Eastern Conference foes ensured that in the opposite coast, Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders – currently in 2nd and 3rd place in the Western Conference – could celebrate an early playoff berth before they took on their respective opponents in Saturday’s Week 28 fixture.
This marks the fourth consecutive time that 2009 MLS Cup champions RSL will advance to the postseason after missing out on the big dance in the first three campaigns of their seven-year history.
PREVIEW: RSL poised to challenge for Shield with result vs. D.C. United
Seattle, meanwhile, will be participating in their third-straight postseason. In 2009, the Sounders became the second expansion team ever to reach the playoffs. However, in years past, they’ve yet to go beyond the first round.
PREVIEW: Sounders pay visit to Cascadia rivals Whitecaps
As of Friday night, RSL and Seattle both stand on 51 points in the Western Conference (separated by their head-to-head record) with away tilts at D.C. United and Vancouver, respectively, on Saturday evening. With playoff tickets booked, both clubs are now vying for playoff positioning as well as attempting to mount a late charge to surpass league-leading LA Galaxy – who currently stand on 58 points – in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.
