It’s the most exciting 90 minutes in sports: MLS Decision Day. For the uninitiated, Decision Day is the glorious close of the MLS campaign, where 22 teams kickoff at the same time across the country. (Sorry Real Salt Lake fans, your side is the one idle team this year.) Rivalries will flare, playoff dreams will be made and dashed, records may be broken. It all kicks off at 4:30 pm EST. Here’s what to watch out for:
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MLS Decision Day 2018 presented by AT&T
A season’s worth of hard work and passion comes down to the last 90 minutes. Watch the action Saturday, October 28 at 4:30 pm on FS1 and ESPN+. MLS Decision Day: Get in.
Atlanta and New York Try to Seize the Shield
The Supporter’s Shield goes to the squad with the best regular season record, and Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls are both gunning for the honor this year. ATLUTD is on 69 points heading to an away match at Toronto FC, while NYRB sits on 68 points and will host last-place Orlando City at Red Bull Arena. Expect a lot of scoreboard watching in both stadiums.
Can the Galaxy Sneak In the Playoffs?
The Los Angeles club is a single point out of the playoff race, but, with their rivals in Salt Lake City sitting idle on Decision Day, they control their own destiny. They’ll take on the Houston Dynamo at home, with the Texan visitors trying to play spoiler out West. We’ll see what the one and only Zlatan, the Galaxy’s not-so-secret weapon, has to say about that.
Fight for First Out West
Playoff seeding can mean the difference between playing a tense game in front of a friendly crowd, or going deep into enemy territory to claim a win. On Decision Day we’ll see plenty of teams jockeying for playoff position, but the matchup between Sporting Kansas City and Los Angeles FC takes the cake. SKC is currently sitting pretty in first place in the West, but LAFC is only two points behind, which means if they can beat Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park, they’ll walk away with the top spot in the Western Conference.