"We have eight games left, so that’s eight more finals that we need to play -- like it is our last game."
That was the sentiment shared by Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter following a road loss to the last-place Montreal Impact on Saturday as the Crew battles to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011. Thanks to a 2-0 D.C. United win over the New York Red Bulls, the Black & Gold remain in playoff position, tied on 33 points with Toronto FC and two points ahead of sixth-place New York.
However, the Crew knows it cannot rely on other teams to falter in a tighlty contested Eastern Conference. Instead, Columbus' fate lies in its own hands -- with seven out of its eight remaining opponents coming from the East. What's more, the Crew's final eight foes have a combined 43-70-37 record, and none of the teams boast a winning percentage over .500. Only the Revolution holds a higher place in the standings, thanks to its win Wednesday against Sporting Kansas City. New England is also the only side on the Crew's remaining schedule with a higher points-per-match average (1.38) than Columbus (1.27).
REMAINING OPPONENTS
| TEAM | W | L | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England Revolution (36 pts.) | 11 | 12 | 3 |
| Philadelphia Union (33 pts.) | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| New York Red Bulls (31 pts.) | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Houston Dynamo (28 pts.) | 8 | 13 | 4 |
| Chivas USA (24 pts.) | 6 | 13 | 6 |
| Montreal Impact (20 pts) | 5 | 15 | 5 |
Western Conference opponent
In addition to facing six different opponents over an eight-match span, the Crew plays against the Revolution and the Union twice with a match versus each coming at home and another on the road. The double-fixtures against New England and Philadelphia -- having beaten each club once already in 2014 -- build even more importance with both teams fighting for postseason life just like the Crew.
Though the schedule may be in the Black & Gold's favor, the parity in MLS -- as the Impact showed on Saturday -- is sure to make the final eight matches in the Crew's postseason quest all the more interesting.
| September | ||||||
| M | Tu | W | Th | F | Sa | Su |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |  |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |  | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |  | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |  | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | |||||
| October | ||||||
| M | Tu | W | Th | F | Sa | Su |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |  | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |  | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |  | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |  |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
*Highlighted dates denote home matches. Click date for ticket information.
