First off, sorry for not getting these posted earlier this morning. I had ever intention to do so but somehow I just never hit publish on this post probably because I was hooked on playing online bingo (seriously folks this bingo is addictive). Second of all this week’s rankings come with very little change at the top six or seven. Most of the clubs stayed right where they were at after week 29.

A couple teams did move around though as FC Dallas continues to shock people as they make their improbable run into the playoffs. Just wonder if Colorado cools them off this weekend here in Dallas or not.

Team	Rank (Last Week)	Record (W-L-T)	Comments
	1 (1)	13-5-10 46 pts.	Went on the road with a few missing starters and clinched their second eastern conference crown. They’ve pretty much wrapped up the Supporter’s Shield for a second straight season too.
	2 (2)	11-6-11 44 pts.	Two key games left will determine if this club hosts playoff games or if they will be on the road.
	3 (3)	12-8-8 44 pts.	Two massive games left against LA and Chivas. We will know if the Dynamo are heading into the playoffs strong or if they are backing in.
	4 (4)	13-9-5 44 pts.	I think Chivas is hitting their peak at the right time, they are the lone reason why Columbus hasn’t clinched the Supporter’s Shield. That extra game in hand will come in handy against LA and Houston too.
	5 (5)	10-7-11 41 pts.	A game in KC and then back home against Dallas. Should only need a draw in KC to get into the playoffs but Sigi Schmid will want more than that.
	6 (6)	10-7-11 41 pts.	Now if they can only get Blanco to get going for their last couple games into the playoffs this club could be fine yet again. If not look for them to flame out early in the playoffs. (yes pun intended)
	7 (7)	10-10-8 38 pts.	I’ve been saying it for weeks, the injuries this club has is going to be very tough to overcome. They are holding on be a tiny margin over teams like Dallas, Toronto and DC.
	8 (10)	10-12-6 36 pts.	Still needs to win the final two games to even have a shot at being the eight and final club in the playoffs. If Jeff Cunningham has anything to say about it this club will do it.
	9 (8)	10-8-10 40 pts.	Not the best time to face the league’s hottest side on the road, if they can cool off Dallas their playoff hopes will no longer be in doubt.
	10 (9)	9-10-9 36 pts.	The Reds only have themselves to blame for dropping the ball at home against San Jose.
	11 (11)	8-8-12 36 pts.	The clock continues to click on Tom Soehn’s job status in DC.
	12 (12)	9-11-7 34 pts.	Three big games left, two against win-able teams and one against a rival on the final day of the season. Its put up for shut up time for this bunch. They need all nine points to get in, anything less just will not do.
	13 (14)	7-13-8 29 pts.	This team is a headache despite their eliminated status.
	14 (12)	8-12-8 32 pts.	Now eliminated from playoff contention the Wizards turn their attention on rebuilding under Peter Vermes. Just wonder if he will remain as head coach there.
	15 (15)	4-18-6 18 pts.	Can this bunch spoil RSL’s playoff hopes? Honestly it wouldn’t shock me if they did.

BMO Field will be rocking this weekend as the Reds host San Jose. (Getty Images)

Week 30 is a short one for Major League Soccer. Once again the international dates for World Cup qualifiers are taking over the majority of the weekend but three games were still scheduled during it. Not a bad thing as we gear towards the playoffs though as this weekend should gives us a better indication out of a couple clubs on whether or not they are playoff bound or will be staying home this fall.

For playoff purposes let’s go ahead and look at where we are going into this weekend:

The Playoff Picture Heading Into Week 30
(X – Denotes clinched a playoff spot)

Eastern Conference
1. Columbus (12-5-10, 46 pts., 3 games remaining) – X
2. Chicago (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
Western Conference
1. Houston (12-8-8, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
2. Los Angeles (11-6-11, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
Wild Cards
T1. Chivas USA (12-9-5, 41 pts., 4 games remaining)
T1. Seattle (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
3. Colorado (10-8-10, 40 pts., 2 games remaining)
4. New England (10-9-8, 38 pts., 3 games remaining)
Bottom 7 Out
D.C. United (8-8-12, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
FC Dallas (10-12-6, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
Toronto FC (9-10-8, 35 pts., 3 games remaining)
Real Salt Lake (9-11-7, 34 pts., 3 games remaining)
Kansas City (8-11-8, 32 pts., 3 games remaining)
San Jose (7-13-7, 28 pts., 3 games remaining)
New York (4-18-6, 18 pts., 2 games remaining)

With the three games this weekend we could see a slight shake up near the bottom of the playoff table. Two clubs are playing spoilers this weekend and one hopes to possibly inch closer to the Supporter’s Shield.

As always feel free to leave your score predictions below. Continue Reading…