The Daily Dirt, September 25: The Climb

MLS has two huge games today that will go a long way to deciding the playoff picture. LA can move into second place in the West, clinch a playoff spot, and slide two points behind Dallas for the Supporters’ Shield with a win at home, but Seattle can get to within three points of the final playoff spot with two games in hand on Portland with a win. Columbus has to win out to have any remote chance of climbing the table to get above the red line, while a New England win would vault them into fifth place over the sinking Montreal Impact.

LA has long been Seattle’s bogey team, can Brian Schmetzer have better success against the Galaxy than Sigi Schmid did? The Stub Hub Center has not exactly been a fortress this season, but LA has not lost at home. They have had nearly as many draws as wins, so points can be had for the visiting Sounders. However, Seattle has not won in LA since 2009.

The Crew could be back on track after a huge 4-1 win in Orlando last week. A win is a must against former striker Kei Kamara if they want to have any chance of returning to MLS Cup. This is their third meeting with New England in 2016, they split the first two in Foxborough.

The playoff picture is MLS is typically cloudy up until the final moments, but today’s games could clear things up a bit for a few teams.

Domestic

Toronto comes back to earn a draw with Philadelphia at BMO Field (Waking the Red)

Vancouver scores late to keep their slim playoff hopes alive in a 3-3 draw with Colorado (Eighty Six Forever)

DC moves back into a playoff spot with an emphatic 4-1 home win over Orlando (Black and Red United)

A 1-0 win at home for the Red Bulls puts them on top of the Eastern Conference via goal differential, Montreal’s slump continues (Once a Metro)

After the game, Didier Drogba got into it with some Red Bulls’ fans:

Last place Houston surprises Portland with a 3-1 win, Mauro Manotas with a hat trick (Dynamo Theory)

Dallas and Salt Lake cancel each other out in a 0-0 draw (RSL Soapbox)

Kansas City moves out of the final playoff spot with a big 2-1 win on the road in San Jose (The Blue Testament)

International

Would Jurgen Klopp ever go to Bayern Munich? (Express)

Connections between MLS and the Bundesliga (Top Drawer Soccer)

Local

Georgia State’s men fall on the road to South Carolina:

Georgia Southern beat North Florida 2-0 in Statesboro (GS Eagles)

Kennesaw State falls 3-2 to Lipscomb in women’s soccer (Twitter)

Georgia Gwinnett’s women lose 2-0 to Mobile (UM)