In their first season of existence, not only has Los Angeles Football Club clinched qualification to the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, they're in prime position to push for a first-round bye.
LAFC are tied on points with Sporting Kansas City for second in the Western Conference and are four points off FC Dallas for first. With three games remaining, including a trip to SKC on Decision Day, LAFC control their own destiny in their effort to avoid the Knockout Round.
"You certainly hope as the season unfolds, a team's mentality gets better and better," head coach Bob Bradley said. "You hope the understanding of how to handle situations late, that everybody's on the same page. We've gone through a lot this year."
On Friday, LAFC host the Houston Dynamo (10 pm ET | TV & streaming info) as their first of two games against clubs currently below the playoff line before Decision Day.
"Six points is vital in these two games for us to achieve what we want to at the end of the regular season," midfielder Benny Feilhaber said. "We'll be ready to go and everyone will be concentrated on the three points."
Feilhaber has been a near-constant for LAFC this season, as the 33-year-old has played in 31 of the club's 32 MLS games, adding three goals and six assists. No stranger to postseason soccer thanks to his time with SKC, the veteran center mid feels the club are already in that playoff mindset.
"It just feels like we're already in the playoffs at this point, but playoffs are a different ballgame as well," Feilhaber said. "Everybody's mentality is different, everybody's concentration is different. It's an exciting time to play and the best players tend to rise up, play at their best."
