Your Thursday Kickoff: Philadelphia clinch playoff spot; LAFC, Austin stunned

What you need to know

Union clinch Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs spot:

The Philadelphia Union are in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, the first Eastern Conference team to earn that distinction this season. Head coach Jim Curtin’s team booked their spot with a 4-1 win over Atlanta United on Wednesday night at their Subaru Park home.

Salloi signs long-term contract with Sporting Kansas City:

Sporting Kansas City have signed forward Daniel Salloi to a new four-year contract through the 2026 MLS season. The 26-year-old Hungarian international originally signed for SKC in January 2016. He was poised to enter free agency this winter as his current deal expired.

Sign up for The Daily Kickoff in your inbox! The Daily Kickoff is more than an article – it can be delivered to your email account as well.

The Recap

Let’s do The Recap a little differently. With a little more feeling.

PHILADELPHIA UNION VS. ATLANTA UNITED

What happened: The Union clinched the second playoff spot of the 2022 season as they romped over Atlanta United in a 4-1 win. Philadelphia forward Julian Carranza and Atlanta defender Andrew Gutman traded early goals but the Union took off from there. Philly’s Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag and Nathan Harriel all found the net as the Union cruised to a huge win.
What it means: Well, first and foremost, we have our first playoff team in the East. The Union have earned it by being outstanding all year and the hottest team in the league over the last few months. It wasn’t quite the 6-0 rout we’ve become used to over the last few weeks, but Philly were still decidedly in control. They should be MLS Cup favorites. They may even get a Supporters’ Shield out of this. LAFC’s loss to Houston has Philadelphia even on points with the Black & Gold. LAFC do have a game in hand, but the Union are playing much better soccer right now. Meanwhile, Atlanta are just a little more doomed than they were before they played Philadelphia. They finished the night in 11th place and it seems like their final stretch is just going to be too difficult to overcome.

COLUMBUS CREW VS. INTER MIAMI CF

What happened: Luis Diaz happened. His 64th-minute goal was all the Crew needed to get Columbus past Inter Miami in a 1-0 win.
What it means: It means that the Crew are just about safe. Just about. They finished the night in sixth place and sit ahead of Inter Miami by three points with a game in hand. Which, yeah, the Herons might be in trouble. A win midweek would have helped a ton. But, unsurprisingly, they struggled to create chances without star midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo. Inter Miami put up just four shots on the night. They’ll have him back for their next game, but every game feels so critical right now. His absence due to a red card in the previous game loomed large.

CF MONTRÉAL VS. NEW YORK RED BULLS

What happened: Lewis Morgan happened. His 43rd-minute goal was all the Red Bulls needed to get the win.
What it means: Well, for CFM, not a ton. They’re still ahead of NYCFC and RBNY in the standings as they fight for the second spot in the East. But it is a pretty big deal for New York, who jumped NYCFC in the standings and are just two points behind Montréal for second place. Most importantly, they’re all but assured a playoff spot at this point. They somehow got here by winning games like this one on the road. Their nine road wins this season are the most in the league. They seem to be ignoring my advice to keep losing so they can have all road games in the playoffs but to each their own I guess.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION VS. CHICAGO FIRE FC

What happened: Nothing. No one scored. Lame.
What it means: It means Chicago are probably out of the playoffs and it means that the Revs missed out on an opportunity to truly capitalize on Inter Miami and Atlanta losing, plus Toronto. New England finished the night in ninth place, one point below the playoff line. They would have been above the line with a win.

TORONTO FC VS. LA GALAXY

What happened: The Galaxy’s new midfield signing Riqui Puig scored a stunning goal in the 89th minute to open his account in MLS and give the Galaxy a point against Toronto in a 2-2 draw. Toronto forwards Jesus Jimenez and Federico Bernardeschi scored for the Reds, while Douglas Costa scored on a free kick for LA.
What it means: For Toronto, it means that they missed out on a massive opportunity to truly inject themselves back into the playoff race. Instead, they’re 10th in the East, two points below the line and they’ve played a game more than everyone else. The margins are key for the Reds right now and Puig’s late goal had to hurt. LA will be feeling good enough about it all. It opens a door for Portland to jump them in the table, but the Galaxy have two games in hand on the Timbers. A draw against an explosive Toronto team isn’t the worst outcome.

NYCFC VS. D.C. UNITED

What happened: I…I don’t know but D.C. United somehow beat NYCFC? D.C.’s Ola Kamara and Steve Birnbaum both scored in a 2-1 win? Oh…ok then.
What it means: ALIENS! Ok, it’s probably not quite that otherworldly. It really just means that NYCFC have been straight-up bad lately. That’s five losses in their last six. Considering this result, the defending MLS Cup champs are the worst team in the league right now. It’s absolutely wild. And even still, they’re comfortable in a playoff spot! That’s how good they were before all this. Now they may even have to worry about being caught by Orlando. The Lions are just three points behind them and looking to overtake NYCFC for the final home playoff spot in the East. It’s a great result for D.C., who are just trying to take what they can as the season winds down. A win over NYCFC as new D.C. forward Christian Benteke makes his debut is a lot to take. This was definitely the most surprising result of the night though. Can’t imagine how anything could top the--OHMYGOD!

HOUSTON DYNAMO FC VS. LAFC

What happened: Houston? Beat LAFC?? Man y’all, I just wasn’t prepared for all this. Sebastian Ferreira and Griffin Dorsey scored for Houston as the Dynamo stunned LAFC and MLS in a 2-1 win.
What it means: NO REALLY, ALIENS! I mean, maybe, right? To be fair though, LAFC have also been struggling lately. That’s three-straight losses. Two of which came to San Jose and now Houston. There’s genuine reason for concern with this team right now. They’re still on top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, but Philadelphia are even on points and Austin aren’t far behind.

NASHVILLE SC VS. COLORADO RAPIDS

What happened: Nashville thumped the Rapids, 4-1. Nashville's Hany Mukhtar made another push into the MVP conversation with a hat trick and Jacob Shaffelburg added a goal as well for the Coyotes.
What it means: Mukhtar is just special. That’s 19 goals and 11 assists now. 30 total goal contributions. He may just win MVP yet. His outstanding run of form is coming at the best possible time as Nashville climb their way to safety in the West. The Coyotes have won three in a row in style and are now fifth in the West, just one point behind FC Dallas in fourth and Minnesota United in third. While it’s all great news for Nashville, it’s probably a death blow for Colorado. They’re just buried too deep in the standings now. It’s been a long fall for last year’s Western Conference first-seed.

REAL SALT LAKE VS. MINNESOTA UNITED FC

What happened: RSL outmuscled the Loons in a dominant 3-0 win. Sergio Cordova, Jefferson Savarino and Anderson Julio all scored.
What it means: It means that we can go ahead and start moving past the “RSL are all heart and nothing else” jokes. They’re playing genuinely good ball right now. They’re looking safe in the playoff race and dragging Minnesota down to the rest of the middle of the pack in the playoff race has set RSL (and a couple of other teams) in position to earn a home playoff spot. The Loons will need to be a little more careful down the stretch than expected.

ORLANDO CITY SC VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

What happened: Orlando magic. A 91st-minute winner from Kyle Smith sent Exploria Stadium into a frenzy as the Lions took down Seattle 3-2. Facundo Torres and Ercan Kara also found the net for Orlando.
What it means: For one, it means that Orlando are a genuine threat to earn a home playoff spot. I have no idea how we got here, but tonight is a good encapsulation of what’s made the Lions so impressive this year. They don’t stop grinding out results, no matter the situation. And now, they’re the reason we’ve gone from “Worrying About the Sounders” to full-on “Panicking About the Sounders.” It just doesn’t seem like a playoff spot is in the works this year. It’s brutal out here in MLS. The CCL champs are likely going to come up short.

AUSTIN FC VS. PORTLAND TIMBERS

What happened: Portland’s Bill Tuiloma and Zac McGraw each found the net as the Timbers held off Sebastian Driussi and Austin FC in a critical 2-1 win.
What it means: It’s a huge result for the Timbers, who jumped into seventh place in the West after a win in what you could call their hardest remaining game. I say “could” because they still have to face Minnesota and LAFC, but at least those are at home. They still have a long way to go and some luck to catch considering that eighth-place LA has two games in hand on them, but Portland are making the Galaxy carve their own way. That’s all the Timbers can do at this point. Austin will be fine, but they could have jumped within three points of LAFC with the win.

Other Things

D.C. United sign homegrown defender Akinmboni: D.C. United have signed defender Matai Akinmboni to a homegrown contract through the 2025 MLS season with options in 2026 and 2027. Akinmboni, 15, is the Black-and-Red’s first homegrown signing under head coach Wayne Rooney.

The Reading Rainbow