Major League Soccer is in the midst of its most intense playoff race in years. Heading into the final weekend of the season, seven teams are in contention for four available playoff spots. And while the weight of the final week of the season is heavy for many of those teams, a few squads have another hurdle to cross before the proverbial finish line.
This week is the last week of group stage matches for the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League. Five MLS teams entered the group stage of the tournament. The LA Galaxy clinched their spot in the quarterfinals, the Montreal Impact have already been eliminated and Sporting KC, the Houston Dynamo and the San Jose Earthquakes need positive results this week to keep their CCL hopes alive.
Sporting KC concludes Group 2 play Wednesday night when they host Honduran champion CD Olimpia at Sporting Park (7pm kickoff; Buy Tickets). The club will then have a short turnaround as they prepare for Saturday's regular season finale against the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park.
"No, (we aren’t looking ahead to Philadelphia). It’s all about the Champions League now," Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said after Friday night's win against D.C. United. "That’s a huge game for us here at home. We’ve got to be ready to play."
Sporting KC is participating in their first international competition since the 2009 SuperLiga. It's also their first continental championship since the 2005 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. And with seven points through three games, Sporting KC only needs a draw on Wednesday vs. Olimpia to punch their ticket to the next round.
Vermes does not mind the mid-week game during the playoff stretch. Instead, he views it as an opportunity to prepare his squad for the playoff schedule ahead.
"I think it’s great because (back-to-back important games) mimics what the playoffs could be like," he said. "It keeps us in form because we get a chance to turn around and play again right away. We’re also coming off our (international) break here. We need games going into the final push of the season."
