How FC Cincinnati can clinch an MLS Cup playoff spot in the season finale
Even with 2022 being FC Cincinnati's best season in Major League Soccer, it hasn't made postseason matters easy on itself. The club will enter the final match of the regular season fighting for its playoff life, although results in matches played Wednesday helped put FCC in a slightly better position entering the final match against D.C. United.
FC Cincinnati was already in a win-and-you're-in situation relative to the MLS Cup playoffs ahead of this weekend's season finale, but that's always a risky proposition in a parity-driven league like MLS. But the club's playoff outlook received a boost Wednesday night with Columbus Crew dropping points late in a 2-2 draw at Charlotte FC, and Inter Miami CF defeating Orlando City SC.
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FC Cincinnati can qualify for the postseason with a win or a draw against D.C. United Sunday at Audi Field (2:30 p.m.), and the other games happening in the east won't have any impact on FCC's ability to clinch if either happens.
FC Cincinnati can even get into the playoff field with a loss to United, which sits in a distant last place in all of MLS on a 7-20-6 record. As long as there's no draw in Sunday's Orlando-Columbus match, a loss to United would still see FC Cincinnati hang on for the No. 7 seed in the east.
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Three clubs -- Cincinnati, Columbus and Orlando -- are battling for the final two playoff places in the MLS Eastern Conference, from which seven teams will emerge for the postseason. The rest of the clubs in the east have been eliminated from playoff contention.
A draw between Orlando and Columbus, combined with an FCC loss, would mean the end of the line for Cincinnati. The point gained in the draw would push Columbus above Cincinnati in the standings. It would also push Orlando up to a tie for seventh place with Cincinnati, and Orlando also holds the advantage in a tiebreaking scenario as it has more victories this season.
That's the doomsday permutation for FCC, but having three different avenues to clinch -- including clinching with a loss -- is the ideal scenario for Cincinnati.
It's going to be a long afternoon of scoreboard watching across the conference. Even among the clubs that are qualified for the playoffs in the east, each one is still jockeying for seeding.
At the top of the conference, current No. 2 club, CF Montreal, could jump first-place Philadelphia Union. Everyone in between still needs to nail down their final position, too.
The top seed in the east receives a first-round bye in the playoffs. That's also true in the Western Conference. Then, the playoff matchups would look like this is the season ended today and each club held its current position (dates and times TBA):
No. 2 Montreal hosts No. 7 Columbus
No. 3 NYCFC hosts No. 6 FC Cincinnati (at Red Bull Arena)
No. 4 New York Red Bulls hosts No. 5 Inter Miami
Philadelphia would await the winner of Red Bulls-Inter Miami
Here's how the Eastern Conference playoff picture looks ahead of Sunday's matches, which are all scheduled to begin simultaneously at 2:30 p.m.:
x - Philadelphia Union - 64 points (18-5-10), +42 goal difference
x - Montreal - 62 pts. (19-9-5), +11 GD
x - New York City FC - 52 pts (15-11-7), +15 GD
x - New York Red Bulls - 50 pts. (14-11-8), +7 GD
x - Inter Miami CF - 48 pts. (14-13-6), -7 GD
FC Cincinnati - 46 pts., 11-9-13, +5 GD
Columbus Crew - 46 pts., 10-7-16, +6 GD
Orlando City SC - 45 pts., 13-14-6, -10 GD
x = clinched playoff berth
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How FC Cincy can clinch an MLS Cup playoff spot in the season finale
