The Pitch: The Push to the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs Continues

With just two weeks remaining in the 2022 MLS regular season, Week 33’s matchups will have a critical impact on the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs picture for more than half of the league’s teams. Eight positions in the postseason remain up for grabs, with 15 still in contention for a coveted spot.

In the Eastern Conference, six teams either sit in playoff position or within three points of the playoff line, including the defending MLS Cup champions New York City FC (49 points, 14-11-7), which are in position to clinch a postseason berth this week. FC Cincinnati (45 points, 11-8-12), which play two matches this week, look to continue their terrific turnaround campaign by securing the first playoff position in club history, while expansion side Charlotte FC (38 points, 12-17-2) aim to stay alive in the race to the postseason.

In the Western Conference, seven teams remain in contention for the final four playoff spots, , including five teams who advanced to the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, as well as Nashville SC who earned an Eastern Conference playoff berth in 2021. Nashville SC (47 points, 12-9-11), led by Landon Donovan MLS MVP frontrunner Hany Mukhtar, looks to lock up a spot in the postseason as they take on Houston Dynamo FC at GEODIS Park on Sunday night (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+). The Portland Timbers (46 points, 11-8-13), who advanced to last year’s MLS Cup, can take one step closer to the postseason with a result over LAFC on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes).

With each of the weekend’s 14 matches carrying postseason implications via clinching, elimination, or seeding, excitement abounds at the MLS season races towards the finish.

LAFC On the Brink of Supporters’ Shield Title

As a stellar regular season comes to a close, the Los Angeles Football Club (64 points, 20-8-4) sits on the brink of history, as the club can secure its second Supporters’ Shield title in four seasons in Week 33. LAFC would earn the title of the league’s best regular season club in 2022 with a victory over the Portland Timbers on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes) combined with a Philadelphia Union loss at Charlotte FC on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, MLS LIVE on ESPN+).

LAFC look to punctuate one of the best regular seasons in league history, as the club sits on the verge of winning with the Supporters’ Shield and joining some of the top teams in league annals. With victories in each of their last two…