Here we go, sports fans.
Major League Soccer starts its playoffs with a pair of knockout round games on Wednesday and another two on Thursday.
[ MORE: MLS Cup predictions ]
Philadelphia Union at Toronto FC -- 7:30 p.m. ET
The Union are back in the playoffs for just the second time in playoff history, the same amount as Toronto. The difference is that Toronto has made the postseason in back-to-back season and isn’t entering the second season on a brutal cold streak.
Philly has lost three-straight and five of seven, making the playoffs on goal differential and -- as Brotherly Game points out -- has the lowest points-per-game of a playoff team since 2006.
That’s probably not going to fly at the new, loud BMO Field, where TFC’s supporters will finally get a home playoff match. Sebastian Giovinco is close to full fitness, Jozy Altidore has been on fire, and Michael Bradley isn’t exactly a player who shirks the big game spot light.
But it’s going to be players like Drew Moor and Clint Irwin who keep TFC calm under the bright lights. They’ve been here before. In fact, Moor has actually been at BMO in the playoffs, when Colorado trumped FC Dallas for a 2-1 win at MLS Cup 2010.
[ MORE: Nyarko says DC can aim high in MLS Playoffs ]
Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy --10:30 p.m. ET
Before the season began, LA looked like it had an embarrassment of riches that could challenge for one of the best records in MLS history. Between Giovani Dos Santos, Robbie Keane, Ashley Cole, Nigel de Jong, Steven Gerrard, and Gyasi Zardes -- let alone the rest of the crew -- the Galaxy were terrifying.
About 700 miles northeast was a team expected to do, well, not much. Real Salt Lake had its mainstays in Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando, but had the club done enough to make up a 10-point playoff deficit from 2015?
Injuries and defections stopped the Galaxy from reaching its potential, while RSL rode a hot start into the playoffs. Both teams finished their seasons in cold fashion; In Real’s case, ice cold.
The Galaxy only lost one game at the StubHub Center this season, and it’s realistic to think that trend will continue on Wednesday. But there’s something about RSL and the playoffs -- and the potential absences of not just Zardes but Keane and Gerrard -- that lead us to believe something strange could be coming by the time Thursday morning hits the East Coast.
