The West has easily been the weaker of the two conferences during the first half of the 2017 MLS season. However, it’s also the more competitive, with just seven points separating the top seven teams, who are battling for the six playoff spots. Let’s take a stab at seeing how things shake out by breaking down the prospects of the top six playoff contenders for the second half of the season.
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2017 MLS Mid-Season Western Conference Preview
1. Sporting Kansas City (9-4-9, 36 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 7-0-4 |
| Away Record | 2-4-5 |
| Goal Differential | +11 |
| Goals For | 28 |
| Goals Against | 17 |
Sporting boasts by far the meanest defense in the league as they conceded just 17 goals in their first 22 games. However, the big question is whether they can score enough goals to continue topping the West without top striker Dom Dwyer, whom they traded to Orlando City SC. They answered some of those questions with a 3-2 win over Chicago without Dwyer, but it’s a long season and it remains to be seen whether their attack-by-committee strategy can hold up, especially in big situations.
2. FC Dallas (9-4-7, 34 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 6-2-3 |
| Away Record | 3-2-4 |
| Goal Differential | +9 |
| Goals For | 32 |
| Goals Against | 23 |
It’s a testament to FC Dallas’ strength in depth that they’re still right there at the top of the West despite Mauro Diaz missing time with injury and highly-touted striker Cristian Colman only just scoring his first two goals of the season. Diaz will be back for the second half, though, and if he, Colman, and Maxi Urruti can all fire at the same time, Dallas will be quite a force to be reckoned with.
3. Houston Dynamo (9-7-6, 33 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 8-0-3 |
| Away Record | 1-7-3 |
| Goal Differential | +7 |
| Goals For | 39 |
| Goals Against | 32 |
The Dynamo have lived up to their name as they displayed an incredibly dynamic attack during the first half of the season. Erick “Cubo” Torres has led the way with 11 of the team’s 39 goals, and he’s had a lot of help from his talented wings, Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis. However, Houston really needs to find more consistent ways of getting points away from home after they had just one win and three draws in their first 11 road games.
4. Portland Timbers (8-8-7, 31 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 5-2-4 |
| Away Record | 3-6-3 |
| Goal Differential | +1 |
| Goals For | 39 |
| Goals Against | 38 |
It’s been a rough first half of the season for the 2015 champs, who have been beset by injuries, particularly on defense, and other impediments. Luckily for them, they’ve still got quality players like Diego Valeri, who has helped carry the team offensively for much of the year. If the Timbers can just get healthy at the back, they still have a decent shot at breaking into a top-three in the West.
5. Seattle Sounders (8-7-7, 31 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 6-1-3 |
| Away Record | 2-6-4 |
| Goal Differential | +1 |
| Goals For | 32 |
| Goals Against | 31 |
Don’t look now, but the Sounders are on a six-game unbeaten run and have put themselves right into the thick of the playoff hunt. That includes a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down which they made without star forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris, who were busy with their Gold Cup commitments. But with their squad now intact, Dempsey and co. can now concentrate on the task at hand, which is a strong second half run and a chance to defend their title in the playoffs.
6. Vancouver Whitecaps (9-8-3, 30 pts)
| Toronto FC | Stats |
|---|---|
| Home Record | 5-3-2 |
| Away Record | 4-5-1 |
| Goal Differential | +1 |
| Goals For | 30 |
| Goals Against | 29 |
It’s been one of those seasons for the Whitecaps. They’ve been unconvincing on either side of the ball for much of the year, and their inconsistency has been maddening. As encouraging as it was to see them record their biggest road win of the season with a 4-0 thrashing of FC Dallas, they first need to show they can actually string some good results together before anyone should get excited about their chances of holding on to a playoff spot.
Writer’s Prediction
FC Dallas finally gets healthy and their talented attack leads them to the top of the conference table by the end of the regular season.
- FC Dallas
- Sporting KC
- Seattle Sounders
- Houston Dynamo
- Portland Timbers
- Vancouver Whitecaps
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