FRISCO - The second-to-last month of the season kicked off over the weekend with just four matches around the league - largely teams playing catch-up with games in-hand. Let's take a look at how the two Western Conference affairs changed the standings in the West.
FC Dallas earned a 2-2 draw with Eastern opponent New York Red Bulls to climb back into a playoff position after one week on the outside of the equation. Their point lifted them above San Jose with still a game in-hand over the Quakes. Dallas sits just five points out of the top spot and within striking distance of third place depending on this weekend's results.
The only other conference action this weekend was a bottom-dweller meeting between LA and Colorado, with the Galaxy picking up their first win in the last eleven matches, 3-0 over the Rapids.
The playoff picture is starting to shape up in the West entering September. The current top two teams, Seattle and Portland, have 27 and 28 games played, respectively, while the four teams below them, including FCD, have 25 or 26 games played. They'll have to maintain their current form to remain atop the standings as the games in-hand are played in the coming weeks. By Oct. 12, every team in the league will be level on games played.
These six appear the drivers in the conference, with San Jose and Real Salt Lake at 27 and 28 games played, respectively, and looking to make up ground and neither holding an easy schedule over their remaining games. It's going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight around the red line and none of the top eight are considered safe yet.
