After seven months and 22 games amid an MLS season unlike any other, the Chicago Fire's 2020 campaign will boil down to a Decision Day clash at Soldier Field vs. NYCFC.
Two playoff spots remain up for grabs in the Eastern Conference, with five teams still in contention to capture them: Chicago, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami, and D.C. All will play their final regular season match Sunday afternoon at the simultaneous kick of 2:30 pm CT (the Fire's match can be watched live on WGN and ESPN+).
That means by roughly 4:30 pm CT we'll know who's in and who's out. Only two teams will enter the day controlling their destiny: the Fire and the Impact. If Chicago wins, they're in. Simple as that. If they draw or lose, that opens the door for another team to sneak in.
Here's a look at Sunday's matchups and all the scenarios for the Fire to book their spot in the playoffs.
Matches
Chicago Fire FC (5-9-8, 23 points) vs. NYCFC (11-8-3, 36 points)
Inter Miami CF (6-13-3, 21 points) vs. FC Cincinnati (4-14-4, 16 points)
D.C. United (5-11-6, 21 points) vs. Montreal Impact (7-13-2, 23 points)
Columbus Crew SC (11-6-5, 38 points) vs. Atlanta United FC (6-12-4, 22 points)
Tiebreakers
Although MLS recently announced that the league would use points per game to determine playoff positioning, that change will not affect the race for the 9th and 10th seeds in the East due to each team playing the same number of matches: 23.
The first tiebreaker if teams are tied on points is number of wins. Because the Fire will enter Sunday sitting on five victories, if they end the day tied with any of the other four teams in contention, they'll lose the tiebreaker (Montreal has seven wins, Atlanta and Miami have six wins, and D.C. has five but would need a sixth to have a chance at qualifying).
That's why taking care of business and winning vs. NYCFC is of the upmost importance. There are scenarios that could see the Fire clinch with a draw or loss, but would require help across the league.
Scenarios
The Fire will clinch a berth in the playoffs IF:
- Chicago Fire win vs. NYCFC
-- OR --
- Chicago Fire tie vs. NYCFC AND
- Atlanta United lose or tie AND
- Inter Miami lose or tie
-- OR --
- Atlanta United lose AND
- Inter Miami lose or tie AND
- D.C. United lose or tie
