The MLS Western Conference playoff race is tight. There is just a five-point difference between 2-6 clubs, and 1st-place Portland (on 44 points, two ahead of Seattle) have played at least two more matches than every other contending team. San Jose, in seventh, are just a point off FC Dallas, and RSL, another point back of the Quakes, won’t go away yet. It is a fierce battle for playoff positioning.
So for a club like the Houston Dynamo, who are fifth with 38 points and games in hand, games at home against the worst team in the league are must-win if they’re going to try and host a playoff game.