Guaranteed home playoff game gives us the advantage in a win or go home playoff structure. Had we ended 4th we'd get the Galaxy at home and the reward for a win there would have been LAFC. Zlatan is not someone I want to face in the playoffs' early rounds and LAFC will still be smarting form our win over them in last year's playoffs.

Portland matches us very well but being at home and with the urgency of the playoffs I think we win that game. If Dallas knocks off Seattle we get another home match but if we have to go to Seattle it is a place we can win. We match them well enough to get that game. Then we'd end up against one of the LAs in the conference final. We have to go get these wins but this path in the playoffs is well set up for SLC if we play our best games and if Beckerman and Rimando can find their spark from a couple of years ago.