Major League Soccer MLS Cup Playoff Preview

Less than a week prior to the start of Major League Soccer's MLS Cup, six teams have already locked up their respective playoff spots. Leading the pack is D.C. United with 55 points, followed by Chivas USA with 52. Houston Dynamo (51 points), New England Revolution (49 points), FC Dallas (44) and New York Red Bull (43 points) round out the top six teams in the league.

With only two open playoff slots and a handful of games remaining, MLS fans may be caught waiting until the conclusion of season's final match to see how the standings shake out. Four teams are set to battle this weekend for their places in the postseason: Chicago Fire (37 points), Kansas City Wizards (37 points), Colorado Rapids (35 points) and Los Angeles Galaxy (34 points). Columbus Crew also has 34 points, but sits behind both Kansas City and Chicago Fire in terms of tiebreakers. Heading into the last weekend of the regular season, the results of three scheduled games have a meaningful impact on who keeps playing in the postseason and who goes home.

On Saturday, Kansas City Wizards will try their magic on FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids will work for a win against Real Salt Lake. The final season match on Sunday will be an LA/Chicago showdown as the Galaxy tries to continue an unexpected hot streak against the Fire. A "W" for Kansas City or Chicago gives each a ticket to the MLS Cup. But if either team ties or loses, a variety of scenarios could send Colorado or Los Angeles into the playoffs instead.

Kansas City hopes to bring in a win against fifth-place FC Dallas at Dallas' home field, Pizza Hut Park, on Saturday. In all-time, head-to-head stats, Kansas City has a slight edge, taking 16 wins out of 37 matches. FC Dallas has recorded 15 wins and six draws against Kansas City. When playing in Dallas, the Wizards have notched seven wins and two draws out of 18 matches. Depending on the results of other matches, Kansas City may sneak into the postseason with either a win or a draw.