LAST PLAYOFF SPOT: Major League Soccer's 10th regular season comes to an end this weekend and the game to watch on Saturday is Kansas City's clash against Dallas, because the Wizards are in a race against the MetroStars for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Too bad it's not televised.
Should Kansas City lose in Dallas, the MetroStars can book a playoff spot with a tie or win at Chivas USA (Sunday, live on ESPN2, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT).
The MetroStars and Kansas City are tied on points and tied in the first tiebreaker, head-to-head. The Wizards have a superior goal difference (plus 8 vs. the MetroStars' plus 2), the determining tiebreaker should they finish even on points, i.e., if both lose, both tie or both win.
A Wizards win in Dallas means the MetroStars would have to beat Chivas USA by seven goals or more, depending on the Wizards' margin of victory.
If the Wizards tie, the Metros still need a win to qualify, because of Kansas City's goal-difference advantage.
Chivas USA does have something to play for: a win spares it from finishing as MLS's worst team. That dishonor would go to fellow expansion franchise Real Salt Lake.
FINISHING ORDER: The top three finishers in the East are set. No. 1 New England is guaranteed home-field advantage in the playoffs and will open against the MetroStars or Kansas City. No. 2 D.C. United will meet Chicago regardless of this weekend's results.
In the West, San Jose faces fourth-place Los Angeles (Saturday, live on Fox Soccer, Fox Espanol, Direct Kick, 10 pm ET/7 pm PT. A win or a tie will move Los Angeles into third-place and set up a first-round playoffá for the Galaxy with Dallas. A San Jose win means the California rivals will meet in the first round of the playoffs and Dallas would face Colorado.
RESERVE PRIZE: On Sunday, the D.C. United reserve team has a chance to lift MLS's first Reserve Division crown and theá $20,000 team bonus that comes with it.
With a three-point lead over Kansas City's reserves in the standings, D.C. United just needs a tie over Columbus to clinch.
Several players have been able to parlay their reserve play this season into regular playing time with the first team, including:
* Los Angeles forward Herculez Gomez, 23, who scored three reserve goals in six games before matching Landon Donovan's 11 goals on the first team..
* Chicago rookie forward Chad Barrett, 20, who shares the Reserve League scoring lead with D.C. United's Jamil Walker on eight goals, has played in 19 games for the Fire first team. Walker has appeared in 21 games for his first team.
* Dallas midfielder Arturo Alvarez, 20, played in six reserve games before becoming a Dallas first-team regular. Also in Dallas, Abe Thompson scored five for the reserves and four for the first team.
* Kansas City's Scott Sealy, 24, played in six reserve games before becoming a regular and the leading rookie scorer in MLS with nine goals.