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So, who had the New York Red Bulls as the first team to qualify for a playoff spot in 2013? Anyone? I certainly did not. The Red Bulls clinched, but there is still work to be done.
This article would start by focusing on results that helped NY this week, but this is the only one that mattered:
New York Red Bull 2-2 New England Revolution
With the Red Bulls securing a playoff spot, the focus is now on seeding, both in the Eastern Conference and MLS as a whole. Here is how the top 5 in the East looks right now.
| Team | Current Points | Max Points |
| New York Red Bulls | 53 | 59 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 51 | 60 |
| Houston Dynamo | 47 | 56 |
| Montreal Impact | 46 | 58 |
| Philadelphia Union | 45 | 51 |
Here are the Top 5 in the Shield Standings:
| Team | Current Points | Max Points |
| New York Red Bulls | 53 | 59 |
| Real Salt Lake | 52 | 58 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 51 | 60 |
| Seattle Sounders | 51 | 63 |
| Portland Timbers | 50 | 59 |
Games to watch until the Red Bulls play again in two weeks (10/20):
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10/9 - Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City
- A Houston Loss or Draw will give New York breathing room to avoid the 4/5 wild card game.
- A Houston win would take Sporting's 1 game in hand advantage away and greatly improve NY's chances of a #1 in the East finish.
- Sporting KC will be missing Matt Besler and Graham Zusi thanks to Jurgen Klinsman.
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10/9 - Seattle Sounders vs Vancouver Whitecaps
- The only result that helps New York is a Seattle loss. This is one of two games in hand that Seattle will make up.
- Seattle will be without Eddie Johnson and Brad Davis, but will have Clint Dempsey if he's healthy.
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10/13 - Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders
- Again, a Seattle loss is the best result for New York in terms of the shield.
- A draw would be equally as helpful as it would reduce Portland changes of drawing even with New York on points.
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10/18 - Sporting Kansas City vs D.C. United
- This is going to be hard for Red Bull fans to do, but rooting for D.C. in this one is only natural since they are already out of the playoffs.
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10/19 - Montreal Impact vs Philadelphia Union
- Philadelphia can't reach NY in points, so again, we have to root for a team we hate to beat Montreal.
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10/19 - FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders
- Dallas is not a threat for the shield, and may be out of the playoffs by this point, so a Dallas win is best.
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10/19 - Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake
- This one depends on the result Portland gets against Seattle, but a draw would probably be the best.