Playoffs

Decision Day | Here’s how the Revs can lock up 6th place in the Eastern Conference

Decision Day 2020

There is, in fact, plenty to be decided on Decision Day 2020 presented by AT&T, including where the New England Revolution will finish in the Eastern Conference standings.


The Revs will enter the final round of regular-season games occupying 6th place in the East, which would keep them out of the play-in round reserved for seeds 7-10, and send them directly to Round 1 of the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs for a meeting with the East’s No. 3 seed.


There are several scenarios in which the Revs can lock up that 6th-place finish on Sunday, when they’ll visit the Supporters’ Shield-chasing Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN Deportes, 98.5 The Sports Hub). The simplest is this: win or draw and they’ll hold onto 6th place.


It gets a little more complicated if the Revs lose on Sunday, as they could be passed by both the New York Red Bulls and/or Nashville SC depending on their results.


Here are the scenarios for Decision Day:


Revs will finish 6th in the Eastern Conference if:

     - Revs win OR draw at Philadelphia Union


       OR


     - Revs lose at Philadelphia Union
       AND
       New York Red Bulls lose OR draw vs. Toronto FC
       AND
       Nashville SC lose OR draw at Orlando City SC
       OR
       Nashville SC win at Orlando City SC but don’t overcome goal differential tiebreaker
              (Revs goal differential is +3, Nashville goal differential is +1)


Basically, it boils down to this: if the Revs can win or draw on Sunday at Philadelphia, they’ll finish in 6th place and avoid the play-in round. If they lose at Philadelphia, they’ll hope that neither the New York Red Bulls nor Nashville SC win and jump ahead of them. If they do, the Revs would drop to either 7th or 8th place in the East.


We’ll have full coverage leading into Decision Day, culminating with the Revs-Union match at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday on ABC and ESPN Deportes.