FC Dallas already has its place in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The four matches left on its regular-season schedule will decide where its first-round series is played, and three of them are at Toyota Stadium.
Dallas is third in the Western Conference with 51 points from 30 matches after Saturday's 2-2 draw in Houston. It is level on points and wins with second-place St. Louis City SC, which holds the edge on goal differential, plus-15 to plus-8. Vancouver leads the West with 55.
Behind Dallas are San Jose with 48, Houston with 47 and Los Angeles FC with 46, though LAFC has played one more match than the others.
The run begins Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT against San Jose, the team directly below Dallas in the table. Columbus visits on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Dallas then plays at Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 31. The regular season closes on Decision Day, Nov. 7, with Colorado at Toyota Stadium at 6 p.m.
What a top-four seed is worth
Under the league's format, the top seven clubs in each conference go straight into a best-of-three Round One series, with the higher seed hosting the first match and, if necessary, the third.
The West pairs No. 1 with the wild-card winner, No. 2 with No. 7, No. 3 with No. 6 and No. 4 with No. 5, so fourth place is the line for home-field advantage. A Round One match that is level after regulation goes directly to penalty kicks. The conference semifinals and final are single matches at the higher seed's stadium.
If the standings held, Dallas would open at home against sixth-place LAFC. Round One is scheduled for Nov. 20 through Dec. 2.
Building on home form
Dallas has seven wins, five draws and two losses at Toyota Stadium this season and has not lost there since a 3-2 defeat to Vancouver on May 13. Since then it is unbeaten in five home matches, with four wins and a draw, the latest a 1-0 victory over Seattle on Oct. 14 that clinched the club's second straight playoff appearance under coach Eric Quill.
The remaining opponents arrive with different stakes. A San Jose win on Saturday would pull the Earthquakes even with Dallas on points. Columbus is 11th in the Eastern Conference with 35 points, outside the nine postseason places. Kansas City is last in the West with 22 points, and Colorado holds the conference's final wild-card spot in ninth with 39.
