MLS standings since Sept 1

Although not perfect, a good measure of who might do well in the playoffs can be seen by how clubs did in the lead up to the post-season.

Here are the standings from Sept. 1 on:

East -
K.C. 11 pts
Columbus 10
TFC 8
DCU 7
N.E. 6
Chicago 4
N.Y. 2

West -
Dallas 16
Seattle 10
San Jose 10
Chivas 9
Galaxy 7
Colorado 7
Houston 5
SLC 5

Interestingly, Dallas still has the best record in the league even if you back it up to August 1, with 22 points (Columbus and the Galaxy have 19 in that time).

Although you can't necessarily predict who will win based on these numbers, it likely is a good indicator of likely failure by those teams backing in. Houston with five and Chicago with four seem ripe for an upset in the first round (assuming Chicago gets in).

Toronto fans, used to always finding the negative, will likely be surprised by TFC's sixth best record during the stretch run thus far. And that's with a road heavy schedule.