Last week, the Fire officially clinched the playoffs despite a loss. This week, their win over Atlanta United combined with Orlando’s 2-2 draw against New York City means that the Fire will finish above the wildcard spots: Although 8th Cincinnati, with 42 points, could match the Fire’s 51, the Fire’s 15 wins guarantee them the first tiebreaker.
Orlando City, also with 42 points but one more win than Cincinnati, is in 7th place. They could theoretically overtake the Fire, but to finish ahead of them in the standings, they’d need to overcome a goal differential that’s currently 21 goals in the Fire’s favor over three matches.
With the Fire four points behind Inter Miami and the New England Revolution, the team could mathematically finish anywhere from 2nd to 7th in the East.
