Four teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference, setting up a wild final stretch of the season to determine playoff seeding, and potentially, the Supporters' Shield.
Four of the top five teams in the Shield race play in the East, with Toronto FC, Columbus Crew SC, Philadelphia Union and Orlando City SC battling at the top of the conference. Two of those teams play each other Sunday with Orlando City hosting the Crew (7:30 pm ET | TV & Streaming).
Orlando are looking to make a statement.
“It’s not just the three points (at stake), it’s the message we can lay down after facing Columbus," Pareja told reporters on a virtual press conference Friday. "They’re one of the most consistent teams in the league.”
Crew head coach Caleb Porter is trying to treat it like any other game, though.
“Every game is important," Porter said. "Every game is three points, so it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. We have to keep sight of that.”
Columbus have hit a bit of a rough patch fueled by key absences, in which Darlington Nage, Eloy Room and Lucas Zelarayan have missed time. The Crew are winless in their last three matches, costing them their top spot in the Eastern Conference. If they don't get a result against Orlando, they can fall down to fourth place.
“When you’ve had a good season like we’ve had, everybody is looking for the low moment. Right now our low moment is here upon us. But you have to keep it in perspective and keep your head on right. Let’s be honest, we’ve lost a game, drawn a game and lost a game. If this is our low moment, we’ll take that. Other teams have lots of lower moments. ... We’ll get through this period, we may not win every game, but we’re not worried or concerned. We know where we’re at and we know what we’re capable of.”
Orlando, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 10 regular season matches. Even despite the discrepancy in form, and Columbus' injury woes, Pareja is full of praise for the weekend's opponents.
“They have a really good roster, players with a lot of experience," Pareja said. "… But like any other team in the league, they have some weaknesses and opportunities we can take advantage of. We have some strengths and challenges, too.”
