MLS Stats Zone: Players to watch in the playoff race

MLS has returned after a month-long break for Leagues Cup, and with each team having fewer than 10 games remaining in the regular season, it's time to look at the players set to play decisive roles in the playoff race.

The difference between MLS and most other soccer leagues is how the playoffs provide a chance for a team to forget any missed opportunities from the regular season since each club enters the postseason with a clean slate.

That's why ending the regular season on a high note is so important. A player or team getting hot - or cold - ahead of the playoffs can be the difference between lifting a trophy or entering the offseason empty handed.

On that note, let's look at the players from borderline playoff teams who need to put in big performances over the next few weeks to drive their clubs into the postseason.

Philadelphia Union: Tai Baribo and Danley Jean Jacques

Replacing Julian Carranza and Jose 'El Brujo' Martinez is hard enough, but having to do it midseason makes it even harder. Striker Tai Baribo and newly-acquired defensive midfielder Danley Jean Jacques are tasked with doing just that.

Baribo is much more of a known quantity. He didn't get much playing time with Carranza at the club, but he has proven himself as a pure poacher, catching fire in Leagues Cup to lead the tournament with seven goals thanks to smart movement and consistent finishing.

The question is if he can sustain his Leagues Cup rate of scoring a goal every 70 minutes over the rest of the season and playoffs.

For Jean Jacques, a 24-year-old signed for $1.4 million this summer, his task will be shielding a back line that has struggled at points this season. Through 162 minutes over two matches in MLS, his key stats are lacking, which was the case in his final season with Metz in France's Ligue 1.

The Haitian midfielder is averaging 3.3 ball recoveries (27th percentile), 1.1 interceptions (50th percentile), 33.3 percent tackles won (2nd percentile), and gets dribbled past 2.78 times (1st percentile) per 90 minutes. On the plus side, he has completed 75 percent of his dribbles and creates a chance every other match.

Jean Jacques plays in a Union team that stretches the field with long balls, which in turn leaves the defensive players vulnerable. He'll need to win lots of duels for possession in order to thrive - he looks strong enough to do so but needs to make it happen on the pitch.

Minnesota United: Robin Lod

Minnesota United playmaker Robin Lod was one of the best players in MLS to start the season, leading his team to early-season wins over Los Angeles FC and Orlando City SC while scoring six goals and providing eight assists by early June.

Since then? Just two assists. And the team has lost eight of its last 11 MLS matches.

Lod has six goals and 10 assists for the season with MNUFC sitting in the final Western Conference playoff spot, just two points ahead of Austin FC.

In fairness to the Finland native, he did provide an assist in a key 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in Minnesota's last match. It's just that San Jose is last in the league and has nine fewer points than the next-worst MLS team.

With seven games remaining, including tough matchups against FC Cincinnati, the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, Lod needs to find his form in order to hold onto that postseason berth.

Atlanta United: Aleksei Miranchuk

Atlanta United's midseason transfer dealings could be called bold, but that might be a little too kind. The Five Stripes sold both their designated players, forward Giorgos Giakoumakis and playmaker Thiago Almada, as well as starting left wing-back Caleb Wiley in the middle of the season.

They brought in one attacker to replace the production of Giakoumakis and Almada, who combined for 11 goals and two assists this season. That player is former Atalanta attacking midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk.

Miranchuk has the goalscoring and playmaking ability to live up to his designated player billing, but he might need to dribble and create for himself more, which might not work well based on his existing body of work in Italy's Serie A.

The 28-year-old posted a successful take-on rate of 37.3 percent, which means he's much more likely to lose the ball than keep it when trying to dribble past an opponent.

As a playmaker with a dangerous shot, Miranchuk might have to take on more of a facilitating role to create chances for his teammates. Either way, with Atlanta United one point ahead of the Philadelphia Union in the race for the final playoff spot, he'll have to figure it out quickly.

New England Revolution: Carles Gil and Mark-Anthony Kaye

Carles Gil has been the main main for the New England Revolution for the past half-decade. With at least 15 goal contributions in his four full seasons with the team - not counting 2020, when he played just 366 minutes - Gil is probably the best player in club history.

This season, though, he is slightly lacking with five goals and four assists in 1,693 minutes. While he is taking fewer shots per game than in previous years and has just 1.7 expected goals (xG) in 1,693 minutes of play, his key pass and expected assist numbers are strong.

The issue for the entire team comes down to chance creation. The Revs are outshooting their xG with 28 goals on 25.4 xG, but the team's number of xG is by far the lowest in the league.

That needs to change if the team wants to make a playoff run. New England have two games in hand on the four teams immediately ahead of them in the standings, and they're just four points back from Atlanta United, who hold the final playoff spot as things stand.

The second key player, Mark-Anthony Kaye, a seven-year MLS veteran, can make a difference in the chance creation department. As a box-to-box central midfielder, he has had three seasons with five goal contributions or more. Currently, he has none.

If Kaye can score three goals - which he has done in three of his MLS seasons - over the rest of the campaign, that could be the difference between extending the season and going on vacation early in a league with fine margins.

Austin FC: Sebastian Driussi

Sebastian Driussi, one of many designated players on this list, is having a sub-par season for an Austin FC team that is two points behind Minnesota for ninth place - the final playoff spot - in the West.

The Argentine goalscoring midfielder netted 22 times in 34 matches in 2023, and he scored 11 goals in 28 matches last season.

This season, with five goals in 21 matches played, he's slowed down his scoring even more. Those five goals have come from 7.1 xG, further proving his inefficiency.

With just 30 goals, Austin FC are the weakest attacking team in the MLS Western Conference. They're even worse than San Jose, who have scored four more goals while having half the number of points that Austin have after 27 matches.

Driussi has not provided an assist since June 19, and he has not scored since May 18. He needs to find his form if Austin wants to overtake Minnesota for that final playoff berth.

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