Revolution face uphill battle with brutal second-half schedule

The road to the playoffs looks murky for the Revolution. Currently occupying the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, the team has a 16 percent chance of playing past October, according to FiveThirtyEight. Those odds don’t exactly pop off the page.

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there. Mlssoccer.com recently revealed its second-half strength of schedule ratings, calculated by taking the average points per game (home and away) for each team's opponent so far this season. The Revolution scored a 1.56, the second highest of any team in the league. Only the Philadelphia Union scored higher (1.59).

But an algorithm probably isn’t needed to draw this conclusion. A quick scan of the Revolution schedule shows that challenges lay ahead. The team will play 10 of its final 15 matches against playoff teams, including road matchups with Sporting KC, NYCFC and Atlanta United. If the Revs want to get back on track, it must find ways to beat the top teams in MLS, both in Foxboro and on the road.

Thankfully, the teams immediately above the Revolution on the table (minus the Montreal Impact) will also play difficult schedules down the stretch. Crew SC and NYCFC placed fourth on mlssoccer.com’s list of toughest schedules with a 1.47 rating. Still, that’s a small consolation prize, as it would take an immediate resurgence for the Revs to qualify for the playoffs.

And if it happens, the team will certainly have defeated the odds.