Doug McIntyre’s MLS column, 24 Thoughts, parses through the latest insights and inside info from around American soccer.

The final weekend of the 2019 MLS season promises to be full of drama, specifically in the Western Conference, where four teams — the Portland Timbers, FC Dallas, San Jose Earthquakes and (somehow) the Colorado Rapids — are vying for the league’s final two playoff spots.

Decision Day will also mark the last regular season match for four MLS legends who are retiring this year: DaMarcus Beasley of the Houston Dynamo, Colorado’s Tim Howard, Michael Parkhurst of Atlanta United and longtime Real Salt Lake backstop Nick Rimando.

Beasley and Howard should be unanimous first-ballot National Soccer Hall of Famers. Rimando is probably the best keeper in league history. “Obviously those guys have had tremendous careers — mine isn’t quite on that level,” Parkhurst told Yahoo Sports in his typical understated fashion earlier this week. “But it’s nice to be grouped in with them for sure.”

The Rhode Island native shouldn’t sell himself short. The undersized and cerebral center back broke into MLS with his hometown New England Revolution in 2005, reaching three consecutive MLS Cup finals before leaving for Europe, where he spent seven seasons and played in the UEFA Champions league (with Danish club Nordsjaelland) and German Bundesliga (with Augsburg). He was one of the final cuts from the U.S. World Cup roster Shortly after signing with the Columbus Crew in 2014, and finally won his first MLS Cup on his fifth attempt, captaining Atlanta United to the title last year.

“I had fear that I would never win it,” Parkhurst said. “It definitely makes it easier to walk away. But I’d love to go out with back-to-back ones.”

24 Thoughts

1. While Beasley, Howard and Rimando revealed their plans to retire earlier this year, Parkhurst didn’t make it official until late September. “I was in denial a little bit — that’s part of why I didn’t announce earlier,” the 35-year-old said. “I had thought about it before the season started. There’s just days when the body is struggling, the knees don’t feel good, and it takes a little extra to get through. This preseason was the most difficult by far for me.”

2. Parkhurst made his first start since July in last week’s 1-1 draw in Montreal. “I felt pretty good about my performances early in the year, but the last two months has sort of solidified [the decision] for me. How it’s been the last two months, I definitely don’t want to do another full year of that. I’d rather go out a little bit early than a little bit late. I don’t want my last year to be something that I look back and I’m ashamed of how I played. I think it’s the right time to step away.”

3. One of the reasons MLS adopted a new, condensed playoff format this season was to avoid the November international break, which typically fell between the conference semis and finals. But while MLS Cup will now be held before players report to their national teams, the shift didn’t solve the problem entirely. Because of October’s FIFA window, there’s now a huge gap between Decision Day and the postseason opener. The wait is even longer for the conference champs. After securing first-round byes, LAFC and New York City FC will be idle from Oct. 6-23.

4. Asked Atlanta coach Frank de Boer about the long layoff before the playoffs. “I prefer normally one week,” he said. “It’s the international week, of course, and I understand that. Some players with small injuries can totally be recovered.

“But you see a lot of times after the international break [the players] have to start the engine again, you know? The rhythm of the game is different. Normally, when you’re in that rhythm week to week, they are more lively.”

5. De Boer and Montreal midfielder/fellow Barcelona alum Bojan Krkic had a long chat in the hallway between the two dressing rooms following Sunday’s contest. After all these years, I’m still struck by how small the soccer world is.

6. If you haven’t read it yet, Matt Pentz’s profile of Beasley is a masterpiece. I wish I’d written it.

7. Howard Webb, the legendary English referee-turned-general manager of North America’s Professional Referee Organization, is making the rounds at MLS stadiums speaking to reporters and broadcasters about MLS officiating. Two interesting tidbits from his first such presentation last weekend: MLS has been quietly testing offside-detection technology this season. The early signs, Webb said, are positive. The league is also considering using a centralized location for video assistant referees. Since the implementation of video review midway through the 2017 season, VARs have been housed inside stadiums.

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