The playoff picture is messy. Six teams, including D.C. United, are vying for two playoff spots in the final weekend of the MLS season. Colorado has a one-point edge in the standings over a group of four teams tied with 39 points. Just try and figure out this mess.

One thing is certain: United needs a victory tonight on the road against Kansas City to keep its hopes alive.

"We're going to go out there and go for it — we have to," United defender Dejan Jakovic said. "There’s no point of sitting back. We need the goals, we need the three points, but we also gotta play smart and pick our times when to go forward or not."

Tonight's match is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. kickoff and will be televised locally on CSN+. There's a slight chance of precipitation at CommunityAmerica Ballpark with temperatures in hovering in the 50s. 

Look for United to try and exploit Kansas City on counter attacks. The Wizards like to bring numbers forward and United would like to pounce on a counter when the timing is right. Keep an eye on Lawson Vaughn and Marc Burch moving forward depending on whether Tom Soehn goes with a three- or four-man backline.

• Here's my walk-up story focusing on United keeper Steve Cronin.

• Randy Covitz discusses the Wizards' cheerless finale in the Kansas City Star.

• And in his weekly soccer column, TWT's John Haydon takes a look at how the field is shaping up for next summer's World Cup.

• Remember you can now follow Blog FC on Twitter.

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