Major League Soccer is still a few weeks off, but Major League Soccer’s teams have started. Real Salt Lake got a result in Columbus against the Crew, but how much of an advantage do they have, taking a 0-0 back to Rio Tinto?

On this episode of the Major League Soccer Talk podcast, myself and Christopher Riordan talk about Tuesday’s match in Ohio, the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals for MLS’s two surviving participants. How surprising was it to see Columbus, a team that dismantled this in the offseason, hold one of the league’s best at arm’s length?

Then we talk about the week’s other big piece of news, and while Chris is sanguine about expanding the playoffs to 10 teams, Richard is borderline despondent. We talk about MLS’s decision to add a wild card round and two spots to the league’s post season tournament.