MLS Week 30 Preview: Supporters' Shield on the line with 3 matches left

Week 30 of the 2016 MLS season has all 20 teams across the league competing for eight remaining playoff spots, with six teams capable of clinching a playoff berth - though not simultaneously - based on the current permutations.

Here are three matches worth watching this weekend:

New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union need a win over the New York Red Bulls, while also hoping that the New England Revolution don't defeat Sporting Kansas City or the Montreal Impact lose or draw against Orlando City to clinch a playoff berth. But there's more than playoff consequences on the line in this match

The Red Bulls are tied with New York City FC for second in the Eastern Conference at 48 points, one point behind Toronto FC. With three matches remaining in the season, all three teams have the MLS Supporters' Shield on their minds, and finishing in the top two spots of the conference is also ideal, as it allows those teams to skip the first match.

While Toronto FC takes on D.C. United and NYCFC squares off against the Houston Dynamo, this match has the added benefit of featuring two teams that don't like each other much, have a rich rivalry, and are both in-form.

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers

Over in the Western Conference, the Colorado Rapids can clinch a playoff spot with a win or a draw over the Portland Timbers - provided a few other results go their way, too. But for the 2015 MLS Cup champions, a poor result might just unfold into something of a nightmare.

The Timbers fell below the red line last week as bitter rivals Seattle Sounders caught up at 41 points in the standings, with an extra game in hand and a superior goal differential seeing the Rave Green sit pretty in sixth place.

For Portland, another loss could put their playoff hopes in dire straits - it could even see the two MLS Cup finalists from the previous year miss out on playoffs in the following year for the first time in league history.

Still, the Rapids have something of a fallback plan for the weekend, provided the Timbers come out triumphant at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Colorado still qualifies for the playoffs if the on-fire Sounders defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps in Cascadia Cup action on Sunday and Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC don't share victories this weekend, either.

LA Galaxy vs. FC Dallas

The LA Galaxy could clinch a playoff berth with a stroke of luck and a positive result, and Bruce Arena's side takes on Supporters' Shield leader FC Dallas on Saturday in a match that could have major implications on the final standings.

If the LA Galaxy defeat FC Dallas, a playoff spot is theirs. A draw would set up a long list of alternate result-based triggers, but suffice it to say a point would also likely put the Galaxy into the postseason. However, a win over FC Dallas could also open the door for Toronto FC to come within one point of the Hoops atop the table, should the Reds defeat D.C. United.

The Supporters' Shield race could theoretically be narrowed down to within two points for six teams. If Toronto, the Red Bulls, NYCFC, the Rapids, and the Galaxy all pick up wins, the Supporters' Shield race would be narrowed down to within a one-to-two-point margin for all those sides. It sets up an incredibly dramatic final two matches of the season.