Good Friday morning Caps fans. I hope your week is going well and that you are gearing up for the weekend.

Well, another regular season is almost in the books. It never ceases to amaze me how the dog days of summer so quickly give way to autumn and the MLS Cup playoffs. Within a few weeks, we will know whether the Whitecaps were successful in their push for more silverware.

First, however, there is the matter of Montreal. The Caps actually do have something to play for this week, as a win would ensure they finish second in the overall league standings and guarantee that the only team they would conceivably travel to face on the road in MLS Cup would be Nashville.

Sure, Inter Miami and New England dropping points would have the same effect, but no one really wants a repeat of a few weeks ago, when the Caps tripped over themselves at Stade Saputo.

The concept of momentum is a bit funny, given that the Caps will bid adieu to at least a few players over the international break and will sit on their hands until November 19 at the earliest. But no one wants to end the regular season on a low. That is particularly true given that the bottom has well and truly fallen out for Montreal, who could wind up as Wooden Spoon winners if Sporting Kansas City wins on Saturday.

As always, it has been a fun ride with you all over the course of this regular season. This blog has always been a great way to share the highs, process the lows, and debate, discuss, and analyze everything in between during what can be a long and winding regular season. It is surreal that we are heading into a second straight postseason where the Caps are a legitimate contender to win MLS Cup, and it will never get old. I remember writing blog posts for 17 people about what to do about Jon Erice. I like this much better.

Monday will have a slightly longer post in which I run down the superlatives from the regular season. But for now, I just want to say thank you to all the readers and commenters who make this so enjoyable. Let’s meet back here for the postseason — same time, same place.

Update: The Whitecaps announced Friday morning that centerback Belal Halbouni has Hodgkin lymphoma and will be stepping away from the sport while he undergoes treatment. This is truly awful news — it would be awful for anyone, much less Belal, who is a stand-up guy and a loyal member of the Caps family. His contract has been extended to cover the 27-28 season, which I assume is a way to help ensure his salary and benefits remains fully covered. That is a classy move by the organization. We’re keeping you in our thoughts and prayers Belal and I have all the faith in the world that we will see him back out on the pitch.

Best of the Rest

The Canucks’ futility means that the Caps or Lions will have to be the ones to end Vancouver’s championship drought.

A glimpse ahead at how MLS’ awards might shake out.

Ralph Priso has earned a call up to the Canadian Men’s National Team to take on Guatemala. And oh, by the way, Alphonso Davies is back as well.

CONCACAF has revamped the Gold Cup format because what everyone has always said is the group stage for the Gold Cup needs more games.