Soccer <\/p>\n
Toronto<\/a> played to a draw, the Union<\/a> won by a lot of goals, and Chicago<\/a> virtually wrapped\u2026wait, is this right? Ok, I\u2019m being told this is right. Chicago virtually wrapped up an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot. It truly was a week unlike any other.<\/p>\n As always: The Power Rankings are voted on by, give or take, 15 people associated with MLSsoccer.com. The author does get a little rush out of moving your team down a few spots, though.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ever since they became one of the league\u2019s best teams a few years back, the Union have showcased an ability to put on some truly spectacular beatdowns. They delivered another over the weekend in a 6-0 demolition of D.C. United<\/a>. And it just might have won them a second Supporters\u2019 Shield.<\/p>\n While Philly took care of business, pretty much every other contender slipped up. The job is straightforward now: Win their final two games, and they win the Shield.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The running count of consecutive LAFC<\/a> goals for either Son Heung-Min<\/a> or Denis Bouanga<\/a> is up to 17. Bouanga scored once and Son added a brace in the Black & Gold\u2019s 3-0 win over St. Louis<\/a> on Saturday. They virtually locked up a home playoff spot with the win and are now within touching distance of third-place Minnesota<\/a>. Even second place is in play now.<\/p>\n Regardless of where they end up, will anyone be able to slow down Bouanga and Son in the playoffs?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A 2-2 draw with Seattle<\/a> made it six-straight without a loss for the \u2018Caps<\/a>. With three games remaining, they\u2019re in pole position to finish on top of the West. Let\u2019s not forget: other teams that have made the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> final have cratered. Instead, Vancouver have found their footing despite multiple key injuries throughout the year. They never got derailed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Shield seemed back in play after Wednesday night\u2019s win over New York City<\/a>. With three straight wins under their belt, the possibility that Inter Miami<\/a> might win out against a weaker schedule became real.<\/p>\n Instead, they stumbled on the road Saturday against an already eliminated Toronto FC side and took just one point from the Reds. For the first time in a while, winning out won\u2019t guarantee first place. They have two games in hand on first-place Philadelphia, but it\u2019s now a seven-point gap.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There haven\u2019t been many weeks in MLS this year that featured the kind of mixed bag NYCFC had. They floundered against Miami in a brutal 4-0 loss<\/a> before bouncing back on Saturday with yet another win over their biggest rival. They\u2019ve won four straight regular-season derbies against the Red Bulls<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Saturday on repeat ???? @POWERADE<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3gZmmZmZI2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Cincy<\/a> needed a win on Sunday night to keep pace with the Union in the Shield race and Eastern Conference standings. Instead, they allowed an equalizer from Orlando<\/a>\u2019s Alex Freeman<\/a> \u2013 totally unmarked in the box by the way \u2013 in stoppage time. With the 1-1 draw, there’s now a four-point gap between the Garys and the Union with two games to go.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The dream of a year-one Shield win ended with a disappointing 1-0 loss to a struggling San Jose<\/a> side. Winning their final two games won\u2019t even guarantee a top-two spot in the West now.<\/p>\n San Diego<\/a> have gone winless in three after their huge win over LAFC, and it\u2019s kept a special season from a storybook ending.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It took a while, but the Lions eventually found an equalizer against FC Cincinnati. Freeman hung out unmarked in the box for a while and, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, sent an open header into the back of the net.<\/p>\n That point may look critical in a couple of weeks. The Lions are in seventh place, sitting one point back of fifth-place Charlotte<\/a> with a game in hand.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Nashville SC<\/a> found a get-right moment before they head to Austin<\/a> for Wednesday’s US Open Cup<\/a> final. Their 3-1 win over Houston<\/a> snapped a three-game losing streak in league play. Maybe most importantly, they got the \u201cboot the kickoff out for a throw-in\u201d strategy to work practically immediately. Hany Mukhtar<\/a> opened the scoring just 68 seconds in.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Minnesota won\u2019t be carrying a head full of steam into the playoffs. Their 1-1 draw with Colorado<\/a> pushed their post-Leagues Cup<\/a> record to a slightly above-average 3W-2L-2D. That\u2019s not even counting their frustrating 2-1 loss<\/a> to Austin in the US Open Cup semifinals. The Loons have a couple of get-right games left on the schedule against SKC<\/a> and LA<\/a>, but even with two wins, fourth-place might be calling.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There are worse things than a 2-2 draw with a great Vancouver team, but Seattle are still looking for their first win since lifting the Leagues Cup trophy. Maybe a rivalry matchup with Portland<\/a> at the end of this week will give them some of the juice they\u2019ve been missing.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Uhh\u2026well\u2026we did mention they were overperforming a little bit during that nine-game winning streak. But the regression to the mean has hit a little harder than expected.<\/p>\n The Crown have lost two in a row, including Saturday\u2019s 4-1 loss to a typically toothless CF Montr\u00e9al<\/a> side. With two games left, they\u2019re out of a top-four spot in the East and three points away from a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n An elite “shross” from Andrew Gutman<\/a> just might have wrapped this up. Gutman\u2019s goal kicked off an impressive 2-0 win over the Crew<\/a> that featured 22 shots from the Fire to the Crew\u2019s seven. They\u2019re now five points<\/em> ahead of the 10th-place Red Bulls and they have a game in hand. New York have to win out now to even have a chance.<\/p>\n The Fire can go ahead and snap their playoff streak on their own with two points. They could even sneak out of the Wild Card game with a few more points and some help. They\u2019re only three points behind seventh-place Orlando. Either way, a seven-year playoff drought is about to end.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A 3-1 loss to RSL<\/a> meant a missed opportunity to jump to fifth in the West and officially avoid the Wild Card game. To be fair, they have bigger things to worry about right now. They\u2019ll face Nashville in the US Open Cup final on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This isn\u2019t your recently born nephew\u2019s Crew. Nothing feels easy right now for this (very injured) bunch and their 2-0 loss to Chicago over the weekend was an encapsulation of that. This is still a 50-point side, but they\u2019re stumbling into the playoffs. They have one win since July 25 (eight games) and they allowed four goals in that game.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Their 2-2 draw with Portland has them equal on points with ninth-place San Jose heading into their final three games of the year. They have a game in hand on the Quakes and eighth-place Colorado\u2014just two points ahead. Dallas<\/a> desperately needs to take advantage of back-to-back matchups with the last-place Galaxy before dealing with Vancouver on Decision Day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A win would have pulled Portland level with fifth-place Seattle. Instead, they settled for a 2-2 draw with Dallas in a game that featured 43 total shots and two goals after the 80th minute. The Timbers have now gone three games without a win.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n RSL needed a win and they got it. Three goals and three points against Austin have RSL within a point of ninth place.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It felt like they\u2019d lost all hope. Then they went out and stunned San Diego in a 1-0 win that may have saved their season. They still need some help to get over the line, but, for now, they\u2019re in ninth place.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The longest playoff streak in professional sports is almost certainly over. The Red Bulls\u2019 3-2 loss to NYCFC put them five points behind ninth-place Chicago with two games left. The Fire have a game in hand.<\/p>\n We were in the first year of the Obama administration the last time the Red Bulls missed the playoffs. The fact that this streak is wrapping up the year after an MLS Cup appearance has to make this one of the more disappointing MLS seasons ever.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A 1-1 draw against Minnesota is a solid result all things considered, but it isn\u2019t enough to take the pressure off the Rapids heading into their final two games. They\u2019re virtually a lock to be a Wild Card team if they make it, but they\u2019ve got to hold off three of the four teams within four points to do it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Dynamo are running out of time. They fell 3-1 to Nashville on Saturday and are sitting two points below the playoff line with three teams in front of them. They need points and some luck the rest of the way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n No one has embraced the spoiler role like Toronto. And no one has ever been committed to draws quite like this. Their 1-1 draw with Inter Miami made it seven straight draws<\/em> for the Reds. In addition to the Herons, they\u2019ve taken points from Philadelphia, Columbus, and Columbus again. They\u2019ve still got opportunities to make life difficult for Chicago, LAFC and Orlando.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Revs<\/a> got the job done at home against Atlanta United<\/a>, thanks to 1g\/1a from new star striker Dor Turgeman<\/a>. They\u2019re officially stuck as your 11th-place finisher in the East.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Turgeman smooth with it ????\u200d????#NERevs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qqIqoOf4eW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n St. Louis fell 3-0 to LAFC. They won\u2019t finish higher than 13th in the West this season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If all you have left is spoiling someone else\u2019s day, you might as well make the most of it. Montr\u00e9al did just that in a shocking 4-1 win over recently red-hot Charlotte.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Galaxy dismissed Sporting KC in a 4-1 win. Now they have their eyes on winning one trophy and avoiding another. They\u2019ll face Toluca at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday for a somewhat strange Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup<\/a> final between the league leaders in LIGA MX and the last-place MLS side. But maybe LA can surprise everyone and grab another trophy before setting their sights on avoiding the Wooden Spoon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Five Stripes are officially back on Wooden Spoon watch following their 2-0 loss to the Revs. They\u2019re tied for the fewest wins in MLS in Ronny Deila\u2019s first season in charge.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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