Soccer <\/p>\n
It really was a week unlike any other this time. Fair enough, MLS.<\/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 The Philadelphia Union<\/a> are the first club to win two Supporters\u2019 Shields this decade. They pulled it off in a year that nearly everyone expected them to be below the standard they set at the start of the decade. Instead, they’ve bullied their way to 66 points, 20 wins and another major trophy.<\/p>\n Their Shield win is a surprise. But it\u2019s not that<\/em> much of a surprise. After all, we\u2019re talking about the club with the highest collective point total this decade. They\u2019ve been outstanding every year but one, despite spending less than most. Congrats to Philly.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Canadian Championship is theirs for the fourth year running. Ryan Gauld<\/a> is (finally) back. And Sebastian Berhalter<\/a> is doing this.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n SEBASTIAN BERHALTER FROM DISTANCE FOR OUR 90TH GOAL ACROSS ALL COMPETITIONS\ud83d\udd25 \u2014 X – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Things are very, very good in Vancouver. That’s even with a few injuries. With a game in hand on San Diego<\/a>, the Whitecaps are in the driver\u2019s seat for the top spot in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n LAFC<\/a> limited Atlanta United<\/a> to three shots from outside the box and eventually found an 86th-minute breakthrough via Denis Bouanga. It marked the 18th straight LAFC goal scored by either Bouanga or Son Heung-Min<\/a>, and moves him into a tie for the Golden Boot presented by Audi (24 goals).<\/p>\n LAFC have won five in a row and earned 20 points in their nine games since Leagues Cup<\/a>. Their strength of schedule has been\u2026 gentle over that span, but still, they\u2019re on a heater heading into the postseason.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 LAFC (@LAFC) October 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Typical week for Inter Miami<\/a>. They gave up five goals to Chicago in a loss<\/a>, then followed it up by blowing out New England<\/a>. Any and all outcomes are possible with this team; that outcome is just going to involve a lot of goals.<\/p>\n That kind of inconsistency kept them from a second-straight Supporters\u2019 Shield, and it may be what keeps them from a first MLS Cup title. For now, they\u2019ll be focused on trying to catch FC Cincinnati for the second spot in the Eastern Conference. They need at least four points and some help.<\/p>\n Oh, and there’s this in Lionel Messi<\/a>‘s quest to become the first back-to-back Landon Donovan MLS MVP:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Messi’s hat trick of assists during @InterMiamiCF<\/a>‘s 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution sees him reach a league-leading 41 goal contributions for the season, second only all-time to Carlos Vela’s 49 goal contributions during the 2019 season. pic.twitter.com\/Mc9XCODBos<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) October 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n San Diego are the first 60-point expansion team in MLS history. They picked up a 4-2 win at Houston<\/a> to set a record and keep pace with Vancouver at the top of the West. They need a little help to finish atop the conference, but we\u2019re long past the point where this can end as anything but one of the most remarkable seasons in league history.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After taking a week off from their usual result, Cincinnati returned to winning one-goal games with a 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls<\/a>. This year, 21 of their 33 matches have ended with a one-score margin. Cincy have won 16 of those 21.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n NYCFC<\/a> continued to run their end-of-year gauntlet this weekend. They came up short against Philadelphia in a 1-0 loss, just their third defeat in a nine-game stretch that\u2019s featured matchups with seven playoff teams and a derby.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve got one more playoff matchup to go \u2013 at home against the Seattle Sounders<\/a> on Decision Day \u2013 before they get to the real thing. They\u2019ll be as battle-tested as anyone heading into the postseason.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A Pedro de la Vega<\/a> goal handed Seattle their first regular-season home win against Portland<\/a> since 2017. They\u2019re a virtual lock for fifth place in the West now and will presumably be praying they don\u2019t have to deal with their longtime tormenters, LAFC, in their Round One Best-of-3 Series.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The first major professional sports trophy in Tennessee history belongs to Nashville SC<\/a>. The Coyotes got the job done at Austin FC<\/a> during Wednesday\u2019s US Open Cup<\/a> Final.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fitting reward for a team that seamlessly reshaped their identity this season into an attack-minded, possession-based side after years of murderball. Full credit to B.J. Callaghan and company.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) October 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n A 3-0 win over Sporting KC<\/a> means the Loons are a Decision Day win away from a 61-point season. This is the best Minnesota United<\/a> side in history, and they\u2019ve earned that title by playing with one of the most distinct approaches we\u2019ve seen in MLS. They became \u201cthe most aggressive set-piece team in the world\u201d and now they\u2019re a top-four finisher in the West.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Lions<\/a> were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against Columbus<\/a>. Three of their last four games have ended in 1-1 draws. That\u2019s barely enough to keep them out of a Wild Card spot with two games to go.<\/p>\n They\u2019re two points ahead of the ninth-place Crew now. And their extra game in hand on everyone around them is against Vancouver. Still, their range of outcomes is as varied as anyone\u2019s now. They can finish as low as ninth and as high as fourth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A couple of D.C. United<\/a> players decided to take the rest of the year off and picked up red cards within the first 30 minutes. Charlotte<\/a> and Wilfried Zaha<\/a> took immediate advantage and eased to a 1-0 win. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and gave them 10 wins in their last 12 matches.<\/p>\n With one game left, a win on Decision Day against Shield-winning Philadelphia would ensure a home playoff spot.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n ANYTHING IS POSSSSIBBBBLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.<\/p>\n THE DROUGHT. IS. OVER.<\/p>\n FOLKS. CHICAGO FIRE FOOTBALL CLUB ARE HEADING TO THE PLAYOFFS.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This one felt good \ud83d\udd25 #cf97<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xy3KnP2dHt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 X – Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The Fire are heading to the post-season for the first time since 2017. And they clinched their spot with a road beatdown at Chase Stadium. The 5-3 win over Inter Miami gave them a club-record nine wins away from Chicago. They\u2019re not just in the playoffs; they\u2019re going to be a real threat to whoever they come up against.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The East is stacked this year. The Crew\u2019s 51 points would have placed them fifth in the standings at the end of last season. This year, 51 points is only good enough for ninth place with one game left.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a down season for the Crew, but don\u2019t get that confused with a bad one. And don\u2019t think they\u2019re not a contender. Diego Rossi<\/a> and Sean Zawadski<\/a> returned from injury in their 1-1 draw with Orlando. They generated 3.21 xG on the night and should have taken all three points.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Dallas<\/a> are essentially a win away from the playoffs after their 2-1 victory over the Galaxy<\/a>. They\u2019ll face that same Galaxy side next week before closing the year out against Vancouver. For now, they\u2019re sitting eighth in the West, but they\u2019re just three points behind sixth-place Austin. This all comes after a late surge that\u2019s featured four wins, four draws and no losses going back to Aug. 9. It may not be a coincidence that Lucho Acosta\u2019s transfer went through on Aug. 8.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A home match against already-eliminated St. Louis<\/a> should be three points. There\u2019s no other way around it. Instead, Austin missed an opportunity to add to their season total, and now they\u2019re only three points above a Wild Card spot and are a virtual lock to finish no higher than sixth place.<\/p>\n All that came after falling short in the US Open Cup Final on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. Bad week.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n RSL<\/a> didn\u2019t do enough to take home the Rocky Mountain Cup, but it\u2019s doubtful they\u2019ll care too much given the circumstances. Their 1-0 win over Colorado<\/a> pushed them into a playoff spot and sent the Rapids below the line.<\/p>\n One win in their final two games will get them over the line for good. There\u2019s even a small chance they could finish above the Wild Card spots. They\u2019ll close the year with Seattle and St. Louis.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Following their 1-0 loss at Seattle, the Timbers have just two wins in their last 13 matches. With one match remaining, they\u2019re in danger of falling into a Wild Card spot on Decision Day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The streak is over. Folks, the New York Red Bulls will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009<\/em>. A season after making MLS Cup, RBNY turned in their worst season in a decade and a half.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That might be that. The Quakes needed a second-straight huge win, this time against Vancouver. They got rocked, 4-1. What started as a promising season has turned into a frustrating one. They need a win and a whole lot of luck to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Colorado retained the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second year in a row, but they didn\u2019t earn any points in their trip to RSL. The 1-0 loss sent the Rapids below the playoff line and put their rival right above it.<\/p>\n With one game left, they need a win and some help to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Toronto\u2019s streak of draws is becoming the funniest bit of this MLS season. Make it eight straight draws<\/em> for TFC after a 2-2 tie at Chicago on Saturday.<\/p>\n They have two matches left and two more points to earn. We\u2019ve got to be nearing some kind of record now, right?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n That\u2019s a wrap on Houston. A 4-2 loss to San Diego ended their slim chances at the playoffs. Their DPs didn\u2019t deliver as expected this season, and the team never found consistency.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n St. Louis got to enjoy playing spoiler again. They cruised to a 3-1 win over Austin FC, their third win in four games. They\u2019re at least closing out the year on a bit of a roll. And they may get one more chance to be a total bummer when they play RSL on Decision Day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Revs got steamrolled by Inter Miami. Just one match left now.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A 1-1 draw with Nashville means Montr\u00e9al<\/a> won\u2019t have to worry about the Wooden Spoon on Decision Day (unless they lose by roughly 13 or so goals).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The first of back-to-back games against FC Dallas didn\u2019t go their way. Neither did the Campeones Cup<\/a> Final against Toluca. They\u2019ve got two more chances to earn a win and avoid becoming the first-ever “MLS Cup to Wooden Spoon” winner.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In their 1-0 loss to LAFC, Atlanta took three shots \u2013 all outside the box \u2013 and registered just 0.07 xG, the lowest mark in team history per the FBref database. At least they\u2019ve spent the last part of the year figuring out goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert<\/a> can be a starting-caliber No. 1 for them in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n SKC have lost five in a row. One game left.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
He does more than assist \ud83e\udd29#VWFC<\/a> 3-0 #SJE<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/NaDy2fyHgh<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n