It took a while but we’re reaching the business end of the MLS season. The top of the conferences are pretty set but at the bottom, there is quite a bit of scrambling happening. Most teams have three to five matches remaining but the line to get to ninth in leagues is a tight one. In the Eastern Conference, only seven points separate the Philadelphia Union in ninth from the Chicago Fire in 14th but it gets even tighter in 13th where only three points are the difference between five teams and the final playoff spot in the conference.
In the west, things are a little more cut and dry with Minnesota United holding a five-point lead over FC Dallas in 10th but there are some notable teams on the outside looking in as the season comes to a close.
Here are the teams who have already qualified for MLS Cup Playoffs: Inter Miami, FC Cincinnati, Columbus Crew, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids
Here are the standings, with the top nine in each conference getting in:
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Miami CF | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 68 | 44 | +24 | 64 |
| 2 | FC Cincinnati | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 56 |
| 3 | Columbus Crew | 29 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 56 |
| 4 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 47 | 39 | +8 | 44 |
| 5 | Orlando City SC | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 43 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 41 |
| 7 | New York City FC | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 41 |
| 8 | Toronto FC | 31 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 38 | 55 | -17 | 36 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Union | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 57 | 47 | +10 | 36 |
| 10 | CF Montreal | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 41 | 61 | -20 | 34 |
| 11 | Atlanta United FC | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 40 | 44 | -4 | 33 |
| 12 | Nashville SC | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 31 | 46 | -15 | 33 |
| 13 | D.C. United | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 44 | 61 | -17 | 33 |
| 14 | Chicago Fire | 31 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 36 | 54 | -18 | 29 |
| 15 | New England Revolution | 29 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 32 | 60 | -28 | 28 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Galaxy | 31 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 63 | 46 | +17 | 58 |
| 2 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 51 |
| 3 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 50 |
| 4 | Los Angeles FC | 29 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 52 | 40 | +12 | 49 |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 43 | 33 | +10 | 48 |
| 6 | Seattle Sounders | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 47 |
| 7 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 29 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 46 |
| 8 | Portland Timbers | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 44 |
| 9 | Minnesota United | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 42 |
| 10 | FC Dallas | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 37 |
| 11 | Austin FC | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 42 | -10 | 35 |
| 12 | Sporting Kansas City | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 49 | 58 | -9 | 31 |
| 13 | St. Louis City | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 43 | 57 | -14 | 31 |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 37 | 69 | -32 | 18 |
But who are at risk of missing out?
St. Louis City SC
If Minnesota United either win or draw their match against the Colorado Rapids, St. Louis will be stuck below the playoff line. On the surface, missing out on the playoffs in only their second season of existence doesn’t seem too bad until you roll back the clock to remember that they won the Western Conference last season. It’s quite a drop to go from winning the conference to missing out on the playoffs completely but that shows how much parity there is in Major League Soccer. Led by John Hackworth after parting ways with Bradley Carnell, St. Louis looked to make changes and also spent money on new players. The stage is set for them to bounce back quickly but all it takes is a look at Austin FC to see how quickly making the playoffs can spiral for a team.
Sporting Kansas City
After squeaking into the playoffs last season, Kansas City are in a similar boat to St. Louis where one Minnesota win can eliminate them from playoff contention. This is despite taking part in the U.S. Open Cup final which they lost to Los Angeles City FC. The attack and defense haven’t been on the same page during multiple parts of the season leading to breakdowns which Peter Vermes will need to figure out. As the longest tenured head coach in MLS, these blips are moments when you wonder if it’s time for a change.
Nashville SC
Stuck in the glut of Eastern Conference teams who could make the playoffs but are on the outside looking in, Nashville SC are rooting against the Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC. Those two teams control their destinies in the playoff race and everyone behind them is at their mercy. Nashville do have a game in hand on Toronto but with most wins being the first tiebreaker instead of goal difference, their three-win deficit to Toronto will make them tough to catch. Another team that has changed managers this season with B.J. Callaghan but even that may not be enough.
Atlanta United
Things have been going south in Atlanta for a while now so this isn’t particularly a shock that they could miss the playoffs but winning silverware as recently as 2019 and having some of the best players in MLS history on the roster still hasn’t been enough. Losing Thiago Almada to Botafogo was a big blow to the Five Stripes but they’ll have to figure out what’s next. Even if Atlanta do make the playoffs, that won’t meant that things are on the right track as this is a team that peaked right after joining the league but has fallen since.
New England Revolution
Another team going from making the playoffs to struggling this season is the Revolution. They’ve been through a lot but Caleb Porter wasn’t expected to lead this side to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Recently removed from setting the record for most points in an MLS season, this is a team that is firmly at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, not only out of the playoffs but dead last even though the Chicago Fire are in their league. In terms of unexpected outcomes, this may be one of the biggest as a complete overhaul is needed.
