The Eastern Conference has been a dog fight this year, with all the playoff teams swapping places throughout the season during the MLS playoff push. The East has not only provided the closest games this season, but has also given us the best storylines.
Not to be outdone, five teams are battling it out in the MLS West as well.
No matter the team, there is an important storyline for 10 teams going into these final few games. Some teams are playing for seeding, while others are fighting for their playoff hopes with just a few chances left to right the wrongs of their season.
Some of the biggest storylines have taken time to develop. Now that we can see the light at the end of the regular season, those storylines have revealed themselves.
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Can Colorado and FC Dallas Hang on in the West?
With precious little time left, it looks like Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas fans are hanging on for dear life. For the Rapids (39 points), its fans, and even those using Colorado sportsbooks, they sit only points ahead of Houston (36), San Jose (35), and Real Salt Lake (34). FC Dallas (37), currently in ninth, have only a single point separating them from the chasers. The West is dog fight.
Two-way Battle for Ninth
The last seed for the East is a two-way fight between the Chicago Fire and the New York Red Bulls.
Every team below the 10th seed is now eliminated with no mathematical chance of making the playoffs. Every team higher than the ninth seed is most likely safe from dropping out of the playoffs, even though Chicago is only five points out of Columbus.
The Fire have been holding onto the ninth seed for what feels like months, while the Red Bulls have been fighting off the bottom half of the field, hoping for a chance to get within striking distance.
Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017, making this year a crucial year for Greg Berhalter and year one of his rebuild. This season has been a moral boost for the fans as they have been competitive all year with a chance at the play-in.
New York has had a tough season for multiple reasons. Last season, they were able to pull off an upset and work their way to the MLS Cup Final. This season, they are barely still alive, and they have also struggled to get the support of the fans due to their poor play.
This battle will only get better as we get closer to the last game of the season. It does appear unrealistic for either team to make it out of the play-in altogether, but the only way in the playoffs will require that to happen.
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Who will drop to the play-in game?
The middle of the East sees six teams that could fall anywhere on the table, from the third seed all the way down to the eighth seed.
These teams are all within three points of each other as the season comes near its conclusion. Seeds six through six are virtually all the same, as these teams are all even with each other on the field, as they are on the table.
The real prize is avoiding the eighth seed and the play-in game. Even if they win, they will have to face off against Cincinnati or Philadelphia, who have been by far the two best teams in the league this season.
Columbus Crew is currently occupying the eighth seed as this article is being written. Three teams these days have occupied the eighth seed: Inter Miami, Orlando City, and the Columbus Crew.
These are three teams that can overcome the odds, from coaching, playing style, or quality of play, these teams have an advantage of their own that keeps them in the conversation for the three seed.
Inter Miami, let by likely MLS Golden Boot winner Lionel Messi, and Columbus have had unexpected seasons after being the one and two seeds just a year ago. Since their first-round defeats in embarrassing fashion, these two teams have not been the same.
Only time will tell which team falls to the eighth and what teams will rise to the third seed.
Main Photo IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire