Brooks Peck·Managing Editor, Collectibles
Summary
The final day of the MLS regular season is upon us and playoff berths and seedings are up for grabs in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Every team in the east will kick off at 2:55 p.m. ET (national broadcast: Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew on FS1) and everyone in the west will play at 5:18 p.m. ET (national broadcast: Real Salt Lake vs. Portland Timbers on ESPN2).
Join us for all the scores, analysis, playoff implications and more throughout the day.
(Photo: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
The playoffs are set!
With all matches now complete, Decision Day is the books and the MLS Cup playoffs are ready to begin. The action begins on Saturday, October 15. We'll see you then.
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Hany Mukhtar wins golden boot
After a late challenge from Philadelphia's Daniel Gazdag, Nashville's Hany Mukhtar claimed the MLS golden boot award as the league's top scorer. Here's the final standings:
- Mukhtar 23 goals
- Driussi 22 goals
- Gazdag 22 goals
- J. Ferriera 18 goals
- Chicharito 18 goals
- Brenner 18 goals
- Vazquest 18 goals
Sebastian Driussi strengthens his MVP case
Austin FC's Sebastian Driussi put a nice cap on an excellent regular season, scoring off a penalty kick for his 22nd goal of the year in the 80th minute against Colorado.
RSL 3-1 Portland
Homegrown midfielder Bode Hidalgo put the finishing touches on RSL's playoff berth at the expense of the Timbers, with the home team's third goal of the day. It would prove important too, as Dairon Asprilla would score just five minutes later for Portland, making it 3-1.
Dallas 2-1 Kansas City
After Graham Zusi equalized for SKC, Paul Arriola put Dallas back in the lead in the 65th minute.
Teal Bunbury!
Nashville SC has pulled ahead 1-0 over LAFC thanks to a goal from Teal Bunbury. If Nashville hangs on, they'll have an outside chance of hosting a first-round playoff game depending on how things go with their crosstown rivals -- the Galaxy are currently winning 2-1 on the road at Houston Dynamo.
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Bad vibes in Atlanta
Atlanta United's 2-1 loss at home to NYCFC could well have been Josef Martínez's last appearance in a Five Stripes shirt. If he plans to go our swinging at club leadership, it'll have to wait...for now.
RSL 2-0 Portland
Rubio Rubin picked a fine time to score his first goal of the season, giving RSL a bit of a cushion as they try to hold off Portland for the final playoff spot in the west.
Joe Willis penalty save
Just before halftime in the LAFC-Nashville match, the home side's Cristian Arango took a frankly ridiculous penalty attempt and Nashville's Joe Willis said, "No, that's not going to work here."
A halftime look at the playoff picture
It's halftime in the Western Conference, and every game that has playoff implications is within one goal.
The scores:
Austin FC 0-0 Colorado
FC Dallas 0-0 Sporting KC
Houston 1-2 LA Galaxy
LAFC 0-0 Nashville SC
Minnesota 1-0 Vancouver
Real Salt Lake 1-0 Portland
Seattle 1-1 San Jose
If these results hold (Spoiler alert: they won't), the Western Conference playoff matchups will look like this (home teams first):
First round:
(2) Austin vs. (7) Real Salt Lake
(3) FC Dallas vs. (6) Nashville SC
(4) LA Galaxy vs. (5) Minnesota United
Conference semifinals:
(1) LAFC vs. Galaxy or Minnesota
Austin or Real Salt Lake vs. Dallas or Nashville
Dallas 1-0 Kansas City
Sebastian Lletget gave Dallas a first-half lead over Sporting Kansas City with a rumbling, bumbling, stumbling shot that got past the keeper after taking a deflection. Dallas is looking to lock up third in the west with a win today.
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Galaxy get two in quick succession
The LA Galaxy went down early against Houston, but they were able to complete a comeback in a hurry.
Riqui Puig scored the first off a cutback, and Chicharito added the second just minutes afterward. With those goals, LA moves into the 4th position in the West, which would see them host Minnesota in the first round.
Salt Lake 1-0 Portland
Real Salt Lake jump into the driver's seat for the final playoff spot in the west with a perfectly placed goal from Jefferson Savarino.
Minnesota United takes a big step toward playoffs
Franco Fragapane gave Minnesota United a huge leg up on a playoff spot with a precise finish from outside the box, giving the Loons an early 1-0 lead against fellow playoff hopefuls Vancouver.
As it stands, not only would Minnesota make the playoffs -- they'd host a first-round game in St. Paul.
Dynamo 1-0 Galaxy
Houston is out of playoff contention, but they're making the Galaxy's bid to preserve fifth in the west with an early goal from Sebastian Ferreira.
Salt Lake fans display graphic 'you knew' banner
Referencing the misconduct scandal that has surrounded the NWSL in the wake of last week's release of the Sally Yates report, which heavily featured the Portland Timbers/Thorns organization and owner Merritt Paulson, Real Salt Lake fans displayed a banner featuring the words "you knew" and what appears to be RSL's mascot holding Paulson's severed head as their team hosts the Timbers.
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A tough result for the Crew
The loss in Orlando will prompt some serious soul-searching in Columbus this winter.
Since winning MLS Cup in 2020, the Crew have now missed the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. They weren't particularly close to qualifying in 2021, but this season's failure was agonizing. The Crew dropped an astonishing 24 points from winning positions this season, an all-time MLS record 11 of which came in second-half stoppage time. They held leads in both of their losses this week, holding a 2-0 advantage before drawing at Charlotte on Wednesday and taking a 1-0 edge over Orlando before conceding twice in the second-half to lose 2-1. Had they simply drawn in central Florida, they would have qualified.
Missing the postseason in consecutive seasons will raise real questions about the future of head coach Caleb Porter. Though he's won two MLS Cups in his career, he's missed the playoffs in five of his nine seasons as an MLS head coach and failed to qualify in three of four years at the helm in Columbus. He works for a very ambitious ownership group that has spent significantly on the roster, a stadium and a training facility. Importantly, he was hired in Columbus a few weeks before club president Tim Bezbatchenko was plucked out of Toronto and brought to Ohio. Porter wasn't his pick. This offseason, Porter's fate might be in his hands.
Will Ferrell sighting
LAFC already has the Supporters Shield wrapped up, so co-owner Will Ferrell was able to share a relaxed pre-match laugh with commentator Max Bretos before their side faces Nashville.
Eastern Conference bracket is set
With Orlando and Cincy confirming their places, here's how the playoffs will look in the east.