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MLS Analysis

MLS: Playoffs come into focus, Columbus surges, RBNY fade, RSL have hope, & more

ASN looks at how Wednesday's results shape the playoff races with two rounds remaining
BY Paul Stephens Posted
October 29, 2026
8:45 AM

MLS HAD A FULL SLATE of games on Friday and the playoff races became clearer. Last night saw a wave of teams clinch spots while a few were eliminated. We now know which teams are fighting to get into the playoffs, and which teams are fighting for home field advantage or byes in the first round.

As we sit entering the weekend, 12 teams have clinched spots in the postseason. That leaves six positions still open.

There are now two matchdays remaining in the regular season. In both the Eastern and Western Conference, there are six teams fighting for three spots.

Here are a lot at how Wednesday’s games affected the playoffs.

 

Dallas 0-2 Columbus

The biggest winner on the day was the Columbus Crew, which defeated FC Dallas 2-0 in Texas to move above the playoff line into ninth place. Gonzalo Tapia scored in the 18th minute and Santiago Rodríguez adding a second in the 70th minute.

From an American perspective, 2024 U.S. Olympic team goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made seven saves in a strong performance to keep a clean sheet. That is not an easy task against a team with arguably the best forward in Petar Musa, who had two shots on target.  While he did not score, Taha Habroune turned in yet another strong outing to help the Crew win their fourth straight game.

 

Columbus was in last place as recently as early September. This strong push along with stumbles from other teams, notably Red Bull New York, opened the door to climb above the playoff line.

FC Dallas continues to be in a good position, now second place, but this was a concerning performance at home.

 

Charlotte 4-0 Montreal

This game was never close as Charlotte coasted past Montreal with a hat trick from Liel Abada who only entered the game in the 65th minute. Charlotte has now reached the playoffs four straight after missing out in its inaugural 2022 season. Now sitting in fifth place, Charlotte is only two points behind Chicago for a first-round bye.

It’s tough to cover Charlotte from an American perspective as the team only started one American in central defender Henry Kessler. Luca de la Torre was the team’s only American substitute.

Meanwhile, Montreal is concluding a terrible season where it is in the bottom of the East with just 25 points. Sporting Kansas City in the West has the fewest points in the league with 22, but Montreal seems to be the most hopeless team in the league because unlike, SKC, there doesn’t seem to be any desire from Montreal to take the appropriate steps to be good.

 

NE Revs 3-2 Red Bull New York

 

The New York Red Bulls are in trouble after a 3-2 loss away to the New England Revolution. The likelihood is that the Red Bulls will miss out on the postseason for the second straight season and it won’t be because of this loss, but rather the consecutive losses to Toronto and DC United before the difficult schedule began to end the season.

The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead just after halftime but Red Bull began playing well for long stretches. But eventually Red Bull collapsed late when Daniel Gazdag pounced on a rebound from a Peyton Miller shot.

 

Marko Mitrovic has done a great job getting the Revolution back towards the top of the league. He has done so with the productivity from expensive imports such as Carles Gil (who picked up his 100th MLS assist in this game) and forward Dor Turgeman who scored the first two goals. But Revs continue to have a strong foundation of American players, including a regular contingent of four U.S. Olympic hopefuls such as Miller, Brooklyn Raines, and the central defense tandem of Josh Wydner and Ethan Kohler.

Red Bull New York is fading at the worst time while other teams in the East, such as Orlando, Columbus, and Philadelphia, all have played much better. Right now, Michael Bradley’s team is just not good enough. The former USMNT captain continues to show a lot of faith in young players such as Julian Hall (who scored his 12th MLS goal of the season) and Adri Mehmeti. But those in charge of building this team did not put nearly enough focus on defense.

 

Nashville 0-0 Philadelphia Union

 

While both these teams entered the game having been the best in the league since the World Cup, the game itself was a dud as it ended 0-0 in Nashville.

Days after securing the Supporters Shield, Nashville manager BJ Callaghan elected to rest a lot of key players until late in the game. Meanwhile, Philadelphia was without young star Cavan Sullivan for a second straight game due to injury. Forward Milan Illoski was also out with a hamstring injury and right back Frankie Westfield was resting on the bench before coming in late. But 17-year-old American forward Malik Jakupovic earned hhis first start for Philly.

 

Neither team ever was terribly emotionally invested in this game but the result clinched a playoff spot for Philadelphia, which is remarkable given where they were when Bradley Carnell was fired in May and replaced with interim manager Ryan Richter.

 

Chicago 2-2 Orlando

 

Orlando has not clinched a playoff spot, but they took a step in the right direction with a 2-2 draw away in Chicago. That leaves them in sixth place after this round of games. Along with Philadelphia and Columbus, Orlando is another team that is likely to climb from near the bottom of the table and into the playoffs after a coaching change before the World Cup break.

Antoine Griezmann ad a goal and an assist against Chicago and now has 14 goals and eight assists since joining over the summer from Atlético Madrid. He now has either a goal or an assist in 12 straight games.

 

Chicago, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs but is now clinging to fourth place (a first-round bye) by just two points. The best news for Chicago in this game is that Jonathan Bamba, a designated player who is struggling, had a goal and an assist off the bench. Perhaps this gets him needed momentum heading into the postseason.

 

NYCFC 2-1 ATL United

 

New York City FC kept its playoff hopes alive with a dramatic 2-1 win over an already eliminated Atlanta team in Citi Field. With the score 1-1 in stoppage time, NYCFC’s Bénie Traoré found a late winner.

 

NYCFC has two winnable games remaining against Montreal and DC United. Given how Columbus has been playing, it might need to win both. NYCFC is a point behind both Toronto and Red Bull – who trail Columbus by two points.

 

Toronto 2-1 DC United

 

Toronto defeated DC United 2-1 to move into a tie on points for 10th place with Red Bull New York. TFC is now two points behind Columbus for the final postseason berth (the play-in game). Josh Sarent broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 86th minute goal. The former USMNT World Cup forward was acquired to deliver in moments such as these.

 

Toronto will next face Atlanta before concluding their season against Philadelphia.

 

Vancouver 4-1 San Diego

 

Vancouver has almost clinched the best record in the West following its convincing 4-1 win over San Diego. Meanwhile, San Diego was eliminated from the playoffs with the result.

Vancouver looks ready for the playoffs. Brian White scored his 100th MLS goal. Recent U-22 initiative attacker Aleksa Cvetkovic. Ryan Guald scored the third goal while Thomas Mueller returned from injury.  Ecuadorian star Bruno Caicedo scored the final goal and he is one of the most exciting young players in MLS in 2026.

Vancouver is a clear contender for MLS Cup this season.

 

St. Louis 2-3 Portland

 

After being left for dead earlier this month, Portland is now back within playoff contention following a win away to St. Louis, who have now lost three in a row after having its record unbeaten streak snapped. Kristoffer Velde scored two goals for Portland who sit in 11th place and are two points behind Real Salt Lake for the final play-in game.

 

Real Salt Lake 2-1 Austin FC

Real Salt Lake is clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference following a 2-1 win over an eliminated Austin FC on Wednesday. Trailing 1-0, Saba Lobjanidze equalized and Morgan Guilavogui gave Salt Lake the go-ahead goal in the 61st minute.

RSL face San Jose and the Galaxy in their final two games.

 

Seattle 0-1 Houston

 

Houston Dynamo FC defeated Seattle Sounders FC 1-0, with Lucas Halter scoring the only goal in the 26th minute. Seattle was unable to convert any of their 21 shots into goals. The win kept Houston inside the top four of the West and in contention for a first-round bye.

Seattle, meanwhile, fell to eighth and is far from being safe to make the playoffs. The problem for Seattle is that its two remaining games are difficult: at Vancouver and then home to LAFC.

 

San Jose 2-2 Colorado

 

Colorado squandered two points in this game and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with San Jose in California. The Rapids had a big break in the second half when San Jose’s Timo Werner was sent off, and Darren Yapi put the Rapids ahead. But Jack Jasinski headed home a Niko Tsakirs corner kick in the 83rd minute to level the score for good.

San Jose will make the playoffs but fell two points out of the top four with the draw. Colorado remains even on points with Seattle for eighth place. Colorado hosts Chicago before concluding the season in Dallas.

 

Minnesota 3-1 Sporting KC

 

Minnesota United FC turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 win over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. Minnesota now sits in 12th place and is four points out of the final playoff spot with two games remaining. It would take a remarkable turn of events for Minnesota to make the postseason.

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