The drama, chaos and excitement of MLS Cup Playoffs are around the corner.
Inter Miami leads all MLS teams in the race for the Supporters' Shield with hopes of getting Lionel Messi back for a deep playoff run. On the west coast, summer signings Marco Reus and Olivier Giroud give LA Galaxy and LAFC an extra element late in the season. With just seven matches remaining, here's how things are looking in the MLS world as the end of the regular season nears.
Western Conference
LA Galaxy rebounded in 2024 after finishing 13th place last season. Winter signings Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec have proven to be among the most effective wide players in the league, forming an incredible attacking department with Riqui Puig and the newly-acquired Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus.
LA Galaxy is just about a lock to make the playoffs in first place in the West with 52 points. In-state rivals LAFC aren't too far behind the Galaxy in second place with 48 points. LAFC is likely to clinch a playoff spot in the coming weeks and could put the pressure on its rival with a win this weekend in El Tráfico with some help from summer signing Oliver Giroud.
Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids are enjoying solid seasons with 47 and 44 points respectively, while Seattle Sounders sit in fifth after rectifying a horrid start to the season.
Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo are just about hanging on to sixth and seventh place with Portland Timbers breathing down their necks in eighth place. Minnesota United falls right behind Portland in ninth place as the two teams are currently seeded for the Wild Card match that would see the winner take on the Galaxy.
Texas clubs Austin FC and FC Dallas are both on 34 points and just two points off ninth-placed Minnesota. Both teams are still very much alive in the postseason race while the likes of St. Louis CITY and Sporting Kansas City face an uphill challenge of qualifying. San Jose Earthquakes sit in last place in the West with 17 points and are likely to be eliminated from playoff contention in the next few matches.
Eastern Conference
Miami is inching closer to a second piece of silverware at Chase Stadium. The Herons are atop the league standings with 59 points having already secured a place in the playoffs with a 2-0 triumph over Cincinnati back in late August.
Cincinnati will look to do everything in its power to stop Miami from dethroning them as Supporters' Shield winners. Cincinnati is just eight points off Miami in second place in the Eastern Conference with 51 points and could close the gap if Miami slips up.
Reigning MLS champion Columbus sits in third place with 49 points. New head coach Sandro Schwarz has guided New York Red Bulls to fourth with 43 points while rivals NYCFC aren't too far behind with 39 points in fifth place. In addition to Miami, Cincinnati, Columbus and both New York clubs are just about locks to qualify for the postseason.
Charlotte FC is hanging on to its sixth place position with 38 points followed closely by Orlando City in seventh with 37 points. Just eight points separate Charlotte and 11th-placed Philadelphia Union, meaning the Eastern Conference standings could look very different come the end of the regular season.
Sandwiched in between Orlando and Philadelphia are Toronto FC and D.C. United in the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference. Christian Benteke leads the Golden Boot race with 18 goals for D.C. United. Atlanta United sits in 10th place ahead of an all-important clash against Miami next week.
Unlike the Western Conference, the East doesn't have a team that's too far removed from the playoff conversation. New England Revolution and CF Montreal are both on 27 points in 12th and 13th place while Chicago Fire and Nashville SC have both accumulated 26 points.
The top seven to eight teams in the West probably won't see much change from now until the final matchday of the season. There could be a lot of shifting in the Eastern Conference with sports more tightly contested.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Playoff Picture: How Things Stand Heading Into the Final Stretch.
