Record: 14W-5D-4L
Week 21 ranking: 2
2. Record: 13-4-5
Week 21 ranking: 1
After Thursday’s 2-0 win in Orlando, NYCFC head coach Domenec Torrent called out his team’s performance. If it was meant to inspire a better showing in a tough trip to Seattle on Sunday it didn’t work; NYCFC looked flat in a 3-1 defeat at CenturyLink Field.
3. LAFC
Record: 10-6-5
Week 21 ranking: 4
The new kids on the block in L.A. still can’t figure out how to beat their older crosstown competition. After dominating the game and going up 2-0 on the Galaxy, Bob Bradley’s team conceded twice and let two points slip at home.
4. Record: 13-2-6
Week 21 ranking: 3
Bradley Wright-Phillips’ 100th goal for the Red Bulls helped his club to a win in D.C., but New York fell at home to Columbus with a rotated squad on Saturday. Issues defending set pieces did the Red Bulls in against the Crew.
5. Record: 9-7-3
Week 21 ranking: 5
With a trade pending, Fanendo Adi scored a winner on his way out of town to steal the show in a 2-1 Timbers victory over Houston. The Dynamo’s wastefulness in front of goal aided the Timbers in pushing their unbeaten run to 14.
Michael Barrios ended a goalless drought that dated back to 2017 in style, netting a hat trick to lead FC Dallas to victory at Sporting Kansas City.
6. FC Dallas
Record: 12-6-3
Week 21 ranking: 6
The Michael Barrios show hit Kansas City and led FC Dallas to an impressive 3-2 win over Sporting on Saturday. The Colombian’s hat trick was his first three goals of the year. The win extended FCD’s lead in the West to six points.
7. LA Galaxy
Record: 10-5-7
Week 21 ranking: 7
The Galaxy are now officially steering into its poor defense by simply trying to outscore everyone. L.A. followed up a Zlatan-inspired 2-2 comeback draw against LAFC on Thursday with a madcap 4-3 win over Orlando on Sunday that included an Ibrahimovic hat trick.
8. Record: 10-6-7
Week 21 ranking: 10
After last weekend’s dramatic win over Orlando, the Crew faced a stiff challenge on the road in New York on Saturday. Columbus proved up to the task and now has its first winning streak since May.
9. Record: 7-6-8
Week 21 ranking: 8
Two games, two losses for the Dynamo over the span of four days. The first was a disappointing home loss against Philadelphia, and the latter a road loss in Portland. Houston likely deserved better, but couldn’t overcome refereeing decisions and a lack of finishing.
10. Record: 9-6-6
Week 21 ranking: 9
What was a poor run of form mostly contained to the road is now a poor run of form that includes an ugly 3-2 loss at home to FC Dallas on Saturday. Sporting’s winless run is at five and the club has slipped to fifth in the West.
11. Record: 7-5-9
Week 21 ranking: 14
After Sunday’s 3-1 win over NYCFC, the Sounders are now on a three-game winning streak and have closed the gap on sixth in the West to five. It very much looks like the two-time defending Western Conference champs making their patented second half run.
12. Montreal Impact
Record: 9-1-13
Week 21 ranking: 11
Montreal’s five-game home winning streak came to an end on Saturday when Atlanta downed the Impact 2-1 at Stade Saputo. Montreal is in a race to acquire summer reinforcements after French striker Jimmy Briand backed out of a deal this week.
13. Record: 8-5-9
Week 21 ranking: 16
In his first game since the announcement that he’s leaving for Bayern Munich after the season, Alphonso Davies delivered an incredible goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Minnesota United. He’ll be key to the Caps’ playoff chances in his final few months in MLS.
14. Record: 7-7-7
Week 21 ranking: 12
The Revs will try to snap a three-game losing streak next Saturday in Orlando.
15. Minnesota United
Record: 9-1-12
Week 21 ranking: 13
The Loons are capable of some impressive highs — see last week’s 5-1 rout of LAFC — and some crushing lows. Against the Whitecaps on Saturday, Minnesota’s leaky defense gave up four goals and robbed the club of any momentum.
16. Toronto FC
Record: 6-4-11
Week 21 ranking: 18
The Reds now have their first winning streak of the difficult season all thanks to the Fire. Toronto beat Chicago on the road last week, then took down Bastian Schweinsteiger and Co. in Toronto again on Saturday. Signs of life for the champions.
17. Record: 8-3-10
Week 21 ranking: 17
The Union sat out the weekend slate, but will carry some confidence into a road date in Portland next weekend after a midweek 3-1 win over the Dynamo in Houston. They still need goals from the forward line to be a playoff contender in the East.
18. Real Salt Lake
Record: 9-4-9
Week 21 ranking: 15
There’s nothing wrong with getting a point on the road in MLS, although RSL will certainly think that there were two points they missed out on against a woeful San Jose team in Saturday’s goalless draw.
19. D.C. United
Record: 4-5-9
Week 21 ranking: 20
United fell to the rival Red Bulls in a game affected by bad weather on Wednesday, but secured a second win at Audi Field with a 2-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday. Wayne Rooney’s maiden goal in DC wasn’t a classic, but it should hopefully be the first of many.
20. Chicago Fire
Record: 6-5-12
Week 21 ranking: 19
Back-to-back losses to Toronto FC not only kept the Fire from making up any ground behind the Revs for the last playoff spot in the East, but it lifted TFC into the chase. Chicago will be happy to move on to different competition when they travel to Utah next weekend.
21. Orlando City
Record: 7-1-14
Week 21 ranking: 21
The Lions couldn’t find the net in a 2-0 home loss to NYCFC in midweek, then exploded for three in LA on Sunday night. Unfortunately for James O’Connor, his defense conceded four times in a wild 4-3 loss.
22. Colorado Rapids
Record: 4-5-12
Week 21 ranking: 22
The Rapids woeful season made a stop in D.C., where a late own goal prevented Colorado from earning a point on the nation’s capital. Kellyn Acosta’s first goal for his new club was a bright spot.
23. Record: 2-7-11
Week 21 ranking: 23
After a loss to Seattle and a goalless draw with RSL, the Quakes are still in last place in the Western Conference. The good news, if you can call it that, is that Saturday’s stalemate with RSL means San Jose is no longer the only team without a shutout in 2018.
