MLS Power Rankings: Where Teams Stand with 2 Weeks Until Decision Day

Decision Day in Major League Soccer is 12 days away.

With an expanded playoff field in place and parity once again a theme in both conferences, there is plenty left to play for.

Most importantly, the Supporters' Shield is back in play after the trophy's foundation reinstated the award handed to the team with the most regular-season points. The reversal occurred less than a week after the foundation made its initial decision to not award the plate with so many fans unable to attend games.

On Saturday, the Philadelphia Union carved out an advantage over Toronto FC in the Shield race, thrashing them 5-0 to bring the teams level on points and wins, which is the first tiebreaker. They moved into first place through a superior goal differential.

Philadelphia and Toronto are two of four teams to clinch playoff berths. The Columbus Crew and Orlando City are the two others.

More playoff positions could be handed out in the Western Conference during the 13-game midweek slate, with first-place Sporting Kansas City nine points ahead of eighth-place San Jose with three games to go.

Most franchises have three games remaining on their schedules, but there are a few with more contests left. The Colorado Rapids have only played 14 games and just returned to the pitch after a layoff caused by a string of positive COVID-19 tests. No news has come down about additional rescheduled matches.

26. FC Cincinnati (Previous Ranking: 26)

FC Cincinnati failed to score a goal for the 12th time in regular-season play.

Jaap Stam's side dropped back into the bottom spot of the Eastern Conference table because of its 1-0 loss to Minnesota United and D.C. United's win over Atlanta United.

In five of its last six losses, the second-year side has failed to find the back of the net. Fixing the lack of scoring has to be one of the many offseason focuses of the team's front office.

              

25. Atlanta United (Previous Ranking: 22)

Atlanta United's poor form continued this week with a 2-1 home loss to D.C. United.

The Five Stripes earned four points from two games at the start of October, but since then, they have taken a single point from four matches.

Losing Josef Martinez to a season-ending injury was a brutal blow, but the Atlanta attack should not look as poor as it has since the season restart.

Atlanta has two goals in in its last five matches and is one of four teams to not reach the 20-goal mark. Three members of that group are outside of playoff positions, with Nashville the only one above the red line. 

                     

24. Montreal Impact (Previous Ranking: 24)

Montreal is holding on to a playoff berth after losing three of its last four games to drop down to ninth place in the East with 23 points.

Thierry Henry's side holds a two-point advantage over Inter Miami and Chicago, both of whom are in better form.

Montreal may not bring an end to its struggles Tuesday, as it faces a surging Nashville side that sits one position above it.

                

23. LA Galaxy (Previous Ranking: 20)

Mostly everything that has happened to the L.A. Galaxy after September 19 can be classified as a disaster.

The Galaxy have three points from their last eight matches and were shut out by rivals Los Angeles FC on national television Sunday.

The hiring of Guillermo Barros Schelotto appears unlikely reap the results the Galaxy hoped for. Instead of fighting for a home playoff game and a top seed in the West, the Galaxy are dead last in the conference with 18 points.

                   

22. D.C. United (Previous Ranking: 25)

D.C. is miraculously three points out of the final East playoff spot.

The Black-and-Red picked up their second straight 2-1 win Saturday over Atlanta United after recording the same result against FC Cincinnati.

D.C. is not exactly stealing headlines with its recent wins, but it deserves credit for responding well to interim boss Chad Ashton. Although one win could put D.C. back into the playoff spots, it is unlikely to happen with Columbus, New England and Montreal left on the docket.

                     

21. Vancouver Whitecaps (Previous Ranking: 23)

Vancouver has had two steady spells of form in 2020.

The first occurred in September when it won three of four matches. The other is the run that was extended by Saturday's win over San Jose.

Marc Dos Santos' side earned nine points out of a possible 12 from the last four games and is back up to seventh place in the West. If the Whitecaps find a way to keep this run of form going into the postseason, they could be a tricky opponent.

20. Houston Dynamo (Previous Ranking: 21)

Houston's grip on a playoff spot continues to slip away. The Dynamo are winless in their last four matches and have a single win in their last 10.

With Los Angeles FC and FC Dallas next up on the schedule, Houston could move further away from Vancouver and San Jose on the playoff bubble.

If a win over FC Dallas does not push Houston back into the top eight, it could at least secure El Capitan, the prize for winning the Texas derby, for the first time since 2017. Houston is 1-1-1 versus its in-state rival this season.

        

19. San Jose Earthquakes (Previous Ranking: 18)

Stability has not been a trait of the 2020 San Jose Earthquakes.

Just after they won four of five games and put an eight-game winless streak behind them, San Jose played to a goalless draw with Seattle and lost to Vancouver.

Wednesday's match with Real Salt Lake could determine whether the Quakes land in the postseason or not. RSL sit two points back of the No. 8 position, and the Quakes have a brutal finish against LAFC and Seattle.

                 

18. Colorado Rapids (Previous Ranking: 16)

There should not have been any expectations for the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, when they lost 4-0 to Sporting KC in their first game in 31 days following a slew of positive COVID-19 tests within the squad.

Robin Fraser's side is 11th in the West with 19 points from 14 games, but it shoots above Vancouver and San Jose if you align the table on points per game.

It is not feasible to make up Colorado's five lost games between Decision Day and the start of the playoffs after the November international break.

MLS has yet to announce a solution. Four of the five postponed games were against teams fighting for playoff positions.

            

17. Chicago Fire (Previous Ranking: 17)

Chicago's recent run of form flew under the radar because of the teams it beat. 

The Fire have knocked off playoff outsiders Houston, Atlanta and D.C. in their last seven games, but they also earned ties against the Eastern Conference's ninth- and seventh-placed teams, Montreal and the New York Red Bulls respectively. They also earned a 2-2 draw with the West-leading Sporting Kansas City with a stoppage-time equalizer from Djordje Mihailovic in their last outing.

Raphael Wicky's team is on the edge of a postseason berth, but it needs another win to move level with Inter Miami in the first tiebreaker category. If that happens, the Fire would inch ahead of the expansion side with a better goal differential.

The sixth win will be hard to come by Wednesday against Philadelphia, while their remaining games come against playoff hopefuls Nashville, Minnesota and New York City FC.

                  

16. Inter Miami (Previous Ranking: 19)

With three wins and a draw in the last five, Inter Miami have so far fended off the challenge posed by Chicago.

The expansion side picked up a nice 2-1 win over regional rival Orlando City on Saturday to move one victory ahead of Chicago's season total.

Diego Alonso's men would like to make up a five-goal differential deficit over Chicago to feel comfortable, but they are only plus-two over the last five games, despite their good form.

15. Real Salt Lake (Previous Ranking: 15)

RSL bounced back from a three-game losing streak with two of the more impressive results of the last few weeks, following up their win over Portland with a scoreless draw versus FC Dallas.

Saturday's tie was not the sexiest result, but it pushed RSL one point closer to the red line, and it can move above it with a victory over San Jose on Wednesday.

           

14. FC Dallas (Previous Ranking: 14)

FC Dallas did not fare well on its two-game road swing, but such is life on the road in MLS.

Luchi Gonzalez's side was beaten by three goals in Nashville and played to a draw with RSL. Those results closed the gap between FCD and Vancouver and San Jose to a single point.

The good news for FC Dallas is it has two games in hand on the Whitecaps and Earthquakes and has upcoming home clashes with Inter Miami and the Houston Dynamo. FC Dallas have earned five of its six victories inside Toyota Stadium.

        

13. New York Red Bulls (Previous Ranking: 11)

Draws were respectable results for the New York Red Bulls against Toronto FC and Orlando City, but the 2-2 home draw with the Chicago Fire has to be viewed as a disappointment.

New York is in the middle of the fight to avoid the play-in round, where the last four playoff qualifiers in the East will start the postseason. New York needs to get back to winning ways Wednesday against New England to have hope of a top-six finish and to avoid a playoff matchup with Philadelphia or Toronto in its opening round.

        

12. Minnesota United (Previous Ranking: 12)

Aaron Schoenfeld's stoppage-time winner against FC Cincinnati could be massive in determining if Minnesota United gets a home playoff game. Instead of leaving Nippert Stadium with a tie, the Loons remained one point back of LAFC for the No. 4 seed in the West.

Adrian Heath's side should keep pace with LAFC again Wednesday against Colorado at Allianz Field.

If the Loons remain within a point of LAFC in the next two games, they could use their game in hand November 4 to move into the final hosting position in the West.

       

11. Nashville SC (Previous Ranking: 13)

Defender of the Year candidate Walker Zimmerman produced the lone Nashville goal in its 1-1 draw with New England on Friday.

The offseason acquisition from LAFC has provided a steady hand in the middle of defense throughout a campaign that could see Nashville clinch a playoff berth in its first season.

Gary Smith's side features the league's joint-third-best defense and has one loss in its last eight. It could be a tough team to eliminate if it reaches the postseason.

10. New England Revolution (Previous Ranking: 8)

Adam Buksa scored an equalizer three minutes after Zimmerman's goal to help New England leave the Music City with a valuable point in the battle with New York City FC for the No. 5 spot in the East.

The Revs face a crucial matchup in that race Wednesday, as they need to beat the Red Bulls and hope NYCFC fall to Toronto. If things go their way, they could take a two-point edge into a weekend meeting with D.C.

                

9. Sporting Kansas City (Previous Ranking: 10)

Sporting Kansas City sits atop the West table, but it is behind Seattle, LAFC and Portland in the power rankings because its only win in the last three occurred against Colorado after the Rapids' monthlong layoff.

If Sporting KC finishes the regular season with points from matches against Cincinnati, Minnesota and RSL, it will be due for a surge into the top five.

         

8. New York City FC (Previous Ranking: 9)

NYCFC picked up a 3-1 win over the Montreal Impact to record its first win since October 7, when it also defeated an inferior squad in D.C. United.

NYCFC's contending credentials in the East will be put to the test by Toronto, which could come into Wednesday's match looking to take out some frustration following its blowout loss to Philadelphia.

                   

7. Orlando City (Previous Ranking: 5)

Orlando City's four-game winless run moved it from a dark-horse Shield contender to a team fighting to hold on to a home playoff contest.

The fourth-place Lions lost to Inter Miami on Saturday after picking up three consecutive draws versus Atlanta and the two New York teams.

To avoid a Decision Day threat from NYCFC or New England, Orlando needs to pick up wins against Atlanta and Montreal in the next week.

        

6. Columbus Crew (Previous Ranking: 6)

Columbus could be a case of peaking too early.

The Crew were the darlings of the MLS is Back tournament, but they fell from the top spot in the Shield and East standings after earning one win in their last six.

After their 1-1 draw in Houston, the Crew are six points adrift of Philadelphia and Toronto with four games to go.

Caleb Porter's side still has a game in hand and a matchup with the Union upcoming, but it needs to be perfect to reclaim the top position.

Previous Ranking: 4

Portland picked up a point through a 1-1 draw with Seattle in what felt like the millionth time the Pacific Northwest rivals played in 2020.

In reality, the Timbers are 2-1-1 against their closest rivals this season, which featured an unbalanced schedule with geographical rivals seeing each other more.

The Timbers are prime candidates to enter the postseason in strong form since they play the Whitecaps, Galaxy and Rapids before their Decision Day meeting with LAFC.

The Timbers are just three games removed from a five-match winning streak, and they could top the West if they rediscover that form.

Previous Ranking: 3

Seattle should have something to say about the Timbers finishing on top of the conference.

All the Sounders have to do is outperform Sporting KC and finish on level pegging with Portland because of their superior goal differential.

Seattle also plays Vancouver, Colorado and the L.A. Galaxy over the next three contests before lacing up the cleats to play San Jose on Decision Day.

Brian Schmetzer's side should come away with points from those clashes. Its only defeats since the return from MLS is Back have occurred against Portland and LAFC.

Previous Ranking: 7

Carlos Vela is back, and so is LAFC near the top of the power rankings.

The Mexican designated player scored in the final moments of LAFC's 2-0 win over the Galaxy in the latest edition of El Trafico.

The return of the 2019 Golden Boot winner and the form of Bradley Wright-Phillips could give the Black and Gold the most lethal scoring duo in the West entering the postseason.

LAFC is expected to try to chase down Seattle, Portland and Sporting KC, but the four- and five-point deficits may be too much to make up. Securing a home playoff game and the No. 4 seed may be LAFC's best option.

Previous Ranking: 1

Even though Toronto conceded five goals and was thoroughly outclassed by Philadelphia, it is still the second-best team in MLS. The Reds are one of two teams with over 40 points and are still in the hunt to land the Supporters' Shield.

After all, this is still a team with a Most Valuable Player front-runner in Alejandro Pozuelo and winning experience throughout the roster after reaching the MLS Cup game in three of the last four years.

TFC can bounce back Wednesday against NYCFC before a favorable matchup in East Hartford, Connecticut, against Inter Miami on Saturday.

Previous Ranking: 2

With its 5-0 home victory, Philadelphia proved it could play with one of the best teams in MLS and that it might be the top team in the league.

The Union were the better side for every second and now hold tiebreaker advantages in goal differential and goals scored, which will come into play if they are still level on points and wins with Toronto FC at the end of the regular season.

Jim Curtin's squad still has to follow through on three results to land the Shield and the No. 1 seed in the East, and that run starts with a Wednesday home match against Chicago.

After that, the Union visit Columbus and host New England in their quest to secure the first trophy in club history.

     

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com.