With five of the six Eastern Conference playoff spots formally locked up after last weekend's results, focus now shifts to the lower half of the table where four deadlocked teams look to overtake the New York Red Bulls in the sixth and final position.
The Chicago Fire clinched their spot in the 2017 postseason with a 4-1 win over San Jose last Wednesday, Sept. 27, and continue to jockey for seeding and the opportunity to host their their first playoff match with two games now remaining on their regular season calendar.
Here's an update of where the rest of the field stands entering another big round of late-season matches:
1.Toronto FC (65 points, 32 games played)
Toronto formally locked up both the 2017 Supporters' Shield and the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. They'll enjoy home field advantage throughout the 2017 Audi MLS Playoffs, which includes MLS Cup should they make it that far for a second consecutive season.
2.New York City FC (56 points, 32 games played)
NYCFC visited Toyota Park on Saturday night and left with a share of the points in a 1-1 draw with the Fire. David Villa negated a first-half Nemanja Nikolic finish to help earn a point for the visitors, who will wrap up their regular season campaign with a trip to New England and a home contest with Crew SC. They'll still have an eye on the rearview for both Atlanta and Chicago, who remain in the hunt for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
3. Atlanta United (53 points, 31 games played)
Following a 0-0 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, Atlanta will look to make the most of their game-in-hand on both NYCFC and Chicago by improving their standing in a midweek match against Minnesota United at Mercedes Benz Stadium. With a victory, they would overtake City in the No. 2 spot and position themselves for a first-round bye heading into the playoffs, with matches away at the Red Bulls and home against Toronto FC to follow.
4. Chicago Fire (52 points, 32 games played)
In a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview, the Fire battled to a 1-1 draw with New York City FC at Toyota Park on Saturday night. While a victory would have put head coach Veljko Paunovic's side a point away from City in the No. 2 spot, the Fire still control their own destiny in hosting a home playoff game in the Easter Conference knockout round should they finish in their current fourth spot or higher. Following the FIFA international window, they'll host the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, Oct. 15 (4 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Chicago+, TICKETS) and travel to Houston to face the Dynamo on Oct. 22 to wrap up their regular season.
5. Columbus Crew SC (50 points, 32 games played)
Other than Toronto FC, no Eastern Conference team helped their cause on the weekend more the Crew SC. A 2-0 win over D.C. United formally clinched their spot in the postseason and put them both one point behind the Fire and a full seven ahead of the New York Red Bulls. They'll travel to both Orlando City SC and New York City FC in their final two matches in their own quest to finish top-4 and avoid traveling in the Eastern Conference knockout round.
6. New York Red Bulls (43 points, 31 games played)
While above the playoff line currently, the Red Bulls have yet to clinch a spot in the postseason following Saturday's 4-2 loss at Toronto FC. The Red Bulls haven't won in MLS since Aug. 12, enduring a stretch of nine straight matches without a victory. With three matches remaining, they'll look to wrap up their spot with matches at home against Vancouver and Atlanta and a trip to D.C. in the final week of the regular season.
7-10. Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC (39 points, 32 games played)
Things get murky for the four teams just below the playoff line, as they're all level on both points and matches played to this point in the season. With each side four points back of the New York Red Bulls for the final spot in the postseason, each team will now want to take full points from their final two matches and hope that New York stumbles through its final three if they're to leapfrog into the six spot.
11. D.C. United (32 points, 32 games played)
D.C. are the only Eastern Conference team mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after a 3-3 draw at Red Bull Arena on Sept. 27 formally guaranteed their exclusion from the 2017 postseason.
