It’s down to the wire. Matchday 34 of the 2026 MLS season is the second-to-last one, seeing Nov. 7’s Matchday 35 serve as the playoffs-defining Decision Day—the very last opportunity for teams to clinch a postseason berth.
Six teams from the Eastern Conference and six from West have already punched their tickets, meaning three from each side are still up for grabs. It will make for fierce battles that are anything but runaway wins.
Six teams—Red Bull New York, Toronto FC, New York City FC, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers and Minnesota United—are staring down elimination, meaning they will bring extra scrappy energy to their respective clashes.
Here, Sports Illustrated dives into how it all may play out.
Jump to:
Charlotte FC vs. Orlando City
New York City FC vs. CF Montréal
FC Cincinnati vs. Philadelphia Union
Columbus Crew vs. D.C. United
St. Louis CITY SC vs. San Diego FC
Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas
LA Galaxy vs. Austin FC
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake
Colorado Rapids vs.…