11/2 - Western Conference Power Rankings 4

Vancouver have rebounded with 3 wins from their last 4 games, putting them atop the Western Conference. They have looked better in these games as well, with Ryan Gauld leading the way for the 'Caps. The Scottish international has been sensational for Vancouver, and they will need him to continue his good form in the playoffs. They finish their season against CF Montreal and will look to get their revenge over the team that knocked them out of the Canadian Championship earlier this season. After an up and down season, Vancouver have done very well to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference and will be the favorites from the west in the playoffs.

FC Dallas earned 4 points from their last 3 games, good enough to bring them up to second place in the west, but not good enough to challenge for the top spot. With the absence of Logan Farrington, Los Toros have missed a secondary goalscorer alongside Petar Musa. The good news is that Dallas has a lot of great depth pieces(recent addition Daniel Job can bring something different to the team, whether from the start or off the bench) and has been resting their players, so they should be fresh for the playoffs. As long as Dallas can earn a point on Decision Day against Colorado, they will clinch second place in the Western Conference, which would be their best finish in a decade.

St. Louis City SC lost their fourth consecutive league game this past weekend, giving serious cause for concern. Yes, they were the far better team in their match against San Diego, yet they were unable to capitalize on their chances. This was reminiscent of their performances at the start of the year. Some of that is St. Louis are missing Alexandru Mățan, who is their best connector. However, they are going to have to rediscover their clinical edge heading into the playoffs.

San Jose have just 1 loss in their last 12 games, a streak that has secured the 'Quakes their first home playoff game in over a decade. Even with some rotation, they have been able to continue picking up points. Tsakiris even got the start in their latest game, a 2-1 win over RSL, which is very promising for Arena's side. When Tsakiris is on, they are one of the very best teams in the league. With a win in Minnesota United and a Dallas loss on Decision Day, San Jose could climb as high as second place, completing an incredible transformation from last season.

Despite having just 1 win in their last 9 games, the Houston Dynamo are still in contention for a home playoff spot in the Western Conference. In a road trip to the Pacific Northwest without Guilherme and Héctor Herrera, the Dynamo were able to defeat Seattle before losing to the Timbers. They now play St. Louis City SC on Decision Day, the team that is above them in the standings on on goal difference, in a game which could very well end up being a preview of a first round playoff matchup.

LA Galaxy have actually been quite good of late. The reason behind their sudden consistency: João Klauss. The big man has 10 goals in 12 starts in MLS, and is so influential throughout the game. With the Brazilian 9 alongside Paintsil, Lozano, and Reus, LA Galaxy have a star-studded attack. The question will be, can they defend? If yes, they are a team who can turn some heads in the postseason.

Make it 3 wins in a row for Portland. Their latest, a 3-1 thrashing of a beat up Dynamo, propelled them above Cascadia nemesis Seattle and into 8th place. The key to Portland's turnaround: scoring goals. Portland have put 3 in the back of the net in all of their matches, largely thanks to Kristoffer Velde. The Norweigan has finally found some end product, and looks back to being one of the very best wingers in the league. David Da Costa has also been very productive of late, and don't look now, but they just got captain and stalwart center back Finn Surman back from injury. They have a very winnable game in Austin that could see Portland escape the play-in game with a victory.

Minnesota are, against all odds, still alive. For the first time all year, they are playing up to their potential, and the results are solid; this team is unbeaten since October. They are finally winning at home, and putting in positive performances on both sides of the ball. If they can get a third straight home win on Decision Day, and get some help, MNUFC can jump from 12th into the playoffs. And they won't be a team many would want to face with the form they're in at the moment.

Salt Lake followed up a 3 match win streak with a 1-2 loss in San Jose where they were repeatedly gashed open through midfield. This was their biggest issue when they were on their death spiral, and it's been something they seemed to fix in the last month or so. If they tighten this up, they will have a good chance at beating Galaxy on Decision Day and booking their spot in the 2026 MLS Playoffs.

Colorado should be a playoff team. But one win since being knocked out of the US Open Cup means they will be fighting for their lives on Decision Day. There's no telling what this starting 11 will look like, especially in attack. Right now they have Morgan Whittaker playing as a false 9 with U22 forward Sayed Abu Farchi riding the bench and Yapi stuck out of position on the wing. The lack of continuity in their attack makes this team a tough watch. They are really missing Rafael Navarro right about now.

LAFC fired head coach Marc Dos Santos in late September. They have looked like a much, much worse team since then. They don't, in fact, use the ball better in possession and their attack feels a lot less explosive. This comes down to playing Bouanga at center forward, a mind boggling decision that's made this team worse in every phase of play. Why anyone would move the most productive left winger this league's ever seen out of his preferred spot is beyond baffling. And worse of all, they are suddenly extremely vulnerable whenever they lose the ball. They've relied on a solid defense all year, but now even this aspect of their team is gone. This team looks lifeless heading into the playoffs.

Seattle are brutal right now. Just a couple weeks ago, they were riding a 4 match win streak and looked like a sure bet for the postseason. Now they have 2 points in their last 5, with each one of these results feeling like hammer blows to the season. They went up 2-0 against San Diego, only two concede two penalties and come away with a point, failed to score at home against a Houston side missing Guilherme and HH, and most recently got absolutely pummeled by Vancouver - getting leapfrogged as a result by bitter rivals Portland to push them out of a playoff position.

San Diego's drop off from last season is borderline alarming, especially considering that every returning player has taken a step backwards. Their defense is atrocious, and even though they somehow managed to escape with a win in St. Louis, the performance was far from convincing. There should be a lot of change coming to this club over the winter.

This might just be the worst Austin FC has looked since joining MLS. They are currently playing without a single nominal center back, their 3 DPs played a combined 4 minutes in their last match, and club legend Brad Stuver is inexplicably on the bench in spite of being their best player all year. Austin is entering a new era, so now is the time to experiment with their roster. But the Verde & Black are just sad to watch right now.

Kansas City have picked up 1 point in their last 5 matches. After showing some signs of life following Luiz's introduction to the starting 11, SKC have bottomed out again. They have some good pieces but are far from a complete roster. That said, if they win this weekend and Montréal loses, Sporting Kansas City will avoid the 2026 Wooden Spoon.