MLS Power Rankings: FC Dallas Back on Top After a Wild Week 33

The final rounds of the season were expected to be dramatic based on how tight the standings are in both conferences. However, Week 33 was even crazier than anyone anticipated. Almost every team in the top-six spots in the Eastern Conference earned some massive wins. The West was just as noteworthy with the Portland Timbers smashing the LA Galaxy at home. This week's power rankings were drastically altered following these monumental results. As always, every team will be ranked based on the following criteria: Quality of opponent and performance Recent form beyond the last week Key absences Current standing Remaining games in hand (if applicable) Here are the latest MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Larin, Diaz Make Big Leaps, 7 Players Enter

With playoff spots up for grabs across Major League Soccer in Week 33, some of the league's best scorers rose to the occasion and found the back of the net for their respective sides.  Sebastian Giovinco, Cyle Larin, Robbie Keane, Obafemi Martins and Fabian Espindola were among the high-profile names who boosted their team with goals in the penultimate week of the regular season.  Few players were more impressive than Larin, who scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season for Orlando City on Friday night as the Lions continued their late playoff push.  Over in the Western Conference, Mauro Diaz continued to power the FC Dallas attack as he played a major role in both wins by Oscar Pareja's side in Week 33.  Due to the massive influence they had on their respective sides, Larin and Diaz were the highest movers in our latest MLS Player Rankings.  Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches with the player's most-recent performance holding more stock than the other three.  Continue reading to see where Larin, Diaz and the rest of the stars in MLS landed in our list of the league's top 20 in-form players.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: FC Dallas Trio, Portland, Red Bulls Duo Feature

The wild and wacky 2015 Major League Soccer season took its latest unexpected turn this weekend, especially on Sunday.  Portland, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls all put in impressive performances in their respective matches with the MLS Cup playoffs on the horizon. Before those three sides stole the headlines on Sunday, FC Dallas continued its strong run to the postseason with a win that secured the top spot in the Western Conference.  Thanks to the tremendous showings from each of the four dominant clubs, eight of the 11 players in our latest MLS Team of the Week come from those teams.  We shaped our best 11 from Week 33 into a 3-4-3 formation in order to accommodate three forwards who impressed over the three days of action in North America. Continue reading to see who landed a spot in our Week 33 MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew Live Blog: Instant Reactions and Analysis

The Columbus Crew clinched a spot in the 2015 Major League Soccer Playoffs with a 2-0 win at Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon. Ethan Finlay produced a goal off of a corner five minutes from time, giving Columbus a 1-0 advantage heading into the break. Federico Higuain scored in the early stages of stoppage time to eliminate any doubt about the match outcome.  Higuain and MLS Most Valuable Player candidate Kei Kamara will be spectators for Columbus' regular season finale. Both men will be suspended for yellow-card accumulation after being cautioned on Saturday. Columbus and Toronto will be busy scoreboard-watching for the rest of the weekend. D.C. United could climb to as high as second in the Eastern Conference with a victory over Chicago on Sunday. New England could be level on points with Columbus and as high as second place in the standings with a victory over Montreal. The Revolution will host the Impact later this evening.  Toronto are currently third in the conference table behind the New York Red Bulls and Columbus (h/t MLSSoccer.com).Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Orlando City vs. New York City FC Live Blog: Instant Reactions and Analysis

A Cyle Larin brace propelled Orlando City past New York City FC 2-1 in a game Orlando had to win to keep their Major League Soccer postseason hopes alive. Orlando City dominated much of the action in the opening frame, but it was New York that entered the break with the goal advantage. The visitors struck in the final seconds of stoppage time when Kwame Watson-Siriboe made good use of a fortunate deflection and hit a rocket into the back of the net. The goal against the run of play silenced the majority of the fans who had crammed the Citrus Bowl to watch the match. Orlando City found an equalizer in the 63rd minute. A Corey Ashe cross was headed home by Larin to level the contest. Larin scored again 20 minutes from time to put Orlando City up 2-1, and the hosts held the lead until the final whistle. Orlando City are now, per MLSSoccer.com, a point out of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Montreal Impact, a point ahead of Orlando in the standings, will be away to New England Revolution on Saturday. Orlando City and their fans will want to watch that game from the opening kick.  Read more MLS news on ...

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Playoff Desperation Growing in Penultimate Week

Entering the penultimate weekend of play in Major League Soccer, half of the league's 12 playoff berths have been clinched.  The New York Red Bulls, D.C. United and Toronto FC have secured spots in the Eastern Conference, while the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps are in out in the Western Conference.  For the four teams battling for three spots in the East and the six left fighting for the final three positions in the West, Week 33 will be vital to the playoff hopes of each club. The formula is pretty simple in the East for Orlando City to have a chance at stealing the sixth seed on Decision Day. The Lions must win at home over New York City FC on Friday and Montreal has to lose or draw in New England on Saturday. Orlando will be hoping the Revolution can dispense with the Impact at Gillette Stadium if it beats its fellow expansion side at the Citrus Bowl. A draw in New England wouldn't kill Adrian Heath's side's playoff hopes, but it wouldn't be the ideal situation for the Lions heading into the final week of the regular season.  If everything goes in Orlando's favor this time out, it could benefit ...

Jozy Altidore Issued Red Card on Bench for ‘Foul and Abusive Language’

Jozy Altidore's mouth earned him a red card while he sat on the bench during Wednesday's match between Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls. The striker was issued the red card in the 34th minute for "foul and abusive language," per Gothamist's Dan Dickinson: The referee Altidore reportedly verbally abused was Daniel Radford—the same official whose notebook his USMNT teammate, Clint Dempsey, tore up in June: Altidore will miss the club's next game against Columbus Crew SC.   [Twitter]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls Live Blog: Instant Reactions and Analysis

Toronto FC earned a first Major League Soccer postseason berth with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday evening.  A lackluster first half was quickly erased from memories when Herculez Gomez put the hosts up a goal six minutes after the halftime break. Sebastian Giovinco then continued his MLS Most Valuable Player campaign for 2015 with a wondrous tally 11 minutes from time.  Shaun Wright-Phillips cut the deficit in half with a goal three minutes from time, but the Red Bulls could not find an equalizer.  The Red Bulls remain in control of their Eastern Conference playoff fate. New York will secure first place in the conference standings if the club can manage to pick up a single point in its last two games of the regular season. TFC move up to second in the conference (h/t MLSSoccer.com). Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Power Rankings: New York Red Bulls Reign Supreme

There were only three matches in MLS last week due to the international break. However, there were still two major stories that emerged after Week 32. The New York Red Bulls inched closer to their second Supporters' Shield in three years. The Montreal Impact fell to the Red Bulls but are on the brink of the playoffs thanks to the former's win on Saturday. Despite the lack of activity across the league, there was still some significant movement in the power rankings this week. As always, the teams will be graded based on the following criteria: Quality of opponent and performance Recent form beyond the last week Key absences Current standing Remaining games in hand (if applicable) Here are the latest MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

The 5 Most Important Storylines Heading into MLS Decision Day

For the first time in Major League Soccer history, the final day of the regular season will replicate that of the Premier League and other major European leagues.  The 10 games that will be played on October 25 will feature two blocks of simultaneous action in each conference.  The Eastern Conference kicks off the day at 5 p.m. ET with its quintet of matches, while the Western Conference starts its action at 7 p.m. ET.  Throughout Decision Day, we will find out who will be the top seeds in each conference and who earns the coveted Supporters' Shield.  A few close battles for individual titles will also be decided on the final Sunday of the regular season before the MLS Cup playoffs kick off three days later.  Here's a look at the five biggest storylines to watch on MLS Decision Day. Begin Slideshow