MLS Team of the Week: Drogba, Dempsey and Nagbe Star on Decision Day

Major League Soccer's Decision Day delivered plenty of final-day fireworks as the field for the MLS Cup playoffs was determined by 10 games played over four hours on Sunday. Didier Drogba, Clint Dempsey and Darlington Nagbe were some of the biggest difference-makers on the last day of the regular season, powering their respective sides to the highest playoff place possible.  Outside of the high-profile names in the league, plenty of role players made massive contributions for teams bound for the postseason and even for a few clubs whose seasons ended on Sunday.  Because of the large amount of impressive attacking performances on Decision Day, we shaped our best XI from Sunday in a 4-3-3 formation. Continue reading to see who else landed in our final MLS Team of the Week of the 2015 regular season. Begin Slideshow

MLS Regular Season Final Day: Winners and Losers from Sunday Games

The eight-month long Major League Soccer regular season concluded on Sunday with 10 matches that produced a good amount of drama across North America. Columbus stole the show during the 5 p.m. ET kickoffs as it broke down the D.C. United defense on many occasions in its 5-0 win to earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.  D.C.'s loss combined with Montreal's win over Toronto put the Impact in third and United in fourth. Montreal will host No. 6 Toronto FC in the knockout round on Thursday, while D.C. will face No. 5 New England on Wednesday. The New York Red Bulls, who already secured the No. 1 seed in East, clinched the Supporters' Shield with a win in one of the six late games.  In the Western Conference, Vancouver earned the second bye into semifinals. FC Dallas clinched their spot a week ago.  Portland and Seattle captured the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the West with their respective wins to set up knockout-round clashes with Sporting Kansas City and LA, respectively. Here's a look at our winners and losers from the thrilling slate of contests on Decision Day. Begin Slideshow

MLS Regular Season Final Day: Live Score, Highlights from Sunday’s Games

Welcome to our live coverage of MLS Decision Day.  We'll have live scores and updates of every playoff race throughout the two sets of games.    5 p.m. ET Games (All Matches Final)  Orlando City 0-1 Philadelphia New England 3-1 New York City FC Toronto FC 1-2 Montreal D.C. United 0-5 Columbus 7 p.m. ET Games (All Matches Final)  New York Red Bulls 2-1 Chicago Fire San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 FC Dallas LA Galaxy 1-2 Sporting Kansas City Houston Dynamo 0-3 Vancouver Whitecaps Colorado Rapids 1-4 Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake 1-3 Seattle Sounders    All playoff scenarios can be found here.    Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: League Gets It Right with Decision Day Format

The end of the Major League Soccer regular season is here.  After a few weeks that seemed to drag on in length in September and October, the last day of the regular season should produce some of the most exciting moments of 2015.  The busy Sunday across North America starts at 5 p.m. ET with four Eastern Conference showdowns. Seeding for the playoffs, which begin on Wednesday and Thursday with one-off knockout games, will mostly be on the line. But if Orlando City beats Philadelphia and New England loses at Yankee Stadium City FC and there is an eight-goal swing, the Lions will miraculously sneak into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.  Since that scenario is unlikely, even though the Union seem to have given up on the season after their U.S. Open Cup final defeat at the end of September, most of the focus will be on seeding. D.C. United enters Decision Day with the best chance to capture the No. 2 seed and enjoy a rest along with the New York Red Bulls ahead of the conference semifinals.  Columbus controls its own destiny as well, as it needs a win over D.C. at Mapfre Stadium on Sunday to clinch the ...

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 ...