MLS notebook: Decision Day looms with key playoff spots and seeds still up for grabs

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A Decision Day unlike any other?

Entering Sunday's regular-season finales, there are five teams below the playoff line within three points of the seventh and final spot in each conference. 

Things could get crazy!

With one more game to play for every team (well, except for the Houston Dynamo), here's how the playoff picture currently looks for each conference:

Eastern Conference: The New England Revolution have already clinched the top seed and get a bye to the conference semifinals. If the season ended today, these would be the Round 1 matchups: New York City FC (No. 4 seed) vs. Atlanta United (5), Nashville SC (3) vs. Orlando City SC (6), Philadelphia Union (2) vs. New York Red Bulls (7).

Western Conference: The Seattle Sounders hold a one-point lead over Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids. The first-place finisher would get a bye to the conference semifinals. If the season ended today, these would be the Round 1 matchups: Portland Timbers (No. 4 seed) vs. Minnesota United (5), Colorado Rapids (3) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (6), Sporting Kansas City (2) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (7).

MLS game of the week

Nashville SC vs. New York Red Bulls (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN): All is to play for in the Eastern Conference on Decision Day. Nashville has secured a home playoff game and will conclude the season at home, where it hasn’t lost all year (8-0-8), and could tie a league mark for fewest home losses ever in a single season with a win or tie.

Just one point ahead of eighth-place CF Montreal for the seventh and final playoff spot in the East, the Red Bulls will have to stop Nashville's "M-L-S" crew featuring MVP candidate Hany Mukhtar, winger Randall Leal and center forward CJ Sapong. The trio have combined for 35 goals and 16 assists.

However, RBNY handed Nashville its first loss of the season on Juneteenth at Red Bull Arena. Will RBNY win the double and punch their playoff ticket? 

MLS player to watch

Valentin Castellanos, New York City FC: The Golden Boot is an honor and securing a top-4 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture is even greater. But perhaps Valentin “Taty” Castellanos can find the back of the net en route to a win over the Philadelphia Union on Sunday. Castellanos leads MLS in goals (18) and NYCFC (14-11-8, 50 points) is in fourth place with Atlanta United and Orlando City SC two points behind in them, while Philadelphia and Nashville are second and third, respectively.

An NYCFC win against the Union would guarantee a top-4 spot, and possibly second if Nashville loses to the New York Red Bulls. But a loss would open the door for Atlanta or Orlando to steal fourth place and guarantee the Union top-4 placement as well. NYCFC is 11-3-2 in all competitions this season when Castellanos scores. Pressure is on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

Golden Boot race going down to final day

NYCFC's Valentin Castellanos currently leads the league with 18 goals, but four players are within two goals and an additional five are within three. DC United's Ola Kamara and the Seattle Sounders' Raúl Ruidíaz are the most immediate threats for the Golden Boot, sitting just one goal behind Castellanos.

Christian Pulisic back for USMNT for game vs. Mexico

The USMNT has a huge World Cup qualifier at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati next Friday. El Tri currently enjoys a three-point lead over the U.S. in the Concacaf qualifying standings. A potential boost to the USMNT's chances is the return of Christian Pulisic from an ankle injury. After facing Mexico, the USMNT will play in Jamaica on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Here is the USMNT roster for the next two World Cup qualifiers:

Goalkeepers (3): Sean Johnson (club: New York City FC; USA), Zack Steffen (Manchester City; England), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; USA)

Defenders (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portugal), Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgium), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim; Germany), Antonee Robinson (Fulham; England), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; USA), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Germany), Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgium), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray; Turkey), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; USA)

Midfielders (7): Kellyn Acosta (Colorado Rapids; USA), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig; Germany), Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italy), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; USA), Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy), Yunus Musah (Valencia; Spain), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; USA)

Forwards (6): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg; Austria), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; USA), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; USA), Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas; USA), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; England), Tim Weah (Lille; France)

Jordan Morris makes long-awaited return from injury

Seattle Sounders goal-scorer Jordan Morris is back from a long-term injury just in time for the MLS playoffs, and he’ll have some first-team minutes under his belt when the postseason run starts. Morris (35 goals in 106 MLS appearances) came in for the Sounders off the bench and went 30 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Los Angeles Galaxy at Lumen Field on Monday. It was the first appearance of the season for Morris, who tore his ACL and underwent surgery to prepare it after suffering the injury in February while on loan with Swansea City of the English second-division Championship.

Attendance FC resides in Atlanta

Atlanta United knows how to pack its fans into Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In fact, it’s still filling seats better than any other MLS club, and ranks among some of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of attendance on a per-match basis, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta will close out the 2021 MLS regular season with a per-game attendance average of 43,964 fans over 17 matches. The "Five Stripes" hold a wide advantage against Seattle Sounders, the No. 2 MLS club in terms of attendance with 24,646 per match through 16 matches (394,340 for the year). Atlanta’s attendance weight class is an impressive one as the club is ninth in the world in attendance, per data.

USMNT to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in December

The USMNT is set to gather again in November for two FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the Concacaf region, but the team now has other fixtures on its schedule. The Americans will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in an international friendly Dec. 18 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The third all-time meeting between the nations is expected to see U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter field a roster of mostly MLS-based players. The match will serve as a precursor to a three-match January window of further World Cup qualifiers. 

CF Montréal president resigns 

CF Montréal president and CEO Kevin Gilmore announced Tuesday his complicated tenure at the club was ending via resignation. On the field, Gilmore oversaw Montréal as it missed the playoffs in 2019 and suffered an early round playoff exit via a loss New England Revolution in 2020. Montreal’s 2020 and 2021 seasons were significantly altered by the COVID-19 pandemic as the club played all of its "home" matches on U.S. soil after the league restarted play in 2020. In 2021, Montréal didn’t play a home match in Stade Saputo until mid-July due to governmental pandemic restrictions. Gilmore also oversaw the club’s rebrand from the locally popular "Montreal Impact" to the controversial Club de foot Montréal. 

"The last 18 months have been very challenging on both the pandemic front and the club front, and very difficult on a personal level for me and my family," Gilmore said in a club-provided statement. "Ultimately, these cumulative factors led to my decision to leave the organization. I’m grateful for my time with CF Montréal and thank the owners, the board and the team for the opportunity to work with them."

MLS rankings: Top 10 power poll

1. New England Revolution: With the best regular season in team history already attained, the Revs now shift focus toward winning the club's first-ever MLS Cup.

2. Sporting Kansas City: In a bit of a stunner Wednesday night, Austin FC prevented SKC from retaking first place in the Western Conference. Now, Seattle leads by one point with one game left to play.

3. Seattle Sounders: The Sounders have been floundering of late as they've seen their once-healthy Western Conference lead evaporate. However, two key players have returned to action lately. Midfield maestro Nicolás Lodeiro and Jordan Morris both are back for the playoff push.

4. Philadelphia Union: The Union are in contention for the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, but must secure the coveted spot with a road result against NYCFC on Sunday.

5. Colorado Rapids: Colorado could still win the Western Conference, but needs help and a win against a desperate Los Angeles FC team on Sunday.

6. Nashville SC: Thanks to Wednesday night's draw between Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls, Nashville clinched a home playoff game.

7. New York City FC: NYCFC's quest to improve its playoff positioning comes against the Philadelphia Union, which NYCFC has defeated nine times in the two teams' last 12 meetings including the last four at Yankee Stadium.

8. Orlando City SC: By gaining a result in the sixth of its last seven games, Orlando still is in position to secure a home playoff game.

9. Portland Timbers: With Wednesday night's win over Real Salt Lake, the Timbers clinched a home playoff game at venerable Providence Park.

10. Minnesota United: Minnesota sits a point ahead of its opponent Sunday, the LA Galaxy for fifth place in the Western Conference, making Sunday's showdown likely one for playoff positioning.

Moving in: Minnesota United

Dropping out: Los Angeles Galaxy (previously: 10)

Others receiving votes:  Atlanta United 

Paste BN Sports Network MLS top 10 power poll voters: Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer; Drake Hills, The Tennessean; Jacob Myers, The Columbus Dispatch; Jim Reineking, Paste BN.

MLS Decision Day schedule

(ABC/ESPN games available to be streamed on Watch ESPN; FOX games on FOX Sports Live. Games also available on fuboTV.) 

Sunday

• FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire FC, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• CF Montreal vs. Orlando City SC, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Nashville SC vs. New York Red Bulls, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• New England Revolution vs. Inter Miami CF, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Toronto FC vs. DC United, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles FC, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Sporting Kansas City vs. Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Minnesota United, 6 p.m. ET (FS1)
• Portland Timbers vs. Austin FC, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• San Jose Earthquakes vs. FC Dallas, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)