MLS Eastern Conference Picture (September 10, 2025) | OneFootball

The end to the regular season the start to the MLS Eastern Conference Playoffs are just weeks away. With a team that missed out on the postseason last year (the Philadelphia Union), they now look to be the strong favorites to not only earn the top seed in the East, but also to win the Supporters' Shield.

Florida and Ohio are represented nicely in the MLS Eastern Conference standings as both teams from each state are poised to qualify for the playoffs this year. Inter Miami and Orlando City, as well as FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, are all in the top seven spots in the standings entering Wednesday's games.

Let's take a look at those teams and see how their season could end as it may affect their current playoff positioning.

1. Philadelphia Union (17-6-6), 57 points

After a decade of making the MLS playoffs, the Union missed out last season. As a result they chose to say goodbye to Jim Curtin and bring in Bradley Carnell.

Tai Baribo has been an offensive explosion for the Union with 16 goals and two assists on the season. Having a pair of MLS All-Stars in Kai Wagner and Jakob Glesnes on your team's defensive line also doesn't hurt.

FC Cincinnati v Philadelphia Union | Chris Carter/GettyImages

Philadelphia has gone unbeaten in eight of the last ten matches; both losses were 1-0 on the road. They will have three more tough matches away from home this season. The Union still has to visit the Vancouver Whitecaps, Nashville SC, and Charlotte FC.

2. FC Cincinnati (16-4-9), 52 points

The second-place team in the MLS Eastern Conference recently lost 1-0 to the Philadelphia Union at home. That's their second 1-0 defeat against a top eight team in the East.

Portland Timbers v FC Cincinnati | Alika Jenner/GettyImages

Fortunately, the addition of Evander has paid dividends to FC Cincinnati. In his first season with his new team, the former Portland Timbers star has 16 goals and nine assists for the year.

In their last five regular-season games, Cincinnati has three at home. Their two matches on the road are against the two teams from the 2024 MLS Cup Finals, the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.

Charlotte FC v New York Red Bulls | David Jensen/GettyImages

3. Charlotte FC (16-2-11), 50 points

Since losing to the Chicago Fire, 3-2, Charlotte FC has gone on a nine-game unbeaten streak. That includes major wins over FC Cincinnati and both New York teams (the Red Bulls and NYFC).

The team's best offensive player is their 29-year-old Spanish midfielder Pep Biel. He has ten goals and 12 assists in just 24 regular-season games for Charlotte FC. His teammate Wilfried Zaha has been clutch, too, with seven goals and nine assists on the season.

Losing earlier in the season, for instance, the 2-1 defeat to Sporting Kansas City after leading 1-0 most of the game, could hurt their playoff positioning.

St. Louis CITY SC v Nashville SC | Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/GettyImages

4. Nashville SC (15-5-9), 50 points

After trading midfielder Sean Davis to the LA Galaxy for Gaston Brugman, the 2024 MLS Cup Finals MVP, you know this team was serious about winning.  Nashville has a much better goal differential (+16), despite being behind FC Cincinnati (+6) and Charlotte FC (+8) in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.

Nashville SC's offense has a pair of players with more than 10 goals and 10 assists. English forward Sam Surridge has 20 goals and four assists. Hany Muktar has 11 goals and 11 assists, while Andy Najar has one goal and 11 assists.

Three tough matches against top Eastern Conference teams remain on Nashville's schedule. They travel to Ohio this weekend to play FC Cincinnati. They also have home games against the Philadelphia Union and their season finale hosting Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

Orlando City v Inter Miami CF | Rich Storry/GettyImages

5. Orlando City SC (13-8-7), 47 points

Despite losing to Inter Miami in the 2025 Leagues Cup Semifinals, Orlando City SC is the better team by one point according to the MLS Eastern Conference standings.

Martin Ojeda has 27 goal contributions entering this week. He has 14 goals and 13 assists for Orlando City. His teammate, Luis Muriel, has nine goals and six assists in 2025.

On the way to their fourth-place finish in the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament, Orlando City has not won in regulation since August 16, when they beat Sporting Kansas City, 3-1. They will need to return to their winning form if they want to make a deep playoff run.

New York Red Bulls v Columbus Crew | Ira L. Black - Corbis/GettyImages

6. Inter Miami (13-7-5), 46 points and 7. Columbus Crew (12-10-6), 46 points

These were two of the top three teams in the MLS Eastern Conference standings. Miami has benefited from Lionel Messi's 19 goals but he has played in just 19 regular-season games this year. Luis Suarez, just like Messi, also has 11 assists on the season.

Columbus Crew has struggled as of late. They have scored just twice in their last three MLS games, going 0-2-1 in that span. The 27-year-old midfielder from Uruguay, Diego Rossi, has 13 goals and five assists in 2025.

The Crew have six games left with four on the road. Other than Orlando City SC, Columbus has a better record than the rest of the remaining opponents.

As for Inter Miami, their next two games are against Charlotte FC and the Seattle Sounders. Then, they have seven more games left to disrupt the MLS Eastern Conference standings.