Playoff Countdown: New England Revolution, St. Louis CITY mean business | OneFootball

By J. Sam Jones

Most teams have eight games left. The end is nigh. Until then…

Each week, we’ll look at four teams rising or falling in the standings, three players making an impact, and three storylines to watch. An Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs race 4-3-3, if you will.

Four teams we're monitoring

New England Revolution

The Revs have quietly lurked near the top of the Eastern Conference all season. People are starting to hear them more clearly now.

New England have won five of their last seven matches, including big wins over Chicago and Orlando in the last two matchdays. That run has pushed them ahead of Inter Miami into second in the East. 

That felt unlikely a few weeks ago, but New England have capitalized on Miami's inconsistent form. They’re tied on points, with the tiebreaker going to the Revs on 14 wins to Miami’s 12. They’ve also put some distance between themselves and fifth-place Chicago in the race for a home playoff spot. There’s a seven-point gap now, although Chicago have a game in hand. 

To finish ahead of Inter Miami and claim the second spot in the East, a home match against the Herons in their penultimate regular-season game (Nov. 1) could be critical.

St. Louis CITY SC

It’s odd looking at St. Louis CITY’s record because, at this point, it’s hard to remember they’re even capable of losing. They haven’t lost since May 3. 

They bested Toronto last weekend, extending their unbeaten run to 16 MLS matches (18 across all competitions). They managed three points despite rotating their lineup, having cruised into the US Open Cup final thanks to a midweek win over Colorado. 

St. Louis have been so good that it’s fair to genuinely wonder whether they can catch first-place Vancouver at the top of the Western Conference. It’s a five-point gap, and Vancouver have a game in hand. This is still a long shot. But, ya know, so is going 16 games unbeaten after starting the year with one win and six losses in 10 matches. 

If they’re going to pull it off, St. Louis will likely need a win when the 'Caps come to town on Oct. 14. In the meantime, they can focus on securing a top-four spot in the West. They’re tied with Houston and FC Dallas for second place in points and games.

From my view, they’re the best side of that bunch.

Chicago Fire FC

Phew. Ok, so some of the worries about exchanging then-Golden Boot presented by Audi leader Hugo Cuypers for Robert Lewandowski may have had merit. It’s not all on Lewandowski, of course, but Chicago have struggled lately. 

They’re winless in their last seven and have lost two straight. As the good folks at Men In Red 97 pointed out, that’s longer than any winless stretch they had last season and approaching the nine-game stretch they had in their objectively poor 2024 season.

To illustrate: The Fire averaged 2.15 xG per game in the 14 matches before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break, per American Soccer Analysis. In the 11 matches since, they’re down to 1.56 xG per game.

It’s getting late, earlier than expected, for the Fire’s top-four hopes. They’re four points (with a game in hand) behind a Charlotte side that seems to be turning into one of the league’s best attacking teams. 

What’s most notable about Chicago's current form is that their last three matches pitted them against the East's top three teams. The Fire faced Miami, New England and Nashville, and came away with just one point. That’s not a great sign with the playoffs coming soon.

LA Galaxy

The Galaxy are… somehow in a playoff spot? It’s not totally clear how we got here, although playing an extra game than most teams around them certainly helps.

Still, LA have been good enough, going 3W-2L-2D over their last seven games. And two of those wins came against San Jose and New England. That’s a solid stretch, and solid is enough to push you to the top of a crowded dogpile at the bottom of the West.

It’s worth noting that the recent additions of midfielder Sergi Roberto and winger Chucky Lozano have unsurprisingly provided a boost, as has striker João Klauss returning from injury. Roberto has played only four matches so far, Lozano has 1g/1a in six starts, and Klauss scored the equalizer in last weekend's comeback win at Minnesota.

Those three players (plus summer signings like Pablo Ruiz and Calegari) make LA better, and they should all get more comfortable down the stretch. They’ll need to be at their best as the Galaxy try to hold off the six (!) teams within four points.

Three stars making an impact

Peyton Miller

Winger · New England Revolution

Several talented young players have shown signs of making The Leap this year. Miller is the latest. He’s now up to 7g/4a this season after his brace powered New England to a huge 4-2 win over Orlando last weekend. He’s produced 3g/3a in his last seven matches.

The 18-year-old fullback/winger is an “enjoy him while you have him” player for the Revs right now. A big transfer fee will likely be on the way, and his stock is only rising after getting his first US men's national team call-up.

Morgan Whittaker

Midfielder · Colorado Rapids

The Rapids’ club-record signing looks the part.

The reported $10.7 million winger scored a brace during his first MLS start last Saturday against the Sounders, and his second goal alone would have caught everyone’s attention.

The Rapids may not suffer as much without former DP striker Rafael Navarro as folks thought. Whittaker looks like the genuine product. With the Rapids holding onto the seventh spot in the West, Whittaker’s ability to replicate his debut could determine whether they cruise into the playoffs without worrying about a play-in game.

Anders Dreyer

Winger · San Diego FC

San Diego are one point off the playoff line and, to no one’s surprise, Dreyer will play a critical role down the homestretch. He already helped them grab a point against Miami last weekend. His brace delivered a 2-2 draw and moved him to 11 goals and 11 assists this season.

If Dreyer can get hot, it will be tough to bet against San Diego snagging one of the West’s final spots. San Diego go as Dreyer goes.

Three storylines to track

1. Differing trajectories in California

The Galaxy and San Diego already got a shoutout in this one, but it’s worth mentioning that San Jose and LAFC played to a 2-2 draw last weekend. Center back Reid Roberts' long-range effort in second-half stoppage time secured a point for San Jose against a 10-man LAFC. That’s not how the Earthquakes planned it; still, it kept them one point and one spot ahead of LAFC in the standings. It also kept both teams within three points of three teams tied for second place. 

Roberts’ goal felt like a potentially rejuvenating moment for San Jose, who have taken seven points from their last three matches. They desperately needed that kind of stretch after sliding post-World Cup break. LAFC, on the other hand, have one win in their last nine matches.

HIGHLIGHTS: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Football Club | September 19, 2026

2. Cincy & NYCFC’s downward trend

Despite plenty of talent and solid starts to the year, FC Cincinnati and New York City FC are right on the playoff line as we enter the final third of the season.

Both teams' post-World Cup runs haven’t been kind. Cincy have taken a not-terrible-but-not-great 13 points from 10 matches. NYCFC have taken 13 points from 11 matches. That hasn’t been enough to stay afloat as other clubs in the East have begun to thrive.

NYCFC feel like they might be in trouble. It’ll be tough to bounce back after their 1-0 loss to Red Bull New York in the Hudson River Derby last weekend. Morale can’t be high after a tough break like that.

3. A tie at the top of the West

Did we mention that three separate teams have 44 points? Houston, St. Louis and Dallas are all tied for second place in the West. St. Louis are the hottest of the bunch, but things can change quickly around here.

Houston, with one extra win, hold the tiebreaker for now. They also have the advantage of facing both Dallas and St. Louis before the season ends.