The Western Conference playoff race comes down to Decision Day on Nov. 7, with three postseason spots still unsettled while every seed in the Eastern Conference has already been locked in. Vancouver Whitecaps have the No. 1 seed wrapped up at 61 points, and FC Dallas sits comfortably in second at 55. From there, the picture gets crowded fast, with San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, St. Louis City SC and LAFC all jockeying for position in a conference where the top nine teams make the field and the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds must win a wild-card match just to reach the quarterfinals.
Here is a ranking of the teams best positioned to claim those final Western Conference spots, based on current points, goal differential and games remaining ahead of the league’s final week.
1. San Jose Earthquakes (13-9-9, 52 Points)
San Jose has already clinched a playoff berth, marking the club’s first postseason appearance since 2020. The Earthquakes sit third in the West with 52 points and a record of 13-9-9, and they hold a tiebreaker edge over fourth-place rivals with a plus-7 goal differential. If San Jose finishes in the top four, the Bay Area will host a playoff game for the first time since 2012, a stake that adds weight to the club’s final three matches.
2. FC Dallas (55 Points)
FC Dallas has built enough of a cushion to sit alone in second place in the West at 55 points, six points clear of San Jose and nine ahead of the group tied for fourth. That gap gives Dallas a secure hold on home-field advantage deep into the postseason bracket without needing help from results elsewhere.
3. Houston Dynamo (48 Points, Three Games Left)
Houston is tied with San Jose at 48 points with three games remaining, but the Dynamo trail on goal differential at plus-2 compared to San Jose’s plus-7. That gap could matter if the two clubs finish level in the standings. Houston is tied for fourth place in the conference with St. Louis City SC at 51 points in the broader standings picture, keeping its playoff position secure for now but not entirely safe from a late slide.
4. St. Louis City SC (51 Points)
St. Louis City SC is tied with Houston for fourth in the West at 51 points, giving the club a share of a top-four seed with the regular season nearly complete. A top-four finish carries extra significance in a conference where seeding determines which teams avoid the wild-card round altogether.
5. LAFC (One Point Behind San Jose And Houston)
LAFC sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, just one point behind the San Jose-Houston tie for fourth and fifth. That narrow margin keeps LAFC squarely in the mix for a top-seed finish, but it also means the club has little room for error with Decision Day approaching.
6. Colorado Rapids (Eighth Place)
Colorado Rapids occupy eighth place in the West, positioned between the LA Galaxy and Seattle in the standings. Eighth place currently means a date in the wild-card match against the No. 9 seed, a single-game format that offers no margin for a slow start.
What Decision Day Means For The West
Three Western Conference playoff spots remain unresolved heading into the final week of the regular season, according to AS USA. Real Salt Lake sits 10th in the conference, two points behind Seattle, keeping the club on the outside looking in as the calendar turns to the final round of matches. With the Eastern Conference field already complete, every remaining storyline in MLS this week runs through the West.
San Jose’s three-game stretch against Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake carries extra weight given the club’s shot at hosting a playoff game, a scenario detailed by the Mercury News. The final seeding and the wild-card matchup for the Nos. 8 and 9 spots will be determined when the regular season closes on Decision Day, Nov. 7.
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