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- The Philadelphia Union, by virtue of having the league’s best record, have locked up the Supporters’ Shield.
- Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is two goals ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga in the race for the MLS Golden Boot.
- The MLS playoffs begin with the wild-card matches on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
After more than seven months of play, the marathon that is the 2025 Major League Soccer regular season has hit its final matchday.
Playoff spots, postseason seeds and the Golden Boot race (it’s Lionel Messi‘s to lose) will be decided on MLS Decision Day on Saturday, Oct. 18. The league will have a new champion in 2025, as the 2024 MLS Cup-winning Los Angeles Galaxy had about as bad a title defense as a team can have, hanging out in the Western Conference cellar for much of the season.
There are only two remaining playoff berths up for grabs, with four teams are in contention and each are in the Western Conference.
Here is everything you need to know for MLS Decision Day 2025:
Here are the MLS Decision Day 2025 games
(All games available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.)
Saturday, Oct. 18
- Atlanta United vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m. ET
- Charlotte FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 6 p.m. ET
- FC Cincinnati vs. CF Montréal, 6 p.m. ET
- Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 6 p.m. ET
- Nashville SC vs. Inter Miami CF, 6 p.m. ET
- New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire, 6 p.m. ET
- New York City FC vs. Seattle Sounders, 6 p.m. ET
- Toronto FC vs. Orlando City SC, 6 p.m. ET
- Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles FC, 9 p.m. ET
- Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo, 9 p.m. ET
- LA Galaxy vs. Minnesota United, 9 p.m. ET
- Portland Timbers vs. San Diego FC, 9 p.m. ET
- San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC, 9 p.m. ET
- St. Louis City SC vs. Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m. ET
- Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas, 9 p.m. ET
How to watch MLS Decision Day
All 15 games during MLS Decision Day will be broadcast exclusively on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Watch MLS Decision Day on Apple TV
MLS playoff clinching scenarios
Four teams are vying for the two remaining playoff spots left, both in the Western Conference. The two teams that claim those postseason berths likely will be wild-card entrants (Nos. 8-9 seeds) and play again on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
- Simplest route: Win against Vancouver Whitecaps
- Most convoluted route: Combination of losses or draws by the San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, which are the other three teams in contention for the final two Western Conference playoff spots.
- Simplest route: Win against St. Louis City SC.
- Most convoluted route: Draw vs. St. Louis, and then root for a loss or draw by the Colorado Rapids against LAFC or FC Dallas loss against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
- Simplest route: Win against LAFC, and Real Salt Lake loss or draw or FC Dallas loss or draw.
- Most convoluted route: Draw, and hope for loss or draws from a combination of teams that includes FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and San Jose Earthquakes.
- Simplest route: The Earthquakes do not, as they say, control their own destiny.
- Most convoluted route: Coach Bruce Arena’s Earthquakes need to win, and then hope that both FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake are defeated.
MLS Golden Boot race: Lionel Messi set to win goal-scoring prize
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is in position to add yet another prestigious trophy to his collection.
Messi is the league leader with 26 goals. Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga (24 goals) and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge (23) also are in contention, but Messi has a sizable lead with just one game left to play.
Messi also owns the assist tiebreaker, with his 18 assists giving him 44 goal contributions on the season. That’s the second-highest total in league history (Carlos Vela had 49 for LAFC in 2019).
Recent MLS Golden Boot winners:
- 2024: Christian Benteke, D.C. United
- 2023: Denis Bouanga, Los Angeles FC
- 2022: Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC
- 2021: Taty Castellanos, New York City FC
- 2020: Diego Ross, Los Angeles FC
Who has clinched an MLS playoff spot?
Only two out of 18 playoff berths are up for grabs on Decision Day. Of course, playoff seeding among teams that already have clinched could be fluid based on Saturday’s results.
Here are the standings going into the regular-season finales (*=clinched):
Eastern Conference
- Philadelphia Union* (66 points)
- FC Cincinnati* (62)
- Inter Miami CF* (62)
- Charlotte FC* (56)
- New York City FC* (56)
- Nashville SC* (54)
- Orlando City SC* (53)
- Chicago Fire* (52)
- Columbus Crew* (51)
Western Conference
- Vancouver Whitecaps* (63 points)
- San Diego FC* (60)
- Los Angeles FC* (59)
- Minnesota United* (58)
- Seattle Sounders* (52)
- Austin FC* (47)
- Portland Timbers* (44)
- FC Dallas (41)
- Real Salt Lake (40)
- Colorado Rapids (40)
- San Jose Earthquakes (38)
What is the current MLS playoff bracket?
Heading into MLS Decision Day, these would be the playoff matchups through the first round …
EASTERN CONFERENCE
➤ All nine playoff spots have been clinched.
Wild-card match:
- Chicago Fire (No. 8 seed) vs. Columbus Crew (9)
Round 1 (best-of-three series):
- Philadelphia Union (1) vs. Chicago Fire-Columbus Crew winner
- FC Cincinnati (2) vs. Orlando City SC (7)
- Inter Miami CF (3) vs. Nashville SC (6)
- Charlotte FC (4) vs. New York City FC (5)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
➤ Two playoff spots have yet to be clinched. Austin FC, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United, Portland Timbers, San Diego FC, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps have secured playoff berths.
Wild-card match:
- FC Dallas (No. 8 seed) vs. Real Salt Lake (9)
Round 1 (best-of-three series):
- Vancouver Whitecaps (1) vs. FC Dallas-Real Salt Lake winner
- San Diego FC (2) vs. Portland Timbers (7)
- Los Angeles FC (3) vs. Austin FC (6)
- Minnesota United (4) vs. Seattle Sounders (5)
When do the MLS playoffs start?
Here is the playoff schedule:
- Oct. 22: Wild-card matches (single-elimination matches)
- Oct. 24-Nov. 9: Round 1 (best-of-three series)
- Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals (single-elimination matches)
- Nov. 29-30: Conference finals (single-elimination matches)
- Dec. 6: MLS Cup (single winner-take-all match)
What about the Supporters’ Shield?
The Philadelphia Union secured the second Supporters’ Shield — presented to the league’s regular-season champion (most points) — in its club history with a 1-0 win over New York City FC on Oct. 4.
By winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the Philadelphia Union earned a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup competition, a continental tournament that is the answer to Europe’s Champions League for teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Union also will participate in the 2026 Leagues Cup, a tournament conducted between the best teams in MLS and Mexico’s first division, Liga MX.
The Philadelphia Union also won the Supporters’ Shield in 2020.
Here are recent MLS Supporters’ Shield winners:
- 2025: Philadelphia Union
- 2024: Inter Miami CF
- 2023: FC Cincinnati
- 2022: Los Angeles FC
- 2021: New England Revolution
Which MLS teams already have qualified for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup?
- Philadelphia Union (Supporters’ Shield winner)
- Seattle Sounders (Leagues Cup winner)
- Inter Miami CF (Leagues Cup finalist)
- Los Angeles Galaxy (Leagues Cup third-place finisher)
- Vancouver Whitecaps (Canadian Championship winner)
- Nashville SC (U.S. Open Cup winner)
- FC Cincinnati (guaranteed spot based on Supporters’ Shield standings)
Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United and San Diego FC are in contention to claim a Concacaf Champions Cup spot for 2026. Whichever of those three clubs finishes with the most points will qualify based on Supporters’ Shield standings.
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