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The MLS season has four matches left, which means we're less than a month away from knowing who will win the Supporters' Shield, who will make the playoffs, and who will win the Golden Boot. Here are five things to watch starting this weekend as the MLS season winds down!
Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) shoots and scores past Inter Miami CF forward Yannick Bright (42) during the second half at Geodis Park.
Alan Poizner-Imagn Images
This weekend, Nashville SC can win the Supporters’ Shield in Montreal with a win or a draw, or a Vancouver loss or draw at Colorado. They have been the best team all season, taking 67 points from 30 games. Now with four matches remaining, the question isn’t if they’re going ot win the Shield, but if they can claim the most points ever in an MLS season.
Nashville is seven points away from tying the 2024 Inter Miami team for the MLS points record at 74 points. With 12 points on the table, Nashville could break the record, but will they? Their match today against Montreal could and should clinch the Shield. Will they then focus on resting some players after clinching the top spot in the MLS Cup playoffs? If they beat Montreal this weekend and Philadelphia next Wednesday, they’ll be just two points away from the record. Can they get those two points in their last two matches vs. New York and at Cincinnati?
Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Thomas Muller (13) advances the ball against the Seattle Sounders FC during the first half at Lumen Field.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Vancouver Whitecaps have picked up where they left off after making it to MLS Cup last season by being the best team out west for most of 2026. With four games to go, they lead the teams below by four points. Can Thomas Müller and the Whitecaps' high-octane offense do enough to hold off the teams looking to knock them off their perch?
Among the Western Conference challengers is one of the League's hottest teams, St. Louis City. They recently had a 21-game unbeaten streak in MLS play, but it snapped as they shifted their focus to winning the US Open Cup, which they did this past Wednesday. They could still gain points on the Whitecaps in their four remaining games if they don’t have too much of a trophy hangover. FC Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes are the other two that can challenge for the top spot. Those two meet this weekend, and if either can run the table, they could unseat Vancouver to claim first place in the West.
Philadelphia Union fans celebrate a goal scored against their rival, the New York Red Bulls
There’s no denying Nashville is the best team in the East, but which of the teams below them could beat them in a winner-take-all playoff match? Behind Nashville, five teams are fighting to be a true contender come playoff time, but which of them will actually be?
Inter Miami has a bit of a gap between them in second, and the teams third through sixth; however, they have been very inconsistent this year apart from the ageless wonder, Messi. New England and Chicago have been near the top of the East all season. Still, neither has solidified its claim as a top team. Charlotte has shown stability in its defensive structure, which is good come playoff time, but they haven’t wowed enough to jump above fifth with four games left. Finally, there is Philadelphia Union; they were the worst team in the League before the World Cup break, and now they've been the best since, currently on a 15-game unbeaten streak. Many pundits believe Philly could rise even further in these last few games and make a playoff run. So which team will challenge Nashville? All that’s left is to watch over the next month.
Major League Soccer game balls at Subaru Park home of the Philadelphia Union
Looking further down the table in the East and the West, teams have everything to play for in these last four matches. Six teams from both conferences are still alive to fight for the last two playoff spots.
In the East, Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls hold the final two spots above the playoff line; Toronto, Columbus, NYCFC, and DC are still in contention for a playoff spot. So who will claim a place? Cincinnati has a nice three-point cushion but has played three of the four top contenders in the East, as have the New York Red Bulls, who have been in a freefall down the standings lately. Toronto hasn’t lost in their last three and has played only one playoff team in their last matches. Columbus lost the US Open Cup this past week and may not recover. NYCFC and DC both have won just three times since the World Cup break. Somehow all of these teams still have a shot at the playoffs; who will take advantage of that chance?
In the Western Conference, the six teams battling for the playoffs show a slightly larger gap from top to bottom. LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids are currently last, with a four- and three-point cushion. All of the remaining teams, Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers, San Diego FC, and Minnesota United, play three of their last four matches against teams currently in playoff positioning. If any of these teams want a late-season playoff run, they’ll have to beat playoff teams before even making the playoffs! The next few weeks will tell us if there’s any more shakeup out West.
Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) collides with Philadelphia Union defender Kai Wagner (27) in the second half at Subaru Park.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Lionel Messi won the MLS top scorer award, the Golden Boot, last season, scoring 35 goals. This season, he leads the leaderboard again, this time with 10 fewer goals and four games to play. However, in 2026, a few scorers are a few goals away from closing in on the greatest of all time.
FC Dallas’ Petar Musa is the closest to Messi, five goals away; however, he has been the best striker in MLS for the past few years. Could a strong final season push help him climb past Messi? Milan Iloski has been the best American “number nine” in MLS this year; his goals have driven Philadelphia Union’s resurgence. Maybe he’ll get even more and win the boot? Finally, Rafael Navarro made a midseason move from Colorado to St. Louis. He’s now on a team pushing for the top of the Western Conference. He has shown he can score goals in an instant, turning defensive pressing into attacking action. Maybe he can get the seven goals needed to catch Messi. Of course, all of these players are hoping Messi doesn’t score any more goals to have a shot, and that isn’t a rational thought.
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