Dallas and Colorado Rapids will look to close out the 2026 MLS regular season campaign on a strong note when they go head to head in the season finale at the Toyota Stadium on Sunday morning.

Both sides head into the game having something to play for, with the hosts in a two-man race with San Jose Earthquakes for second place in the Western Conference standings, while Colorado will be aiming to seal their spot in the playoffs.

Match preview

Having finished 11th and seventh in the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons respectively, Dallas have taken another significant step forward this term and are closing in on their highest conference finish since their 2016 title triumph.

With just eight clean sheets and 50 goals conceded in the league, improvements must be made at the back ahead of their post-season campaign, but Eric Quill’s men can take pride in their performance at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have netted a club record 56 goals so far.

Dallas' defensive shortcomings were on display last Saturday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park, with Jansen Miller netting a 45th-minute equaliser to cancel out Herman Johansson’s 19th-minute opener and force a share of the spoils.

Having suffered a 2-1 defeat against Columbus Crew at the Toyota Stadium last Thursday, the Bulls have now dropped five points in their last two matches, with their recent dip in form dealing a significant blow to their hopes of securing the conference title.

Dallas head into the season finale with 15 wins and 10 draws from their 33 MLS matches to collect 55 points and sit second in the Western Conference standings, six points adrift of first-placed Vancouver Whitecaps.

Like the host, a slump in form at the business end of the season has threatened to derail Colorado Rapids’ campaign, with Matt Wells’s men dropping three more points in a 4-2 home defeat at the hands of Chicago Fire last Sunday.

Second-half strikes from Robert Lewandowski, Puso Dithejane, and a brace from Jonathan Bamba inspired Chicago Fire to all three points at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, with Morgan Whittaker and Paxten Aaronson getting on the scoresheet for the home side.

The Denver outfit have now failed to win eight of their most recent nine matches, losing three and claiming five draws, a run which saw them crash out of the US Open Cup in the semi-finals following a 3-0 defeat against St. Louis City on September 17.

Following their recent struggles, Saturday’s tie is a must-win for Colorado Rapids if they are to secure playoff qualification, as they sit ninth in the Western Conference standings, one point off seventh-placed LA Galaxy and two points above 12th-placed Minnesota United.

Dallas Major League Soccer form:

Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer form:

Team News

Logan Farrington has missed each of Dallas’ last five matches since sustaining an injury in October and the 24-year-old forward is out of contention for this weekend's finale.

He is joined on the club’s injury table by Brazilian defender Geovane Jesus, who continues his long road to full recovery from a severe knee injury.

With 22 goals under his belt, Petar Musa has been a standout performer for Dallas this season and the Croatian striker, who sits second in the league scoring chart, will look to deliver the goods once again.

Colorado Rapids have their fair share of injury concerns, with 28-year-old defender Reggie Cannon and the Ghanaian duo of Ali Fadal and Ibrahim Sadiq all ruled out of this weekend matchup.

Experienced goalkeeper Zack Steffen has been sidelined since May through a shoulder injury, while Frenchman Youssef Maziz has missed the last 10 games since sustaining a leg injury against Austin FC back in September.

Dallas possible starting lineup:

Sirois; Johansson, Urhoghide, Ibeagha, Abubakar; Valiente, Kaick, Ramiro, Binyamin; Job, Moreno

Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:

Defreitas-Hansen; Rosenberry, Holding, Williams, Navarro; Frederick, Whittaker, Ojediran; Aaronson, Yapi, Ku-DiPietro

We say: Dallas 2-0 Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids find themselves in a heated six-team battle in the West for the three playoffs spots still up for grabs, but with just three points from eight games on the road, they are in for another tough 90 minutes at the Toyota Stadium.

Dallas have lost just one home game since August 6, and given Colorado’s away woes, we predict the Bulls’ quality across the pitch will see them emerge with all three points, killing off the visitors’ playoff dreams.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.