Major League Soccer’s Western Conference has nine clubs currently vying for the last six spots in the playoffs. In fact, Los Angeles FC is the only team in the Western Conference guaranteed a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. As of August 27th, there are only three points separating second place, Real Salt Lake, from seventh place, FC Dallas. Even though there is still plenty of time for clubs to make a late-season push, assessing the current outlook for the playoff hopefuls provides insight into the challenges that remain.
This article utilizes Jeff Sagarin’s Major League Soccer Ratings Model to measure the teams most likely to reach the playoffs.