1. D.C. United — 43 pts. | 3-0 win at Sporting Kansas City; Week 25: at LA Galaxy, vs. New York Red Bulls
D.C. United’s magical run continued as the Black-and-Red pulled off an improbable road thrashing of Sporting Kansas City to vault the defending champions for the Eastern Conference lead.
2. Sporting Kansas City — 42 pts. | 3-0 loss vs. D.C. United; Week 25: vs. Houston Dynamo
Despite the defeat to D.C. United, Sporting is still in very good position near the top of the Conference standings.
3. Toronto FC — 33 pts. | 2-2 draw vs. Chicago Fire; Week 25: vs. New England Revolution
Trivia question: which is the only club in MLS Cup Playoff position at the moment to have a negative goal differential? Answer: Toronto FC at minus-one.
4. Columbus Crew — 33 pts. | 3-0 win vs. Houston Dynamo; Week 25: at Montreal Impact
A second-straight blowout win for the Crew has moved it to a tie for third in the East, although Toronto FC does have two games in hand. A road trip to Montreal presents an opportunity to keep up the positive play.
5. New York Red Bulls — 31 pts. | 4-2 win vs. Montreal Impact; Week 25: at D.C. United
Bradley Wright-Phillips bagged his 19th and 20th tallies to set the all-time club record for goals in a season, breaking the mark previously held by Juan Pablo Angel.
6. New England Revolution — 30 pts. | 1-0 win vs. Chivas USA; Week 25: at Toronto FC
An off-field coup for New England resulted in the signing for Jermaine Jones. Is the 2014 FIFA World Cup star enough to vault the Revs into the MLS Cup Playoffs? A win at Toronto would be a tremendous first step.
7. Philadelphia Union — 30 pts. | 4-2 win vs. San Jose Earthquakes; Week 25: bye
If and when the Philadelphia Union ever devise a Circle of Honor-style enshrinement, Sebastien Le Toux will surely be the first inductee. The Frenchman’s one-goal, three-assist performance against San Jose gave him 39 goals and 37 assists in four seasons with the club.
8. Chicago Fire — 26 pts. | 2-2 draw at Toronto FC; Week 25: vs. FC Dallas
Robert Earnshaw scored in his return to Toronto and Quincy Amarikwa’s stoppage-time equalizer helped Chicago to a big road point.
9. Houston Dynamo — 25 pts. | 3-0 loss at Columbus Crew; Week 25: at Sporting KC
Dominic Kinnear lamented his side’s road woes after the match at Crew Stadium, and now the Dynamo gets a date at Sporting Park against a team eager to atone for a 3-0 defeat to D.C. United.
10. Montreal Impact —17 pts. | 4-2 loss at New York Red Bulls; Week 25: vs. Columbus Crew
Former Crew player Dilly Duka opened his Montreal account in Red Bull Arena last weekend, but it wasn’t enough as the Impact lost for the eighth time in nine matches.
