Who's rising and falling as MLS playoffs loom
The 2023 Major League Soccer regular season is entering the home stretch of an eventful year. We've seen the rise of Cincinnati FC, the arrival of Lionel Messi and a glut of high-level coaching changes.
MLS' updated playoff format means there's still plenty to play for for every team except the hapless Colorado Rapids.
With 14 teams battling for the final four wild-card spots in the East and West, it's going to come down to momentum. Some teams will ride a wave of positivity all the way to the postseason while others will see their last-minute mistakes knock them out of contention.
Here's who's rising and falling as the playoffs loom.
Rising
Inter Miami. We've become so accustomed to Miami winning that many casual fans have already forgotten how rarely it won before the Messi era. Miami spent the vast majority of the 2023 season as the embarrassment of the Eastern Conference.
However, Miami's renaissance isn't just about Messi. It's about Sergio Busquets in the center of midfield, dictating play in that cheeky way of his. It's about Robert Taylor and Josef Martinez seizing their opportunities in front of goal. It's about Benjamin Cremaschi evolving from a hyped teen into a bona fide star. It's about Drake Callender becoming Emi Martinez between the sticks. It's about DeAndre Yedlin, one of the most consistently underrated U. S. internationals, proving his worth in a big way.
Miami still has plenty of work to do. It is six points outside of the final wild-card spot with just eight games remaining. With a 12-game unbeaten streak behind it, however, we'd be silly to count Miami out.
FC Dallas. People sleep on Dallas because it's not a particularly glamorous franchise, but don't be fooled. It's one of more compelling teams in the league. A strong performance in the Leagues Cup (where it took Miami all the way to penalties) and a victory against Texas rival Austin reinvigorated Dallas' season at the right time.
Young striker Alan Velasco is proving that Messi isn't the only talented Argentine in MLS, but the real hero of this Dallas squad is American forward Jesus Ferreira. He has muscled out win after win this season for his team, earning the interest of several European clubs.
Falling
San Jose Earthquakes. It's been a strange season for San Jose. Things started swimmingly, with Cristian Espinoza and Cade Cowell firing the team into the upper echelon of the Western Conference. San Jose has plummeted in recent weeks, however, and appears trapped in a cycle of under-performance.
It all started against Sporting Kansas City in August. San Jose was trounced, 3-0, and its confidence never recovered. A California Clasico loss to the Galaxy followed and San Jose hasn't won since. With the Western Conference as close as it is — just nine points separate second place from 12th — that could spell disaster for the team's playoff chances.
New York Red Bulls. It might be unfair to categorize the Red Bulls as a "falling" team, given that they never rose high enough to fall from anything this season. It's been a year of missed opportunities and failed chances for the Red Bulls, one that began with the suspension of star Dante Vanzeir and the firing of coach Gerhard Struber. Because of lackluster performances by other Eastern teams (DC and Charlotte especially), however, the Red Bulls are still within reach of a playoff spot.
That's big news for the Red Bulls, who have qualified for the playoffs in each of their past 13 seasons. Momentum, however, is not on their side in the final stretch. They have a punishing schedule, including away games against heavy hitters Cincinnati and Nashville, and Inter Miami is breathing down their neck for that final playoff position. If it can't stop its slide, New York's playoff streak could be over.
MLS playoffs begin Oct. 25-26 with wild-card matches.
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