The 2020 MLS regular season comes to a close on Sunday, with all 26 teams in action, and some playoff spots and plenty of playoff seeds still to be determined.
The Eastern Conference concluded its regular season with the Philadelphia Union clinching the MLS Supporters’ Shield, beating the New England Revolution to secure the club’s first trophy.
Inter Miami completed its late-season turnaround with a 2-1 win against FC Cincinnati to secure its place in the playoffs. The Montreal Impact earned the other of the two remaining Eastern Conference playoff spots by beating D.C. United.
In the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City held onto first place after beating Real Salt Lake in a snow-covered Rio Tinto Stadium. The big mover on Sunday were the Colorado Rapids, who jumped all the way to fifth place after beating the Houston Dynamo for their third straight win.
Los Angeles FC fell the furthest among the West playoff teams on Sunday, giving up a 90th-minute equalizer to the Portland Timbers, forcing a draw that dropped LAFC to seventh in the West, setting up a first-round trip to Seattle to face the Sounders.
Here is a look back at Sunday’s MLS Decision Day action:
Union 2, Revolution 0 (Final)
(Santos 42′, Burke 69′)
Man of the Match
Jamiro Monteiro was up for the challenge on Sunday, being lively on the ball and putting in a lot of work. Monteiro completed seven dribbles, made five tackles, and created three chances and was a livewire in the Union midfield.
Moment of the Match
Cory Burke made an immediate impact at Subaru Park for the second straight match, scoring off a great pass from Jose Martinez. His goal iced the result and relieved some pressure in the final stages of the match.
Match to Forget
Henry Kessler has put in some strong performances this season, but Sunday was not one of those. Kessler struggled to deal with the physicality of both Kacper Przybylko and Sergio Santos, while also getting beaten by Burke on the insurance goal.
Highlights
Fire 3, NYCFC 4 (Final)
(Beric 33′, Frankowski 42′, 43′) – (Callens 15′, Mackay-Steven 32′, Medina 37′, Castellanos 77′)
Man of the Match
Valentin Castellanos scored the winning goal for NYCFC in a seven-goal thriller while also registering one assist. Castellanos also came close to scoring again after striking the crossbar, being a threat for most of his 90-minute shift.
Moment of the Match
After a crazy first-half, NYCFC got its winner through Castellanos who made the most of a giveaway.
Match to Forget
Miguel Navarro came off the bench for the Fire, but it was his giveaway which handed NYCFC its eventual winning goal. Navarro’s bad back pass allowed Castellanos to score from close range, subduing the Fire to a disappointing Decision Day loss.
Highlights
Crew 2, Atlanta United 1 (Final)
(Zelarayan 28′, Zardes 51′) – (Moreno 58′)
Man of the Match
Lucas Zelarayan was a handful all day for the Crew, providing six successful dribbles, two key passes and his converted penalty kick goal. He also provided good defensive contributions as well.
Moment of the Match
The build-up on Gyasi Zardes’ goal was a thing of beauty, from start to completion, and included a pair of excellent passes before Zardes’ expert finish.
Match to Forget
Even before he was sent off with his second yellow card, Franco Escobar was having a rough night against the Crew attack.
Highlights
D.C. United 2, Impact 3 (Final)
(Pines 9′, Kamara 33′) – (Bojan 13′, Wanyama 74′, Quioto 88′)
Man of the Match
Romell Quioto stepped up on Decision Day, setting up the Impact’s first two goals and delivering when it mattered in the 88th minute with the winner. The Honduran was the difference-maker on Sunday, as he has been all season for the Impact.
Moment of the Match
Thierry Henry’s decision to make a double substitution and bring on new arrivals Mason Toye and Mustafa Kizza with twenty minutes to play altered the complexion of the game. Both players injected some much-needed pace, with the former assisting the winner.
Match to Forget
Samuel Piette put in a solid shift but will be kicking himself for getting sent off in the 91st minute. The Montreal native will now miss his side’s playoff opener.