MLS Regular Season Final Day: Winners and Losers from Sunday Games
The eight-month long Major League Soccer regular season concluded on Sunday with 10 matches that produced a good amount of drama across North America.
Columbus stole the show during the 5 p.m. ET kickoffs as it broke down the D.C. United defense on many occasions in its 5-0 win to earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
D.C.'s loss combined with Montreal's win over Toronto put the Impact in third and United in fourth. Montreal will host No. 6 Toronto FC in the knockout round on Thursday, while D.C. will face No. 5 New England on Wednesday.
The New York Red Bulls, who already secured the No. 1 seed in East, clinched the Supporters' Shield with a win in one of the six late games.
In the Western Conference, Vancouver earned the second bye into semifinals. FC Dallas clinched their spot a week ago.
Portland and Seattle captured the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the West with their respective wins to set up knockout-round clashes with Sporting Kansas City and LA, respectively.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from the thrilling slate of contests on Decision Day.
Winner: Columbus Crew
1 of 7
The Columbus Crew made a massive statement in the first set of games on Sunday as they blew past D.C. United 5-0 at home to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
What made the victory stand out more was the Crew did it without the presence of their two top playmakers in the lineup, as Kei Kamara and Federico Higuain were both serving one-game suspensions for yellow-card accumulation.
Jack McInerney, who filled in for Kamara up top, contributed a goal and an assist in the blowout victory, while wingers Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay also impressed during the onslaught on the D.C. back four.
Finlay netted a pair of strikes minutes apart in the second half as he took advantage of the gaping holes in the United defense. Substitute Aaron Schoenfeld added to the tally in the 80th minute with a sliding attempt in front of goal.
Not only did the win announce the Crew as a MLS Cup contender, it showed how much depth the side has as it didn't skip a beat without Kamara and Higuain.
Loser: Orlando City
2 of 7
Orlando City did not carry a great chance of clinching a playoff berth into Decision Day, but the Lions also didn't help themselves at all as they fell short at PPL Park.
Orlando was caught on the back foot early against Philadelphia as backup goalkeeper Josh Ford had to make two quick denials in the fifth minute. By the 30th minute, Ford's save total was up at five.
By the time halftime came around in Chester, the Lions were out of the playoff race thanks to a one-goal deficit of their own and New England's pair of first-half strikes.
Orlando should be commended for staying in the race this long, but it couldn't even do its fans proud on the final day of the regular season and pull out three points against a team many thought was weaker than it.
Winners: DIdier Drogba and the Montreal Impact
3 of 7
Within two minutes, the Montreal Impact went from playing on the road in the knockout round to earning the No. 3 seed and a home game on Thursday.
As he has since his arrival, Didier Drogba powered the Impact to three points with a quick brace against the club's biggest rival, Toronto FC.
The strikes were the 10th and 11th of the season for the Ivorian, who has only played in 11 matches for his new side.
Impact fans held their collective breath late in the second half as Drogba limped off following a tackle from Ahmed Kantari, but minutes later, Drogba allowed the Montreal supporters to breathe a sigh of relief as he easily got around Benoit Cheyrou and fired a shot into the stands.
With momentum and a world-class forward on their side, the Impact will be seen as the favorites to knock off Toronto once again in the knockout round.
Loser: Matias Perez Garcia
4 of 7
With his team tied at one goal apiece with FC Dallas in the 67th minute, Matias Perez Garcia put the Earthquakes at a disadvantage as he slapped Mauro Diaz in the head and earned a red card.
The 31-year-old, who is one of the most creative players on the San Jose roster, cost his side a late run at the playoffs on Decision Day as he took the life out of the remaining players on the pitch with his ejection.
Instead of driving San Jose to the brink of the No. 6 seed during the final 20 minutes, Perez Garcia sat on the bench watching his club's playoff hopes drift away.
The act of stupidity was not the first one committed by Perez Garcia this season, as he picked up a second yellow earlier in the year for taking his shirt off during a goal celebration.
Winner: Clint Dempsey
5 of 7
Clint Dempsey returned to form in front of goal at the perfect time on Sunday as he powered the Seattle Sounders to a playoff berth in their win over Real Salt Lake.
Dempsey, who had one goal in his last 12 league matches entering Sunday, recorded a first-half brace in front of the home fans at CenturyLink Field.
In the fifth minute, Dempsey tapped in an Obafemi Martins cross from the left wing into the right side of the net. Fifteen minutes later, Dempsey knocked home a rebound off a Martins shot to secure three points and a postseason berth for Sigi Schmid's side.
Just like Montreal with Drogba, Dempsey and the Sounders are a completely different animal entering the postseason if the forward is in solid form. Seattle will need more out of Dempsey as it begins a difficult quest into the loaded Western Conference bracket.
Loser: LA Galaxy
6 of 7
The club that lost the most on Decision Day was the LA Galaxy.
Bruce Arena's men entered the final day of the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but they dropped all the way down to the No. 5 position after a 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City.
The defeat was a big blow to the Galaxy's quest to defend their MLS Cup title as they will have to visit Seattle in the knockout round instead of waiting for an opponent with a bye, which they would have earned with a win.
Some will argue the Galaxy should have left Sporting Park with a point after Kevin Ellis' opener was wrongly awarded as a goal since the defender was clearly offside in the buildup.
Now the Galaxy will take their pitiful road form into CenturyLink Field for a knockout-round clash with a Seattle side they defeated in the 2014 Western Conference Final, but that matchup lasted two legs, unlike this year's one-game knockout round format.
Winner: New York Red Bulls and Their Erased Demons
7 of 7
The New York Red Bulls' first win at Toyota Park was a memorable one as they clinched their second Supporters' Shield in three years with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire.
The Red Bulls began to erase their many demons from over the years in Chicago early in the first half as Bradley Wright-Phillips netted in the eighth minute.
Sacha Kljestan handed Jesse Marsch's side plenty of breathing room atop the Supporters' Shield standings in the 35th minute as he knocked in a shot from the spot.
The victory capped off a terrific regular season for the Red Bulls, who replaced Mike Petke with Marsch before the season began—a move that at the time seemed like one that would set the franchise back a few years.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
