The final day of the 2026 MLS regular season – known as Decision Day – is almost upon us. FC Dallas closes out its regular season at home this Saturday, Nov 7 at 6 p.m. against the Colorado Rapids with a chance to lock-up second place in the Western Conference.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake for the club on Decision Day as well as a peek into who the club could face in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Round 1 (which is a best-of-3 series).
Decision Day Scenarios
Decision Day is fairly straightforward for Dallas this time around. The club is already guaranteed a Top 3 finish in the West and will therefore have home-field advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs.
With 55 points and a 15-8-10 record, FC Dallas can only finish in 2nd or 3rd in the West (they trail 1st-place Vancouver by 6 points and are ahead of 4th-place St. Louis by 4 points). Dallas will finish in 2nd place unless the club loses to Colorado AND the San Jose Earthquakes win against Minnesota United, in which case Dallas would finish in 3rd behind San Jose.
Dallas can guarantee a 2nd place finish with a win or tie against Colorado regardless of what happens between San Jose vs. Minnesota.
Potential Playoff Matchups
Decision Day will also decide who the club sees in the Round 1 Best-of 3-series in the playoffs. If Dallas finishes 3rd, they will face 6th-place LAFC in the opening round.
If Dallas finishes 2nd, though, there are five potential opponents depending on who ends up in 7th place: LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids, Seattle Sounders or Real Salt Lake.
Below is the Decision Day outlook for each of those potential opponents.
LA Galaxy: 7th place, 44 points, 11-11-11 record | Opponent: Real Salt Lake
The Galaxy enter Decision Day in solid form with four wins and just one loss from their last seven games. The squad looks to be healthier than it’s been for most of the season and the attack is firing on all cylinders having scored at least two goals in each of their last seven games. Dallas and the Galaxy tied both times they met during the regular season (2-2 in Frisco in April and 1-1 in Carson in July). If the clubs meet in Round 1, it would be the first playoff contest between the two since the 2010 Western Conference Final where Dallas defeated LA 3-0. Surprisingly, that one-off game was the only playoff meeting between the clubs in the 21st century despite facing each other in three successive postseasons in the late 1990s.
Portland Timbers: 8th place, 43 points, 12-14-7 record | Opponent: Austin FC
Three wins in succession have vaulted the Timbers into 8th place with the opportunity to climb even higher on Decision Day when they travel to face a down-and-out Austin FC. While the Timbers have scored 60 goals this season, second-most in the West, they’ve also conceded 61 – the most of any team still in playoff contention. During the regular season, the Timbers drew 2-2 with Dallas in Portland before falling 2-1 in Frisco in September, the second of a seven-game winless run before they rattled off their three recent wins in a row. In terms of playoff history, Portland and Dallas have faced one another in three seasons: 2015 (Portland advanced), 2018 (Portland advanced) and 2020 (Dallas advanced).
Colorado Rapids: 9th place, 43 points, 12-14-7 record | Opponent: FC Dallas
The Colorado Rapids are somewhat limping over the playoff line with just one win in their last eight games after a strong push midseason (although that one win was over 1st-place Vancouver Whitecaps). With three teams right below them hoping to take their spot in the all-important play-in game, the Rapids will be desperate to get something out of their Decision Day matchup with FCD. IF the Rapids were to finish in 7th and avoid the play-in game and Dallas finishes 2nd, the teams would be matched up in the Round 1 Best-of-3, meaning they could play each other as many as FOUR times in a row, including Decision Day. If they do face one another, it would be the sixth postseason meeting between them with the most recent instance coming in the 2010 MLS Cup final, which Colorado won in extra time.
Seattle Sounders: 10th Place, 43 points, 11-12-10 record | Opponent: LAFC
It’s been an odd season for the Sounders who sit one spot out of the play-in game. Brian Schmetzer’s team started well with just one loss from its first 11 games before enduring a 13-game winless run, which included eight-straight losses. The Sounders emerged from that with an encouraging four-game winning streak but are now winless in their last five outings. Still, their playoff hopes are aided by facing an LAFC team who have little to play for having wrapped up 6th place. Seattle is FCD’s most familiar playoff opponent of recent years having faced off in SIX postseasons since 2014 (with Dallas advancing just once in 2015).
Real Salt Lake: 11th Place, 42 points, 12-15-6 record | Opponent: LA Galaxy
Winning eight of its first 13 games made RSL one of the hottest teams in MLS over the first half of the campaign. But after the World Cup break and some key departures, Pablo Mastroeni’s men have only added four more victories to their tally while also suffering a 13-game winless stretch. Yet they’re still in the playoff picture ahead of Decision Day thanks to that strong start as well as three consecutive wins over Kansas City, St. Louis and Austin. RSL will look to complete the job when they host the Galaxy in what’s essentially a do-or-die contest for both sides. If Salt Lake defies the odds and finishes 7th, Dallas can take solace in that they have already defeated RSL home and away in 2026.
