The four remaining postseason spots were booked on Decision Day, as the field for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs was set.
All eyes were on the Western Conference and when the dust settled, the defending champion Portland Timbers found themselves out of both a playoff spot (and a Cascadia Cup) after their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps in a win-and-you're-in game for Portland. The beneficiaries of that result were the Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake, who all officially booked their spots, even as Seattle topped RSL, 2-1.
The Philadelphia Union had all but clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Decision Day, but they formally locked up their berth on Sunday despite a home loss to the New York Red Bulls. The New England Revolution finished even with the Union on points with their win over the Montreal Impact, but it was not enough to overcome the goal differential tiebreaker (the Union's -3 goal differential was seven goals better than New England's -10).
In the race for the Supporters' Shield, awarded to the team with the best record during the MLS regular season, FC Dallas and Colorado were both forced to settle for draws, meaning Dallas held on to their two-goal advantage to claim the first Shield in club history.
With Sunday's regular season finales in the books, here's the complete field for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Knockout Round Bye: #1 New York Red Bulls, #2 New York City FC
Knockout Round Matches:
- #3 Toronto FC vs. #6 Philadelphia Union (Wed., Oct. 26 @ 7:30 pm ET on ESPN2, TSN2, UniMás)
- #4 D.C. United vs. #5 Montreal Impact (Thurs., Oct. 27 @ 7:30 pm ET on UniMás)
Western Conference
Knockout Round Bye: #1 FC Dallas, #2 Colorado Rapids
Knockout Round Matches:
- #3 LA Galaxy vs. #6 Real Salt Lake (Wed., Oct. 26 @ 10:30 pm ET on TSN/TSN5, RDS2, UniMás)
- #4 Seattle Sounders vs. #5 Sporting KC (Thurs., Oct. 27 @ 10 pm ET on FS1, UniMás)
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