With the regular season in the rearview mirror and the MLS Cup playoffs just around the corner, let’s check out these Power Rankings. These indicate how the Western Conference clubs are stacked up and are either prepared for the playoffs or look the most likely to rebound in 2022.
There’s some teams who are gearing up for bonus games through the next month, but this isn’t all about them – some backroom staffs are gearing up for a long winter. We’ll see where they’re all at…
MLS Playoff Teams
1: Colorado Rapids
The Rapids won the conference and did so with a strong unit of players even without a standout star, much like their 2010 Championship team. Andre Shinyashiki’s smile in the thumbnail is akin to those Rapids fans have had all season watching their side at Dick’s Sporting Good Park. They finished the strongest out of that top 3 and they’ll be a tough out in the playoffs, even if they come across the Sounders.
2: Seattle Sounders
No MLS fan has gotten rich betting against the Sounders in the playoffs, but they look a bit more vulnerable than usual. Nobody expected them to go invincible, but now their most likely playoff path will involve run-ins against the Denver and New England markets, whose NFL counterparts produced some Super Bowl matchups with the Sounders’ roommates, the Seahawks.