There's high drama ahead in the penultimate week of the regular season.
Six playoff spots are still up for grabs, and Matchweek 28 proved there's still some stunning upsets around the corner, even for the sides who have secured their playoff status, giving serious implication to every game in the next week.
Read more about the latest Top 10 Power Rankings below.
After a pair of ties with mixed shootout results, St Louis CITY2 got back in the win column in Matchweek 28.
More importantly, extending their all-time unbeaten streak record to 17, not tasting defeat since a road trip to a heavily first-team supported Town FC squad back in May.
Even with a good bit of turnover and rotation including John Hackworth returning to CITY2 while head coach David Critchley care takes the St. Louis first team, calling in MLS NEXT Pro stars Mykhi Joyner and Brendan McSorley to help close out the MLS season.
Nothing has stopped this CITY2 machine from being the favorite to win their first MLS NEXT Pro Cup.
Last match: 2-1 win at Austin FC II
Next match: vs. LAFC2 on Sunday, 9/28
As great as CITY2 have been, The Town FC are the team they’re on a collision course with in the Western playoff bracket.
A hearty win at Ventura County FC led by Player of the Matchweek Nonso Adimabua put TTFC in second place to close out Matchweek 28. Already with their playoff clinch in hand, they’ll want to keep their foot on the gas to ensure they get the benefit of a pick-your-opponent spot.
Last match: 4-0 win at Ventura County FC
Next match: vs. Tacoma Defiance on Sunday, 9/28
Giving themselves a shot at the top seed in the East, Philadelphia Union II have rallied for three consecutive wins, and their latest was good enough for a Team of the Matchweek selection.
Their last two regular season opponents are still fighting to earn a playoff spot, so they’ll be sizing up the field of pick-your-opponent matches and potentially playing spoiler at the same time, making things very interesting.
Last match: 5-2 win over Chicago Fire FC II
Next match: at Toronto FC II on Friday, 9/26
Taking a slip in the power rankings, RBNY II still lead the east and should be feared by many.
But, a spotty 1-1 tie and shootout loss to Inter Miami II is the type of trap result they’ll look to avoid in their last two matches.
Last match: 1-1 tie, SOL vs. Inter Miami II
Next match: at FC Cincinnati 2 on Wednesday, 10/1
Another top-tier Eastern Conference side that took an upset slip, New England Revolution II.
Letting a 1-0 lead at halftime fade to a 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati 2, fighting to avoid elimination, might have partially been due to some rotation in the Revs II starting XI.
Still, a side that should’ve liked their odds and figured to boss it. Can they avoid a slide to close out the year?
Last match: 3-1 loss at FCC2
Next match: vs. Crown Legacy FC on Friday, 9/26
Colorado Rapids 2 course-corrected with a big bounceback win over the Tacoma Defiance.
A thorough team performance featuring four different goal scorers was likely a dream outing for head coach Erik Bushey, who is no stranger to getting a team into playoff gear.
Last match: 4-1 win at Tacoma Defiance
Next match: vs. MNUFC2 on Saturday 9/27
They left it late in a win over Orlando City B on Sunday, but Huntsville City FC earned their first-ever MLS NEXT Pro Cup playoff clinch.
With two home games to close out the regular season, they figure to be in a great position to stay in a home-field advantage position.
Last match: 1-0 win at Orlando City B
Next match: vs. Inter Miami II on Sunday 9/28
A 5-2 loss at the hands of a fellow Eastern heavyweight is going to sting.
But at this stage of the year, it could also become premium bulletin board material for a playoff clash in a few weeks.
What will the response be from Chicago Fire II?
Last match: 5-2 loss at Union II
Next match: vs. Atlanta United 2 on Sunday, 9/28
Chattanooga FC won’t want any hangover from celebrating their playoff clinch this week.
One point out of hosting seeds, holding a game in hand over those above them, the pressure is on if they want to host postseason games at Finley Stadium.
Two of those last three games are against Atlanta United 2, a team they played very tight in a 2-2 meeting (CFC took SOW) all the way back in March.
Both sides have evolved since then, does Chattanooga have enough to get three points out of the next meeting?
Last match: 0-0 tie, SOL vs. Carolina Core
Next match: at ATL UTD2 on Wednesday, 9/24
Crashing back into the Top 10, and not a moment too late, Real Monarchs.
Owners of the four seed in the West and the latest side to punch a playoff ticket, they will not have any easy outs to close out the year in their bid to host playoff games.
Their latest revelation, Marcos Zambrano-Delgado, has scored in back-to-back wins and should be full of confidence as they look to play spoiler against the defending champs this week.
Last match: 3-1 win at LAFC2
Next match: at North Texas SC on Saturday, 9/27
