FRISCO - Despite dropping two straight, FC Dallas remains in the Western Conference hunt with 34 points, just three off the leaders in Kansas City. Dallas does remain in control of their own destiny in terms of conference seeding, with the slightest of leads in Points Per Game and two games in-hand over every other team in a playoff position after Week 22.
Around the rest of the conference, the biggest movers on the week hail from the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, by virtue of a 4-0 stomping over Minnesota, improved their playoff position and their neighbors in Portland did the same with a 3-1 win over LA on Sunday. Both are now tied with Dallas and Houston at 34 points. The Sounders have won four of their last five, while the Timbers have taken two of their last three. Both are unbeaten in their current runs.
Staying out West, San Jose has won two in a row to climb above the red line, while a Vancouver draw against Colorado sees them slip below it, although the Whitecaps hold two games in-hand as well.
The clear divide between contenders and not is developing below the Canadians, with RSL, LA, Minnestoa and Colorado falling out of the race as the season reaches the final third.
Salt Lake are playing better going unbeaten in five, but three straight draws haven't helped them make up ground from a rough start. LA has just one point from their last seven matches and it's shaping up to be an early start on 2018 for Sigi Schmid at this stage unless a drastic turnaround comes very soon. Minnesota has just one win in their last seven and despite turning around one of the worst starts to a season in MLS history, haven't been able to string together enough points to be serious contenders in their opening year. Colorado has two draws in their last three, and after a three-win run in early June hasn't done a whole lot since.
