MLS: Final standings will be decided by points per game

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Oct 30, 2020

As expected, points per game, not total points, will determine the standings at the end of the MLS regular season and decide the 18 teams that will make the playoffs.

The announcement came after six games -- all involving Western Conference teams -- were postponed this fall because of COVID-19 and no new dates were found to play them.

Five games involved Colorado, which had a sixth game rescheduled, leaving the Rapids with no free dates to play the other games.

As things stand now, Colorado will play 18 games and seven teams will play 22 teams. The other four Western Conference teams will play a full allotment of 23 games.

All 26 teams will play this weekend and again on Decision Day, Nov. 8. Five games are scheduled for next Wednesday, so presumably games postponed this weekend -- if there are any -- might be played on Wednesday. (Four teams announced positive COVID-18 cases on Tuesday or Wednesday.)

Otherwise, there are no more makeup dates available if more COVID-19 cases require postponements.

Colorado, which lost its two games since it resumed play after a layoff of more than a month, jumped from 11th to 8th place in the Western Conference with the change. Vancouver was 8th in total points but is now 9th based on points per game.

Other changes in the Western Conference: Seattle regained first place on points per game over Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United not only jumped into 4th place ahead of LAFC but it joined Seattle, Sporting KC, Portland and LAFC in clinching playoff berths.

MLS went to points per game to decide the final standings in 2001 when the regular season was shortened because of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center, and teams played 26-28 games.

Eastern Conference (8/10):
1. Philadelphia (13-3-5) 2.10 PPG
2. Toronto FC  (12-4-5) 1.95 PPG
3. Columbus (10-5-5) 1.75 PPG
4. Orlando City (9-3-8) 1.75 PPG
5. New York City FC (10-8-3) 1.57 PPG
6. Nashville SC  (7-6-7) 1.40 PPG
7. NY Red Bulls (8-8-5) 1.38 PPG
8. New England (7-6-8) 1.38 PPG
9. Montreal (7-12-2) 1.10 PPG
10. Chicago (5-9-6) 1.05 PPG
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11. Inter Miami (6-12-3) 1.00 PPG
12. D.C. United (5-10-6) 1.00 PPG
13. Atlanta United (5-12-4) 0.90 PPG
14. FC Cincinnati (4-13-4) 0.76 PPG

Western Conference (5/8):
1. Seattle (10-4-5) 1.84 PPG
2. Sporting KC (11-6-3) 1.80 PPG
3. Portland (10-5-5) 1.58 PPG
4. Minnesota United (8-5-6) 1.58 PPG
5. LAFC (9-7-4) 1.55 PPG
6. FC Dallas (7-5-7) 1.47 PPG
7. San Jose (7-8-6) 1.29 PPG
8. Colorado (5-6-4) 1.27 PPG
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9. Vancouver (8-13-0) 1.14 PPG
10. Real Salt Lake (5-8-7) 1.10 PPG
11. Houston (4-8-9) 1.10 PPG
12. LA Galaxy (5-11-3) 0.95 PPG
Note: In bold are teams that have advanced to the playoffs.