A thrilling 3-2 win for Philadelphia against D.C. United on Thursday tightened up the Eastern Conference still further and also dropped Columbus out of the automatic three slots heading into a busy weekend.

The top four teams, all from the Western Conference, remained the same, but critical wins by Eastern teams tightened up the rankings as well as the playoff race. Here's how MLS teams rate from top to bottom after 28 weeks of action ...

A weekend of important MLS matches is highlighted by Portland's visit to Red Bull Arena, with the Timbers holding a one-point lead in the race for the final playoff spot, an Eastern Conference cage match between Sporting Kansas City and Philadelphia, and an in-state showdown between FC Dallas and Houston.

Here's how MLS teams rate from top to bottom after 27 weeks of action ...

Here's how MLS teams rate from top to bottom after 26 weeks of action:

When it last month outlined its new Designated Player procedures by which players 23 and younger will count for less against a team's salary cap than a regular DP, the league took another step at favoring foreigners at the expense of domestic products.