MLS Clubs

America's most promising goalkeeping prospect is officially heading abroad, as Gabriel Slonina is set to begin a 13-day training spell with Chelsea.

The youngest signing in Chicago Fire history and the youngest starting keeper in MLS history, Slonina became Chicago's most expensive player ever on Aug. 2 when he joined Chelsea for a $15 million fee. The keeper was then loaned back to the Fire for the remainder of the MLS season.

Merritt Paulson, the CEO of the Portland Thorns and their Major League Soccer counterparts, the Timbers, said he was removing himself effective immediately, following a report that detailed abuse in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Statement From Merritt Paulson

The dramatics of MLS's Decision Day weren't reserved for Sunday's encounter between Austin FC and the Colorado Rapids with los Verdes locked in as the West's number two seed and the Mighty Pids still coming to terms with a fall from first to 10th over the course of a year. 

Real Salt Lake welcomed the Portland Timbers to Rio Tinto Stadium for Decision Day knowing it needed a win to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. A 3-0 rout secured the victory and sent Pablo Mastroeni’s side to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The Eastern Conference playoff bracket was set earlier in the day, and now the Western Conference side is clear after the dust settled on Sunday's Decision Day action. 

The marquee matchup out West was a winner-takes-all clash between free falling Minnesota United and a climbing Vancouver Whitecaps side in front of a record crowd at Allianz Field in Saint Paul. 

FC Cincinnati clinched its first-ever MLS Cup Playoffs berth with a comprehensive 5-2 win on the road over DC United. A flurry of early goals got the ball rolling and the visitors never let up as Brazilian forward Brenner bagged a first-half hat-trick. 

It's only Decision Day but the MLS Cup Playoffs have started in mind, body and spirit with the Eastern Conference picture now clear.

In a remarkable winner-take-all showdown between Orlando City and Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium on Sunday, the Crew — needing only a league-leading 17th draw to qualify for the playoffs — threw away a 1-0 lead to crash out of the main event.

Here we are. Decision Day. A season potentially summed up in one moment. For the seven teams whose campaigns still hang in the balance, defeat is simply not an option. For spectators, the tension has been turned up to the max as six of the seven sides play each other in their final games of the season. After 90 minutes of intensity, stress will give way to both elation and agony. As we go into Decision Day, let’s break down what every team is playing for.