For the entire Major League Soccer regular season, we ranked the top 20 players in the league based on form. 

Just because the regular season is over, it doesn't mean we can't stop ranking players, but we did have to make some adjustments for the MLS Cup playoffs. 

Instead of listing the top 20 stars, we narrowed the list down to 10 in order to honor the best performances of the postseason to date from a limited amount of teams. 

Our first ranking of the playoffs mainly focuses on the displays in the conference semifinal first legs, but those who were involved in the knockout-round matches had their showings from those contests considered as well.

Continue reading on to see who landed in the first playoff edition of our MLS Player Rankings. 

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LA Galaxy midfielder Steven Gerrard has suggested he could retire at the end of next season after reflecting on a somewhat disappointing first campaign in MLS. 

According to Adam Serrano for LA Galaxy's official website, he said: "It could be my last season as a footballer. ... I certainly don’t want to feel like I’m feeling right now come next year. I’d love to go out on a high. It’s a long season and I only came here for the last four months, but I’ll certainly be better for the experience next year."

Gerrard's Galaxy side—which also features the likes of Robbie Keane and Giovani dos Santos—looked like a strong candidate to triumph in the play-offs only to lose 3-2 to the Seattle Sounders, denying the 35-year-old a long-awaited league title after failing to do so with boyhood club Liverpool.    

To make matters worse for the Englishman, he likely felt a nightmarish sense of deja vu after being personally culpable for Seattle's second goal after he allowed Nelson Valdez to race onto Andreas Ivanschitz's free-kick.

Former United States and MLS goalkeeper Tony Meola and ESPN's Taylor Twellman were among those to highlight his part in the goal:

Gerrard's error came just 18 months after his infamous slip against Chelsea cost Liverpool their first league title since 1990.

As football writer Brooks Peck wryly noted, the midfielder must be wondering if he'll ever win one:

The former England captain also reflected on the difficult circumstances of his first season at the club, in which he traded Liverpool for Los Angeles and had to adapt to his new surroundings with the campaign already well underway by the time of his arrival:

Going on the road, playing on turf, playing at altitude, playing in humidity, those are the hurdles that I’ve had to face over the last three months that I wasn’t aware of. Every away game has a different challenge. At home, we’ve got no problems because we’re very strong and we play well. We’ll always win more than we lose.

Lastly, Gerrard believes the key to a better season next year is to tighten up defensively: "For us to move forward next year and finish in the top two spots—and avoid games like [Seattle]—we’ve got to be better defensively and stop conceding on set pieces and crosses."

Indeed, LA conceded a worryingly high 46 goals in their 34 MLS matches this season, more than any other side in the Western Conference to reach the play-offs.

Thanks to the likes of Robbie Keane, the Galaxy were strong going forward, though, with 56 goals scored. So if the club can recruit well in the offseason and better organise their back line, 2016 could well be the year they win their sixth MLS Cup.

As for Gerrard, his struggles were unsurprising after moving to the West Coast of the United States from England—not to mention joining in July, with the tolls of a full and difficult Premier League season weighing on his aging legs.

With a full winter's rest and a pre-season with the Galaxy, Gerrard should be much-improved when he takes to the field next season.

Should LA triumph in 2016, expect Gerrard to hang up his boots on the back of a somewhat fairy-tale ending to his illustrious career and a league winners' medal finally around his neck, albeit not with the team he would have wanted.

Equally, the disappointment of yet another failure could cause him to throw in the towel or decide to give it one last go. Either way, Galaxy fans—and football fans generally—should enjoy watching him play while they can.

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The four first legs of the conference semifinals in Major League Soccer produced more grind-it-out results on Sunday than the overwhelming excitement produced by the knockout-round matches on Wednesday and Thursday.

With more strategy involved, including playing for away goals in the first leg, the eight teams who stepped onto the pitch on Sunday all remained alive because of hard-fought contests.

Seattle and Montreal made the biggest splashes at home, but both sides conceded an away goal to FC Dallas and Columbus respectively.

The New York Red Bulls took advantage of D.C. United's putrid attacking play to head into the second leg at Red Bull Arena with a 1-0 lead, while Portland and Vancouver failed to break their deadlock after 90 minutes. 

Since goals came at a premium for forwards on Sunday, we shaped our MLS Team of the Week in a 4-5-1 formation.

Continue reading to see who were the best 11 players during Sunday's slate of contests.

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Major League Soccer entered the conference semifinal phase of the MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday, with the eight remaining teams looking to get an advantage in the first of the two-legged ties.

D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls met in the first of two Eastern Conference clashes followed by the Columbus Crew and Montreal Impact later in the evening.

Over in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers renewed their rivalry, while the Seattle Sounders were hoping FC Dallas wouldn't derail their hopes of winning an MLS Cup for the first time.

Here's a look at how Sunday's matches unfolded.

The Eastern Conference's top seed drew first blood in the conference semifinals after Dax McCarty's goal in the 72nd minute gave the New York Red Bulls a 1-0 win over D.C. United on the road in RFK Stadium.

Sacha Kljestan picked up the assist, as his right-footed delivery on a set piece found McCarty on the edge of the six-yard box, per MLS:

Some D.C. United supporters will feel wronged by referee Fotis Bazakos after Ronald Zubar escaped a red card in the 69th minute. The Red Bulls defender took out Markus Halsti with a late tackle, and MLSSoccer.com's Andrew Wiebe was among those calling for Zubar's dismissal:

Instead, the match official allowed Zubar to stay on the pitch.

D.C. United coach Ben Olsen disagreed with the decision.

"It has all of the ingredients of what they've been saying is a red card in this league," Olsen said after the match, per Goal's Thomas Floyd.

Even taking into account the Zubar yellow, D.C. United only have themselves to blame for the result. Despite playing in front of a home crowd, they offered little in the way of an attack. According to MLSSoccer.com, Olsen's side completed just 40 percent of its passes in the final third and failed to register a shot on target.

Howler Magazine offered a visualization of D.C. United's buildup play:

The Red Bulls undoubtedly control the tie now. Not only do they have a 1-0 advantage after the first leg, but their away goal means D.C. needs to score at least twice in normal time at Red Bull Arena to progress to the conference final if it wants to avoid extra time and penalties.

In addition, D.C. United took only 15 out of a possible 51 points away from home—third fewest in the Eastern Conference.

Nothing separated the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday, as the two sides played to a 0-0 draw.

In their knockout-round victory over Sporting Kansas City, the Timbers benefited from the goal itself, as a Saad Abdul-Salaam attempt hit both posts before bouncing away from goal in the penalty shootout. As a result, Portland stayed alive.

The Timbers' luck turned around against Vancouver.

In the 89th minute, Maxi Urruti had Sporting KC goalkeeper David Ousted beat with a right-footed shot at the far post. Already wheeling away in celebration, Urruti watched as the ball deflected off the right post and away from danger.

Abdul-Salaam showed off his sense of humor following Urruti's miss:

Diego Valeri nearly gave Portland a 1-0 lead 18 minutes earlier after his free kick toward the top corner was knocked away by Ousted, per MLS:

Although the Timbers would have liked to pick up a win at home Sunday, a scoreless draw isn't the worst result they could've experienced. They didn't concede an away goal, which could be crucial in the second leg.

Plus, Portland is a very good road team, picking up 23 points in its 17 matches away from Providence Park in the regular season.

Patrice Bernier canceled out Federico Higuain's goal in the 37th minute, and Johan Venegas delivered the winner in the 77th minute to put the Montreal Impact up 2-1 after their first-leg clash with Columbus Crew.

Higuian gave the Crew an early lead after Didier Drogba delivered a perfect assist to the Argentinian forward. Too bad Drogba plays for the Impact, per MLS:

Another bit of horrendous set-piece defending followed, this time courtesy of the Crew. Columbus left Bernier completely unmarked on a corner, and he placed his header into the back of the net.

Poor defending was a hallmark for the Crew earlier in the year, and supporters must have had flashbacks after center back Michael Parkhurst gifted Venegas the Impact's second goal.

Parkhurst lost possession to Venegas in midfield, which allowed the Costa Rican a free run at goal. He had Drogba to his right but opted to take the shot himself and promptly scored:

MLSSoccer.com's Matthew Doyle thought Venegas opened himself up to a lot of potential criticism by not passing the ball off to Drogba, who would've had a simple finish:

Gregg Berhalter's side controlled possession for much of the game but demonstrated possession alone doesn't equate to goals. Columbus completed 83 percent of its passes, including a healthy 69 percent in the final third, per MLSSoccer.com.

The Crew couldn't translate all of that passing into genuine goalscoring opportunities, however, getting just three shots on target and only recording six shots in total.

Columbus needs to be much more efficient with its attacking moves in the second leg or it risks an early exit from the playoffs.

The No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference might receive a boost in the coming days, however.

For the second time in the day, the officials became part of the story after failing to send off a player for what could've been a red card-worthy offense.

In the 87th minute, Drogba received a yellow card for a foul on Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark. Either referee Chris Penso and his assistants missed Drogba grabbing Clark's leg or deemed a sending-off too harsh a punishment. Whatever the reasoning, it made for a ridiculous visual, per Sports Illustrated's Planet Futbol:

If MLS retroactively punishes Drogba, his absence would be a massive blow to the Impact in the second leg. The Ivorian striker has arguably been Montreal's best player since his arrival in the summer.

Clint Dempsey, Seattle hero.

The Seattle Sounders superstar played the role of game-winner during his team’s 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in the opening leg of the second Western Conference semifinal on Sunday. He drilled the clinching shot into the upper right of the goal down the stretch to break the tie at the 86th minute. 

It sent the crowd into a frenzy and put the Sounders in control of the matchup. The team passed along the highlight:

While Dempsey put home what proved to be the game-winning goal, it was FC Dallas that jumped on top in the first half. Fabian Castillo opened the scoring in the 18th minute, and the Sounders were facing a deficit in a critical contest at home.

That hole wasn’t a problem for Seattle, as coach Sigi Schmid explained, per the team’s Twitter account: "We're a team that believes...that one-goal lead wasn't going to deter us. The group...they're willing to do anything right now to help us win. They know it's playoff time and they've really stepped up."

Schmid was right, and Andreas Ivanschitz tied the game in the 67th minute with an unassisted goal to seize the momentum. From there, the Sounders created the opportunity for Dempsey down the stretch and escaped the home leg with the win.

It wasn’t the only victory for the Emerald City in a battle with Dallas on Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys and shared their thoughts on the Sounders’ win in the aftermath of both games:

Advantage Seattle.

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After eight months of regular-season play and four knockout-round matches that narrowed the playoff field down to eight, we still have no idea who will hoist the MLS Cup on December 6.

In a league that prides itself on parity, very few teams have looked like the squad to beat for the entire season. The LA Galaxy were handed the trophy by many, including this scribe, when Giovani Dos Santos joined the 2014 MLS Cup champions in July, but the Galaxy couldn't find a way to play effective defense and fell out of the postseason at the hands of longtime rival Seattle on Wednesday. 

If there are any clear-cut favorites to come out on top when the postseason ends, it's easy to look at the two No. 1 seeds. The New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas impressed during the stretch run of the regular season, but both have flaws waiting to be exploited by their conference semifinal opponents. 

For the umpteenth time in the history of the league, the Red Bulls will square off with D.C. United in the conference semifinals. The rivals will face each other for the sixth time in a playoff series starting on Sunday at RFK Stadium.

The Red Bulls downed D.C. in the conference semifinals last year thanks to an away goal scored by Peguy Luyindula in the 57th minute of the second leg at RFK Stadium. Two years prior, D.C. advanced to the Eastern Conference Final a day after an infamous snowstorm postponed the second leg at Red Bull Arena.

Although the Red Bulls look like the better side entering the first leg, you can never fully predict what will happen in a rivalry showdown. However, if Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella can exploit the gaps on the wings in the D.C. defense like others have in recent weeks, the semifinal could be over quickly. 

FC Dallas earned the top seed in the Western Conference thanks to some strong play at the end of the regular season, but they will have to deal with the in-form Seattle Sounders in the conference semifinals. Facing the dynamic pair of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins inside the raucous CenturyLink Field in the first leg doesn't seem like a proper reward for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. 

Add in the fact Seattle eliminated FC Dallas from the 2014 playoffs and you have storylines galore in the marquee playoff series in the West. FC Dallas also have a strong attacking duo in Mauro Diaz and Fabian Castillo, and they will give Chad Marshall and his partner at center back a tough 90 minutes. If FC Dallas score on the road, they will be in good shape heading into the second leg, but there is always a possibility the Sounders will bury them in the first leg. 

The other matchup in the West pits Vancouver and Portland against each other in a Cascadia Cup showdown. Both of these teams could advance to MLS Cup, but they are seen as underdogs compared to the winner of the Seattle-FC Dallas semifinal.

Vancouver is led by powerful center back Kendall Waston, but its young attack can't fully be trusted to make noise in the postseason. The same can be said for Portland, who should have put away Sporting Kansas City long before penalty kicks in the knockout round on Thursday. 

We know both defenses are capable of putting together a few strong performances in the postseason, but if Kekuta Manneh and Darlington Nagbe can't finish clear-cut chances for their respective sides, both the Vancouver and Portland fanbases will end up disappointed at some point.

Then there's the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Eastern Conference, who both enter November in impressive form. Columbus earned the No. 2 seed with a statement win over D.C. United on Decision Day, while Montreal swept Toronto FC to earn a home match with the Crew on Sunday. Both teams have the quality at every position to lift the MLS Cup in December, but unfortunately for neutral observers, only one will live past the international break and make the conference final.

If Sunday's contests and the ones that follow in future weeks produce as much madness as the four knockout-round matches, we could be in for a memorable postseason. 

As for an MLS Cup prediction, this writer has the New York Red Bulls beating the Seattle Sounders in extra time at Red Bull Arena.

Conference Semifinal Schedule 

New York Red Bulls at D.C. United (3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Vancouver Whitecaps at Portland Timbers (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Columbus Crew at Montreal Impact (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) 

FC Dallas at Seattle Sounders (9:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) 

Key Battles to Watch

Sacha Kljestan vs. Perry Kitchen 

Throughout the regular season, the Red Bulls' Sacha Kljestan turned himself into one of the best playmaking midfielders in MLS. Lined up in front of midfield duo of Dax McCarty and Felipe, Kljestan thrived in his advanced role with 14 assists in regular-season play.

The experienced United States international will face off against one of the blossoming prospects in the USMNT talent pool in Perry Kitchen on Sunday at RFK Stadium. 

In the last regular-season meeting between the two sides on August 30, Kljestan and his teammates thoroughly dominated the Black and Red in a 3-0 victory. With that performance still fresh in the minds of the D.C. players, expect Kitchen to put up more of a fight against Kljestan as United look to go into the second leg with an advantage in the goals column. 

Kekuta Manneh vs. Alvas Powell

There are very few high-quality full backs in MLS, but Kekuta Manneh will go up against one of the best at Providence Park on Sunday.

Alvas Powell has turned in plenty of consistent showings at right back for the Timbers in 2015, and at just 21, he still has plenty of quality seasons ahead of him.

Powell will be tasked with silencing one of Vancouver's best young players in the Cascadia Cup clash in Portland. If Manneh fails to break free on the wing, the Timbers will be able to send extra protection in the direction of Cristian Techera to take away the Whitecaps' threat on the wings. 

Didier Drogba vs. Gaston Sauro

There will be plenty of intriguing matchups littered across the Stade Saputo pitch on Sunday, but the top battle should come between the hottest forward in the league and a vital cog in the Columbus defense. 

We all know about the form Didier Drogba has been in since joining the Impact. In case you've been living under a rock, Drogba has 12 goals in 12 matches for the resurgent Impact, who trounced Toronto twice in four days to earn the No. 3 seed and advance to the conference semifinals. 

The man tasked with silencing the powerful Ivorian will be Gaston Sauro, who has had a solid start to his MLS career for the Crew. Sauro's best game of the season came in Week 33, as the Crew shut down Toronto FC at BMO Field to start their own impressive run toward the start of the postseason. 

If Sauro contains Drogba for most of the contest, he will force Ignacio Piatti to work more than he usually does in the Montreal attack. Although Piatti is capable of driving Montreal forward for 90 minutes, it may be rough going against a confident Crew side without any contributions from Drogba. 

Mauro Diaz vs. Andy Rose

We would highlight Brad Evans as Seattle's player to watch in the first leg at CenturyLink, but we're not sure where the versatile United States international will line up. 

Based off his performance on Wednesday against the Galaxy, Andy Rose should receive another start from Sounders boss Sigi Schmid.

Rose outplayed the LA midfield duo of Steven Gerrard and Juninho in the wild 3-2 victory that saw both Galaxy midfielders contribute little moving forward. 

Mauro Diaz will present a different task to Rose because of his crafty ability on the ball, but Rose can employ the same blueprint he used on Wednesday. If Rose can clog Diaz's passing lanes and turn tackles and interceptions into counters, Seattle should come out on top. 

Joe Tansey covers MLS for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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The second batch of knockout games in the MLS postseason was played on Thursday night, with the final two spots in the conference semifinals up for grabs.

Below, we'll take a look at the results of both contests along with the updated postseason schedule and a recap of Thursday's action.      

Thursday Results

Eastern Conference Schedule

Western Conference Schedule

Montreal Impact Beat Toronto FC, 3-0

The Montreal Impact left no doubt. 

First, the club scored its first goal in MLS playoff history. Then it added two more for good measure, blowing past Toronto FC on Thursday, 3-0, to advance to the next round of the MLS playoffs. 

Patrice Bernier opened the scoring in the 18th minute, finishing off a lovely bit of counterattack play by the Impact. Ignacio Piatti slipped him in free on goal, and Bernier did the rest.

The MLS on Twitter shared the goal:

That opened the floodgates. Fifteen minutes later, Piatti doubled Montreal's lead, sliding a low shot past 'keeper Chris Konopka. 

Six minutes later a legend would get involved, as Didier Drogba gave the Impact a 3-0 advantage. 

Toronto will have an entire offseason to lament its defense on that goal.

From there the Impact dug in defensively, content to protect a 3-0 lead and advance to face the Columbus Crew, a matchup Ives Galarcep of SBISoccer.com thinks is going to be a fun one:

The Crew will have two main players to concern themselves with: Drogba and Piatti. Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated spoke about both after the game:

Max Bretos of ESPN had more to say on the advantage Drogba gives his team, meanwhile:

The fact he's scored 12 goals in his past 12 games also gives the Impact a huge edge.

Montreal is certainly peaking at the right time. The club has just two losses in 12 matches since the beginning of September, with two draws mixed in there as well. The Impact also won both of their matchups against the Crew this year, so they'll feel good headed into this playoff series. 

The team's streak of hot play—paired with the duo of Drogba and Piatti—makes them tough to bet against. The Crew will offer a stiff challenge, but right now the Impact look good enough to make a title run this season. 

Portland Timbers Stun Sporting Kansas City on Penalty Kicks, 7-6

In a stunning series of late drama with the first penalty-kicks finish of the MLS playoffs, the Portland Timbers bested Sporting Kansas City 7-6 on Thursday to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey struck the game-winner in the 11th round of sudden-death penalty kicks, then blocked the would-be game-tying shot from Kansas City goalie Jon Kempis to secure the victory.

The climactic heroics—Kwarasey’s first career goal—reverberated throughout the sports-media landscape. Midfielder Stuart Holden, MLS Transfers and ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle all weighed in: 

Kwarasey saved his team from what had been shaping up to be a come-from-behind Kansas City win after the Timbers surrendered a goal to Kevin Ellis in the final three minutes of regulation. The Kansas City forward netted a remarkable header to push the game to extra time, and Krisztian Nemeth followed with a tiebreaking goal in the 96th minute. 

But Portland’s Maximiliano Urruti pushed the game to the brink in the 118th minute, tying the match at 2-2 and keeping Portland alive for its second appearance in the conference semifinals. 

Prior to the late fireworks, Nemeth had just one shot on target and drew a yellow card—though it arguably should’ve been a red, per Total MLS—in the 76th minute, an uncharacteristic performance for the former European veteran playing his first year in MLS. Yet Nemeth came through in the clutch, as Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated noted, likening the Kansas City forward to another familiar face among iconic sports identities:

Nemeth’s late flare supplemented Ellis’ remarkable header in the 87th minute to tie the game. Ellis was positioned by a swift assist from Graham Zusi, who had been quiet for most of the night. MLS tweeted a video of the dramatic exchange:

The magnitude of the moment put the goal—the fifth of Ellis' career, all notched this season—among the most monumental plays in his five years in MLS, courtesy of Sporting KC.

In a knockout round with 11 goals in the other three games, Thursday’s tilt in Portland featured an aggressive defensive duel with late scoring, extra time and nine yellow cards. 

Timbers forward Rodney Wallace netted the game’s first goal in the 57th minute to give Portland what looked like the only score it would need before a lapse in defense cost it in the final three minutes. 

As Jamie Goldberg of the Oregonian indicated, Sporting Kansas City had held a goose egg against the Timbers in three matches this season, including two ties:

Sporting Kansas City's fifth straight playoff appearance ended earlier than the team had hoped. The Timbers, meanwhile, will head to the conference semifinals as one of the hottest remaining teams—now riding a four-game win streak and the momentum of resiliency. They will host the second-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday in a two-match, aggregate-goal series, per MLS regulations, with the finale slated to take place in Canada.

Portland posted two wins and a draw against Vancouver in the regular season, outscoring the Whitecaps 5-3.

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The 2015 Major League Soccer Cup playoffs kicked off Wednesday with two fixtures of the win-or-go-home variety.

Wednesday's winners advanced to play two legs against a higher-seeded club, but they only had one match to prove themselves at the dawn of the postseason. The D.C. United played host to the New England Revolution in the opening match followed by the Seattle Sounders squaring off with the visiting LA Galaxy.

Check out how both those matches unfolded in the recaps below preceded by an updated MLS playoffs schedule:

D.C. United 2, New England 1

After hitting the post in the 75th minute on a penalty kick, D.C. United's Chris Rolfe benefited from a beautiful setup by Fabian Espindola and scored the winner from middle of the box to secure a 2-1 victory.

Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth couldn't even attempt to dive at the ball once D.C.'s exceptional display of teamwork culminated in Rolfe's simple left-footed strike.    

ESPN's Taylor Twellman commended Espindola for setting up both of D.C. United's goals, believing he was the best player on the pitch at RFK Stadium:

Demoralizing as the defeat was for New England in the end, Revolution fans and soccer purists couldn't have asked for a much better goal to kick off the MLS postseason scoring, though.

Defenseman Kevin Alston delivered a cross from the right wing to New England forward Juan Agudelo, who pulled a bicycle kick to beat D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid at the 15th minute to give the visitors the early edge. The MLS made sure Twitter users didn't miss the footage:

It looked like a replica of a similar nightmarish film for the hosts in the early going. D.C. United yielded the most goals within the first 15 minutes of matches during the regular season with 12, per SI.com's Brian Straus, who reacted to Agudelo's finish:

Both Kelyn Rowe and teammate Agudelo had chances from right around the box after the latter's first goal but couldn't convert. New England's Jermaine Jones then hit the woodwork at the 28th minute with a left-footed strike off the left post.

Just before the halftime intermission, Chris Pontius responded for D.C. with a header from the middle of the box off a set piece feed from Espindola. That knotted the score at one in the 45th minute.

D.C. United provided a unique angle of Pontius' first-half equalizer:

The theme of missed chances continued for the Revolution, as Agudelo shot off target in the 53rd minute with a real opportunity to put his side back on top from the center of the box. He'd missed from a similar spot in the opening half and could have had a hat trick with a bit more precision from close range.

Unfortunately, one of the more memorable goals in recent MLS history couldn't offset the amount of misses Agudelo and the Revolution had that could have gotten them through to the MLS Cup semifinals.

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl praised the job Hamid did in keeping the scoresheet clean save for Agudelo's magnificent goal:

New England may be stung by this loss even more because of a possible handball call in the closing minutes that referee Mark Geiger didn't make.

Jones was furious, went up to Geiger, slapped the yellow card Geiger assessed him out of the referee's hand and received a red card for his conduct. Ben Jata of OptaJack showed the sequence:

"The defender's arm was in a natural position. Because of the short distance, there was no time to react. Case of ball to hand," said Geiger afterward of the call in question, per Thomas Floyd of Goal USA.

What lies ahead for D.C. United depends on what happens during Thursday's knockout match in the East.

The third-seeded Montreal Impact are home against Toronto, which has the MLS's leading scorer in Sebastian Giovinco. Montreal has a stupendous striker of its own in Didier Drogba. It will be a fascinating duel between Giovinco and Drogba as they fight for the right to move through.

If Toronto wins, D.C. United will go up against the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Otherwise a date looms with the Cup favorite New York Red Bulls.

Seattle Sounders 3, Los Angeles Galaxy 2

The Sounders defeated the defending MLS champions in thrilling fashion, but the Galaxy didn't fade into the offseason without some serious first-half fight. 

Seattle struck first behind the right foot of Clint Dempsey in the fifth minute, and at that point, momentum appeared to swing heavily in favor of the home team.

MLS on Twitter offered a look at the opening score: 

However, the Galaxy remained calm and responded one minute later with an equalizer courtesy of Sebastian Lletget.

But the action was merely percolating at that point. 

Nelson Valdez answered back to put the Sounders up 2-1 in the 12th minute, and L.A.'s Gyasi Zardes matched his effort with a sublime near-post effort from just outside the box to knot things up at two, per MLS on Twitter: 

The next 50 minutes were played at a less frantic pace as both sides dug in and traded possession to no avail. 

Then, in the 73rd minute, Seattle midfielder Erik Friberg delivered a stunning volley to push the Sounders past the Galaxy: 

The Galaxy proved resilient over the game's first frame, but Seattle was the more composed side throughout the second half as it controlled possession and capitalized on yet another defensive miscue.

The play of Los Angeles' stars also left plenty to be desired. Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl noted Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos didn't offer the Galaxy much with their season on the line: 

Wednesday represented the Sounders' first elimination of the Galaxy in four postseason opportunities, per ESPN Stats & Info, but the victors aren't satisfied just yet. 

"This is just the beginning of our journey," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said, per the team's official Twitter account. "This isn't the end...we want to keep the journey going."

Seattle is slated to square off against FC Dallas or the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference semifinals.  

Note: Match information courtesy of ESPNFC.us.

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MLS Decision Day lived up to the hype on Sunday.

The New York Red Bulls won their second Supporters' Shield in three years. The rest of the playoff picture was also finalized, with the postseason beginning on Wednesday with the knockout round matches.

The epic conclusion of the regular season has drastically altered the final power rankings before the playoffs.

As always, every team will be ranked based on the following criteria:

Here's where every MLS team stands at the end of the regular season.

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The MLS Cup playoffs schedule was set on Sunday, as New York Red Bulls won the 2015 Supporters' Shield to end the regular season.

New York pipped FC Dallas on goal difference to claim the top seeding and home-field advantage for the playoffs.

It is New York's second Supporters' Shield triumph in the last three seasons, and they are favourites to take the 2015 MLS Cup as well.

Read on for full scheduling information ahead of the playoffs, along with odds and live streaming information.

The full bracket is provided by MLS:

The knockout round takes place this week, with eight teams aiming to join Dallas, New York, Vancouver Whitecaps and Columbus Crew SC in the semi-finals.

Here is the full schedule for this week's matches:

Live stream available in the UK via Sky Go.

Defending champions LA Galaxy face a tough test on Wednesday against Seattle Sounders, a repeat of last year's Western Conference final.

Galaxy are among the favourites to prevail once more in the MLS Cup, but they will have to do it the hard way as Seattle will be a tough team to get past in the preliminary knockout round.

Here are the latest odds for the MLS Cup 2015 winner:

Montreal Impact and Toronto face each other mere days after they went head-to-head on the last weekend of the regular season.

Sunday's clash between the two Canadian outfits saw Montreal prevail 2-1 thanks to a double from Didier Drogba.

The former Chelsea man could be vital for the Impact in the playoffs, as he has huge experience of high-pressure knockout games from his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, Toronto boast the most deadly forward in MLS in the shape of Sebastian Giovinco, per ESPN's Paul Carr:

The MLS Cup playoffs invariably provide thrilling drama and surprises, and none of the remaining teams will take anything for granted as they aim to seal a place in the MLS Cup final on December 6.

New York may have sealed the Supporters' Shield, but as they found out in 2013, that is far from a guarantee of Cup glory.

The quality is immense, and there should be some thrilling matches, undoubtedly starting this week with the knockout-round clashes.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

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Sunday marked the culmination of yet another wild Major League Soccer regular season that produced plenty of marvelous individual performances. 

Some of the league's top players were able to use standout showings to lead their respective sides into the postseason, while others suffered disappointment on Decision Day. 

Both types of players feature in our last regular-season edition of the MLS Player Rankings. The 20 players on this list may not be the 20 best stars over the course of 2015, but they were the top in-form players during the final month of the year. 

Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches, with the player's most-recent performance holding more stock than the other three. 

Continue reading to see who landed where in the final MLS Player Rankings of the regular season. 

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