It's been a while, but after years of the Western Conference dominating the Eastern Conference, the tables have turned in MLS this year.
Thanks in part to the resurgence of the Chicago Fire and the introduction of Atlanta United, the East has overtaken the West for conference supremacy for the first time in years.
With two games remaining between the conferences, the East has won 51 of the 120 matches between the two conferences, as 32 have ended in draws. They have outscored their Western counterparts 204-152. Comparing these results to the last few years provides a stark contrast.
2017: East leads 51-37-32
2016: West won 38-32-30
2015: West won 45-35-19
Some East teams have benefitted more than others when facing West opponents, with Toronto clearly coming out as a big winner and Montreal coming out as a loser after winning just two of 11 matches against the West.
Team |
W |
L |
D |
|---|---|---|---|
TOR |
7 |
1 |
3 |
ATL |
7 |
2 |
3 |
CHI |
6 |
2 |
2 |
CLB |
5 |
3 |
3 |
NE |
5 |
3 |
3 |
NYC |
5 |
3 |
3 |
PHI |
4 |
2 |
5 |
NY |
4 |
5 |
2 |
ORL |
3 |
4 |
4 |
DC |
3 |
5 |
2 |
MTL |
2 |
7 |
2 |
The four best records in MLS are all owned by East teams, increasing the odds that MLS Cup will be played in an Eastern city for the third consecutive year.
Whether it's one of those four teams, or the two other in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, they will be hoping to become the first East team to win MLS Cup since 2013.
