FC Dallas hosts Colorado Rapids on MLS Decision Day
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
FC Dallas (55 points, 2nd in West) hosts Colorado Rapids (43 points, 9th) in the clubs' 100th meeting.
Dallas can lock second place; Colorado is fighting to stay in the playoff picture.
Background
FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids are MLS clubs meeting at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Decision Day, when all Western Conference games start at the same time to close the regular season. Dallas, second in the West with 55 points, is locked into the 2nd or 3rd seed and will have at least two home playoff games; Colorado, ninth with 43 points, is fighting to stay alive for a wild-card spot. The match is the 100th official meeting between the clubs, the first time in Dallas's history it has played an opponent 100 times. Dallas heads in after a loss and a draw in its last two games, which ended any chance of catching Vancouver for first.
How it unfolded
- Oct 24, 2026FC Dallas set a new club single-season scoring record with 58 goals, surpassing the previous mark of 55 set in 1997 and matched in 2014.
- Nov 4, 2026FC Dallas lost 2-0 at home to Columbus, described as its flattest performance of the season.
- Nov 7, 2026FC Dallas hosts Colorado at 6 p.m. CT at Toyota Stadium on Decision Day; Dallas can secure 2nd place with a win or draw, and would fall to third only with a loss and a San Jose win over Minnesota.
- Nov 7, 2026Colorado could finish as high as 7th and as low as 12th; 9th and above make the playoffs, while 8th and 9th play a wild-card play-in game.
Key terms
- wild-card spot
- An invitation to a tournament given to a player who did not qualify through normal ranking or entry.
- play-in game
- An extra elimination match letting lower-ranked teams compete for a place in a tournament's main stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Caution
- Burgundy Wave's Spencer Baldwin calls it win-or-you-are-in and the biggest game of the regular season for Colorado, but predicts the Rapids lose 3-1 and miss the playoffs.
- Analysts
- Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley says Dallas must play to win, arguing that treating a draw as acceptable is how you end up needing help from Minnesota.
- Analysts
- 3rd Degree's Buzz Carrick says rotating and resting players would be a terrible idea, with Dallas needing to get its mojo back after two subpar games.