What We Learned: Alex Freeman keeps rising,football news West playoff race heats up

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Between some major upsets, the Western Conference staying wild, and a team scoring a touchdown, this past weekend’s slate of games had it all.

Let's explore some of the most interesting things we learned during Matchday 37. If you want to read up on other key moments in detail, check out Matt Doyle’s latest column.

Onwards.

There may not be a single MLS player who’s raised his stock more in 2025 than Alex Freeman.

At the start of the season, Freeman was Dagur Dan Thórhallsson’s backup at right back. Now he’s a bona fide star for Orlando City who’s worked his way into being a regular for Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT. The young defender may end up on the end-of-season Best XI, too. Freeman has been that goodfor Orlando.

The 21-year-old's attacking output is what's made him so special for the Lions. Still a steady defender, Freeman has put up 6g/2a this season, making him Orlando City’s top goal contributor outside of their DP trio. Among defenders, only Kai Wagner, Jordi Alba, Andrew Gutman and Andy Najar have bettered Freeman’s eight goal contributions in 2025.

Freeman’s latest exploit came against FC Cincinnati on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, when he charged into the box to head home a 96th-minute goal that earned his side a 1-1 draw:

ALEX FREEMAN FINDS THE EQUALIZER! pic.twitter.com/Jwslrjlcok

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 29, 2025

2025 has been the year of Alex Freeman. What might the rest of the year hold for him?

There have been a lot – a lot! – of great duos in MLS history.

Even over just the last decade, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco in Toronto, Josef Martínez and Miguel Almirón in Atlanta, and Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in Miami have thrilled us all. None of those duos have accomplished what Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga have over the last six games. In fact, no duo in MLS’s existence has done what LAFC’s frontmen are doing.

Over the last six games, LAFC have scored 17 goals. Son and Bouanga have scored all 17 goals. Yep, that’s right: they're the first duo in MLS history to score at least 17 consecutive goals in the regular season.

In Saturday's 3-0 win at St. Louis, Son bagged a brace while showing off his dynamism in transition and elite on-ball skill in possession, while Bouanga chipped in with a fast-break goal. Those two have made the absolute most of a run of games against weak defenses. I can’t wait to see what tricks they pull out of their communal bag come Audi MLS Cup Playoffs time.

With their stars leading the way, LAFC have quickly become the most feared team in the Western Conference.

Everything in MLS came up Philadelphia Union this past weekend. Don’t believe me? Let’s run through things in chronological order:

• Miami drew, 1-1, at Toronto, handing control of the Supporters’ Shield race back to the Union.
• Philadelphia took care of business and then some in a 6-0 win at D.C. United, pushing them up to 63 points at the top of the standings.
• San Diego FC, Seattle Sounders FC and Cincy all dropped points, giving the Union a four-point cushion.

If Philly close the season with two wins in their final two games, the Supporters’ Shield will belong to them. Even Miami, with two games in hand, can’t catch them.

Losing Quinn Sullivan to injury in the first half against D.C. was far from ideal. But Milan Iloski, who scored a goal and was a key part of several other bright attacking moments, put in a great shift in the attacking midfield line as part of Bradley Carnell’s post-Sullivan solution.

The Union are deep, they’re talented, they’re cohesive, and they’re headed towards silverware.

The Chicago Fire haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2017. They’ve qualified just twice since 2009. Things have been bleak for more than a decade in the Windy City, and Gregg Berhalter was hired last fall to make a change.

So far, he’s done exactly that. And with three weeks left in the regular season, the Fire are all but assured a playoff berth after a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew.

Sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference with a five-point lead and a game in hand over the New York Red Bulls, the Fire can clinch a postseason spot with a win at Inter Miami on Tuesday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+). If that doesn’t pan out, they can clinch this Saturday against Toronto (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

While the Fire are still a flawed team (what ninth-placed side isn’t?), there’s plenty to like about their direction. In the short term, Berhalter has shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 setup to shore up a struggling defense for the postseason, where they have the top-end talent to pull off an upset or two. In the medium term, they can add a Designated Player next year and should benefit from roster continuity.

There’s work to be done, but the progress is obvious. Soon, the Fire will be a playoff team.

While the East playoff field is nearly locked in with just one spot up for grabs (though it looks destined to be claimed by Chicago), the West’s is incredibly open. Four spots – including two Wild Cards – are yet to be claimed.

With Austin FC and the Portland Timbers likely to get the final two automatic seeds, most of the intrigue stems from those Wild Card spots.

The Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo FC all have a chance to claim one of them. This past weekend? Well, there was no shortage of chaos.

• Colorado (eighth, 40 points) left the door open for the teams below them with a 1-1 draw against Minnesota.
• San Jose (ninth, 38 points) enjoyed a massive 1-0 win at San Diego, pushing them above the playoff line.
• Dallas (10th, 38 points) pulled off a late comeback in a 2-2 draw at Portland.
• RSL (11th place, 37 points) earned a crucial 3-1 win over Austin.
• Houston (12th, 36 points) suffered a 3-1 defeat at Nashville.

Buckle up, folks. We’re in for a wild ride ahead of Decision Day.

Who will claim the last few spots in the Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs for the Western Conference? pic.twitter.com/Dr86flAwAE

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 29, 2025

• Voices: Joseph Lowery
• What We Learned
• Match Reaction
• Orlando City SC
• Philadelphia Union

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