The Major League Soccer regular season concluded with Decision Day on Sunday, as FC Dallas won the Supporters' Shield as the league's top team over 34 matches and the defending champion Portland Timbers being eliminated from the postseason.
The make-or-break day in the Western Conference ended with Seattle, Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City securing playoff spots and the Timbers missing out after losing to Vancouver.
Bradley Wright-Phillips scored for the New York Red Bulls to lock up the league's Golden Boot award for the most goals in the season with 24. David Villa finished in second place with 23.
The Portland Timbers were eliminated from the playoffs after losing 4-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps, ending its late-season push for the playoffs.
Giles Barnes, who was acquired from the Houston Dynamo, opened the scoring for Vancouver, burying a first-time shot from 18 yards out to give his team the lead.
And Barnes was on point again later in the first half, as his right-footed shot beat Jake Gleeson to double the hosts lead.
Vancouver struck twice early in the second half to seal the fate of Caleb Porter's team, who won't have the chance to defend its 2015 title.
Portland is just the third defending MLS champion to miss the playoffs, a list that includes the 2006 LA Galaxy and D.C. United in 2000.
This will be the first time both the previous season's MLS Cup participants missed the playoffs, as Columbus Crew SC was already eliminated.
The Whitecaps also secured the 2016 Cascadia Cup with the win.
Chris Seitz made his only save in the 72nd minute and FC Dallas won the team's first Supporters' Shield in franchise history with a goalless draw against the LA Galaxy.
FC Dallas had a two-point lead over Colorado coming into the match and held its edge over the Rapids.
The Galaxy had already locked the No. 3 seed coming into the game and will host Real Salt Lake in a knockout-round game Wednesday or Thursday.
FC Dallas also won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in September and advanced to the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Thursday with a 5-2 win over C.D. Suchitepequez.
FC Dallas is just the sixth team in history to hold two domestic titles going into the MLS Cup playoffs, but none have gone on to win the MLS Cup championship -- a domestic treble. It will be more difficult for FC Dallas without their star playmaker Mauro Diaz, who injured his Achilles in a 2-1 loss to Seattle last Sunday.
Sebastian Giovinco had a goal and an assist and Toronto FC rallied to beat the Chicago Fire 3-2.
Toronto missed out on a first-round playoff bye thanks to New York City FC's home victory over Columbus.
Toronto will host the sixth-place Philadelphia Union in a knockout game Wednesday or Thursday.
Giovinco, last year's MVP, finished the regular season with 17 goals and 15 assists in 28 games. Justin Morrow and Jonathan Osorio also scored for Toronto.
Michael de Leeuw and John Goossens scored for last-place Chicago.
Colorado wasn't able to steal the Supporter's Shield but Shkelzen Gashi's second-half goal allowed the Rapids to join an elite group with a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo.
The Rapids became the fifth team in league history to go unbeaten at home when Gashi slotted Marlon Hairston's cross inside the post in the 67th minute.
Houston, last in the West, took the lead in the 20th minute as Andrew Wenger pounced on a loose ball and slipped it in for his sixth goal.
Despite out-shooting the Dynamo 20-8, including 5-2 on target, it wasn't until Gashi notched his second goal that the Rapids could notch their own bit of history, finishing 11-0-6 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 24th goal of the season to win the Golden Boot award and the New York Red Bulls beat the Philadelphia Union 2-0 on Sunday to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
New York, which hasn't lost since July 3, finished three points ahead of NYCFC and will have a first-round bye. Philadelphia is tied for sixth place with New England, but advanced to the playoffs due to goal differential.
Wright-Phillips opened the scoring in the 26th minute when he ran past the defense for Aurelien Collin's through ball and chipped goalkeeper Andre Blake.
New York rookie Alex Muyl scored his second goal of the season in the 57th minute. Sacha Kljestan sent a deflected cross in front of goal and Muyl calmly slotted it inside the far post. Kljestan wasn't credited with his 20th assist -- which would have tied a MLS record.
Wright-Phillips joined Jeff Cunningham and Chris Wondolowski as the only two-time winners of the scoring award. Wright-Phillips, who also won it in 2014, extended his MLS record for goals during a three-year span with his 68th.
Diego Fagundez scored in the 13th minute, Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara added second-half goals and the New England Revolution beat the Montreal Impact 3-0.
Montreal had already clinched a playoff spot but squandered an opportunity to earn a home game in the knockout round.
New England missed the final playoff spot due to trailing the Union by seven goals in the differential tiebreaker.
Fagundez opened the scoring with a free kick that nicked the inside of the right post on its way into the goal.
Agudelo doubled the lead with a deep left-footed strike in the 60th minute and Kamara capped the scoring with a low skidder in the 71st.
The Seattle Sounders won 2-1 after getting off to a dream start against Real Salt Lake, when Jordan Morris flicked a cross onto the far post for Alvaro Fernandez to tap home for an early 1-0 lead.
But RSL, who were also battling to stay alive for the postseason, answered immediately, when Luke Mulholland's close-range shot was deflected into the Seattle goal to even things up.
Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, Seattle kicked on and were back in the lead when Cristian Roldan put the ball away from close range to put Seattle back in front.
Both team qualified for the playoffs.
Jack Harrison and Khiry Shelton scored two minutes apart in the second half and New York City FC beat the Columbus Crew 4-1 to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs.
New York City clinched second place in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the New York Red Bulls.
Steven Mendoza opened the scoring in the 45th minute for NYC. David Villa split a double team with a cross and Mendoza one-touched it home off goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
Harrison made it 2-1 in the 75th. Villa's centering pass to Frank Lampard was deflected but it fell to an open Harrison at the far post for an easy redirection. Two minute later, Khiry Shelton ran to Harrison's through ball and slotted it home a breakaway shot from outside the 18-yard box.
David Villa scored his 23rd goal of the season on the last play of the game. He finished one goal behind Bradley Wright-Phillips for the Golden Boot award.
Benny Feilhaber had a goal and an assist, Tim Melia had four saves and Sporting Kansas City secured a playoff spot with a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.
Feilhaber scored his seventh goal on a penalty kick in the seventh minute and assisted on Graham Zusi's goal in the 88th minute. After a turnover Feilhaber feed the ball right to Zusi, who put a hard shot into the top right corner for his second goal. It was Feilhaber's 13th assist.
Kansas City moved up a spot to the fifth-seed in the Western Conference and will play at fourth-seeded Seattle on Wednesday or Thursday in the knockout round.
San Jose was already eliminated from the playoffs. Melia earned his eighth shutout to help SKC get just its second win in seven matches.
Kaka had a goal and an assist to help Orlando City beat D.C. United 4-2.
Orlando City had already been eliminated from playoff contention. D.C. United finished fourth in the Eastern Conference and will host Montreal in the knockout round.
Kevin Molino opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Kaka chipped the defense to hit Rafael Ramos in stride and Molino tapped home a cross. Kaka made it 2-0 in the 21st minute when he dribbled from near midfield on a one-on-one opportunity and scored inside the far post.
Cristian Higuita scored his first MLS goal to give Orlando a 3-1 lead in the 50th when he finished on a give-and-go with Kaka. Eleven minutes after United pulled to 3-2, Julio Baptista scored from distance.