The final sprint of the 2026 MLS campaign is truly here, and reality is beginning to set in for every team across the league.

Canada's three sides all sit in very different positions heading into the final three matchdays.

Vancouver is low on form, and fending off challengers in FC Dallas and St. Louis CITY to retain that top seed. Toronto is in the thick of a playoff battle out East, and needs every point they can get to squeak into the postseason. Montréal, meanwhile, have legitimately nothing to play for, aside from not finishing dead last in the league.

All three sides lost this weekend, though there are different magnitudes in how much that hurts. Here's what stuck out in MLS' 32nd matchday.

Got it all wrong

After a signature performance last weekend in a road playoff six-pointer against Red Bull New York, TFC travelled to Columbus in a very similar scenario. 

Where everything went right last time out, from the tactical approach to the fight of the players to even the bounces in the end, nothing went that way on Saturday.

Columbus entered the match tired and likely devastated from a U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday night where they went 120 minutes and lost on penalties to St. Louis. They had also played on Sunday last week, a rivalry match against Cincinnati.

So, entering a 3:30 p.m. start against a tired team, the opportunity was there for the Reds and Robin Fraser to go for the game. Take it to the Crew before they could settle in, and use your likely more rested legs to your advantage to put the pressure on.

The added benefit to this is that under former Montréal manager Laurent Courtois, Columbus have been a team drilled on ball progression and purposeful possession. They're at their most comfortable knocking the ball around, making a ton of off-ball runs and fluid movements in the attack, and cutting your defensive shape open.

The best way to beat this is to keep them from having the ball and keep them under constant pressure. In a game where you should have the fitness advantage to take it to the Crew, this would've been a very good way to try and control the game on your terms.

Instead, Fraser and his players did not play this way. They set up in an awkward midblock that didn't put enough pressure on the ball, which allowed Columbus' stars to play exactly how they wanted to.

Santi Rodríguez was given the ability to drop inside, turn in the middle of the park with the ball, and play pass after pass in behind the back line whenever he wanted. On those passes, Columbus seemed to particularly target TFC left-back Matheus Pereira, who was guilty of not checking his shoulder multiple times as Mo Farsi or Gonzalo Tapia ran off his back shoulder again and again. 

This pattern led directly to the opening Crew goal, and indirectly to their second as the corner was only forced by a very good Luka Gavran save.

From there, Toronto got caught napping a couple more times in the second, and were thrown into a 4-0 hole by the 60th minute. 

While the scoreline was made a bit kinder thanks to a goal off the bench from Dániel Sallói – who should've started – and a Josh Sargent goal after a Sékou Bangoura red card, it doesn't take away from the fact they got absolutely played off the park tactically and technically by a Crew side that's now leapfrogged them in the standings.

The Reds now sit three points back of the final wild card spot with three games to go. They'll need to leapfrog both the Crew and Red Bulls to get in. With games against DC, Atlanta, and Philadelphia remaining, they'll need at a minimum seven points and some help to have a real shot at getting in.

Another reality check

The Whitecaps look tired.

It's been the case for a while now. With so much soccer played in the past two seasons, from the Champions Cup final run, to the MLS Cup final run, to Canadian Championship runs, to just plain league games, this is a group that has played a ton of ball, and has also lost some key pieces in the process.

Now, it's a testament to the level of Jesper Sørensen's group that despite this recent dip in form – just three wins in their last 10 since September started – they still sit atop the Western Conference.

But, as the postseason approaches, every game doubles as preparation for the ones that really matter, particularly ones on the road against fellow playoff opponents.

That's exactly what Saturday's trip to Colorado was: playing at altitude against a tricky but inconsistent Rapids team sitting eighth in the conference, which could very likely mean a first-round playoff matchup in under a month's time.

Now, Vancouver actually hasn't won away to Colorado since 2019. In some ways, this makes sense. Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a legitimately difficult place to play at with the altitude.

That being said, Saturday would've been a great time to break that drought and put a bit of distance between the 'Caps and the chasing pack vying for the top spot in the Conference. That didn't happen.

The Rapids are a team that likes to be very aggressive, press high and man-to-man, and just generally put you under a ton of pressure as much as possible. There are chances to be had if you can control where the game is being played and force them to make mistakes rather than the other way around.

That didn't really happen in this one. The Rapids kept the game in front of them, dictating it on their terms through the press and central ball control, rather than letting the Whitecaps do the same.

As a result, the home side generated more chances on the night, and when Morgan Whittaker nodded home a rebound off the bar, that 1-0 proved enough for Colorado to take all three points.

Vancouver now has three games remaining, two at BC Place against San Diego and Seattle, before heading to Montréal on decision day. Sitting just one point ahead of Dallas and four above St. Louis, they'll want to grab nine points from these games to stick atop the West heading into the playoffs.

What's left?

Stade Saputo saw two trophies lifted this week. 

Neither were for the home side. First, Forge captured their historic Canadian Championship on Wednesday, then Nashville took care of business to win the Supporters' Shield on Saturday.

Of course, Montréal were never going to win the Shield, but seeing other ambitious teams celebrate must hurt as their bottom-feeding team misses the playoffs again.

Now, the Impact were never even remotely in the Shield race, but the reaction from supporters around the stadium was clear. The protests, the lack of support, everything. 

It's been another brutal year for the club, one that doesn't spend at the level of other teams, has lost its identity as a development club, and is falling behind the rest of the league. 

Hopefully, things can start looking up soon, and maybe there will be silverware lifted by the home side at Stade Saputo soon.