The 2015 MLS regular season came to an end with Decision Day as all 20 teams were in action simultaneously. The last couple of playoff spots and positioning for this year’s postseason were finalized. It was a memorable season filled with some incredible performances every week and for the final time this year, we’ll look back at the best individual fantasy performances by position from this past weekend in the MLS.
GK: Andre Blake, Philadelphia
Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark and Vancouver keeper David Ousted both registered clean sheet wins on the final day of the regular season but neither of them were as impressive as Blake, who stopped all five shots he faced in a 1-0 win over Orlando City SC. The Union finished the year in ninth place in the Eastern Conference but it was a strong final result of the season. They’ll transition their focus to the offseason with an eye on building a legitimate contending team in front of Blake. Honorable Mention: Steve Clark, Columbus; David Ousted, Vancouver
D: Kevin Ellis, Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City capped off an impressive season as the sixth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference with a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy thanks in part to a goal by Ellis in the 38th minute that got them off to a good start. Dom Dwyer scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 65th minute while Ellis finished with three shots and had a strong performance at the defensive end of the floor.
D: Kendall Waston, Vancouver
Waston was also among the three defenders that found the back of the net with a goal on Sunday as his goal in the 72nd minute helped seal Vancouver’s 3-0 win over Houston. The Whitecaps managed to edge out Portland for second spot in the Western Conference standings and will now turn their attention to the playoffs with an eye on making a deep run to the MLS Cup. Honorable Mention: Jorge Villafana, Portland; Waylon Francis, Columbus; Michael Parkhurst, Columbus; Chris Tierney, New England
M: Darlington Nagbe, Portland
Portland couldn’t pass Vancouver for the second seed in the Western Conference but they finished the year as one of the hottest teams in the MLS. They registered wins in four of their final five games and will have plenty of momentum behind them heading into the postseason. Nagbe was their star midfielder in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids as he finished with two goals and an assist to pace the Timbers attack.
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M: Ethan Finlay, Columbus
Columbus was forced to settle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference following a rough final few weeks of the MLS season but they will enter the postseason with some momentum following the most lopsided win of the final weekend. They beat down DC United 5-0. The Crew was all over DC from the opening whistle and it was the star midfielder Finlay who finished with the best stat line as he scored on two of his three shots on target in the victory. Honorable Mention: Kekuta Manneh, Vancouver; Sebastien Le Toux, Philadelphia
F: Clint Dempsey, Seattle
Dempsey capped off a relatively inconsistent season by his standards with an absolute flurry in Seattle’s 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake as he led all MLS forwards with two goals and an assist. The Sounders are one of three Western Conference teams that finished with 51 points and they will need to rely on the veteran Dempsey leading the attack up front as the playoffs get started.
F: Didier Drogba, Montreal
It was Drogba’s Impact that beat Sebastian Giovinco’s Toronto FC side in a key game that determined home field advantage for the playoffs. Montreal managed to climb to third with the win while Toronto settled for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Drogba was the star of that game with both of the Impact’s goals and they will need him to come up big again as the MLS postseason gets underway. Honorable Mention: Charlie Davies, New England; Jack McInerney, Columbus; Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York Red Bulls
