Matchday 26 offered plenty of drama as teams continue to vie for playoff spots in either conference. Colorado Rapids 2 and Crown Legacy each clinched the top seeds in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, after dominant regular seasons.
Check out the results from every match in Matchday 26.
Crown Legacy FC (1) - New York Red Bulls II (1) (Crown Legacy wins shootout 4-2)
Crown Legacy took the extra point after a 1-1 result at home against Red Bulls II, with Joao Pedro scoring the decisive spot kick. Crown Legacy clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the win.
Despite going down a man in the 39th minute, Red Bulls II scored in the 59th minute with Wikelman Carmona scoring after an assist from O'Vonte Mullings. Joao Guilherme equalized in the 88th minute with a header off a corner kick.
The shootout loss halted a four-game winning streak for Red Bulls II. Crown Legacy continues to lead the Eastern Conference and stretched an unbeaten streak to five games.
Sporting Kansas City II (2) - Chicago Fire FC II (3)
Chicago Fire FC II mounted a comeback to halt Sporting Kansas City II's win streak at four games.
Sebastian Cruz and Lucas Rosa put SKC II ahead 2-0 with goals in the sixth and 20th minutes. Fire II's Luka Prpa converted a penalty kick to pull one goal back just before halftime. Prpa scored another penalty kick in the 51st minute, and Dylan Borso scored with a near-post shot to give Fire II the lead in the 58th minute.
Fire II earned three important points toward a playoff campaign in the Eastern Conference. Fire II lies sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami II (3) - FC Cincinnati 2 (0)
Inter Miami II earned a dominant 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2. Santiago Morales led Inter Miami II with one goal and one assist. Inter Miami II generated 21 shots with eight shots on goal.
Tye Barton opened scoring in the 16th minute with a header goal, and Morales scored from the center of the 18-yard box to make it 2-0. Nykolas Sessock added the third goal with a feed from Morales in the 56th minute.
MNUFC2 (1) - Austin FC II (1) (MNUFC2 wins shootout 9-8)
MNUFC2 goalkeeper Fred Emmings made four shootout saves as MNUFC2 took two points from a home match against Western Conference power Austin FC II.
Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez put Austin FC II ahead in the 36th minute with a beautiful top-corner shot immediately after Austin FC II collected possession after a defensive miscue from MNUFC2. Kameron Lacey converted a penalty kick to equalize in the 65th minute.
MNUFC2 now holds the last ticket in the wild, wild Western Conference playoff scene.
Huntsville City FC (1) - Atlanta United 2 (2)
Jackson Conway struck in the final seconds of regulation time to hand Atlanta United 2 all three points in a road trip to Joe Davis Stadium. Conway's header met a cross from Karim Tmimi to complete a comeback.
Joseph Skinner wrongfooted the goalkeeper just before halftime to put Huntsville City FC up 1-0. ATL UTD 2 equalized in the 49th minute with a goal from Machop Chol.
The road win was ATL UTD 2's second away win of the season. ATL UTD 2 lies 10th in the Eastern Conference, four points away from a playoff position.
Tacoma Defiance (3) - Earthquakes II (2)
Tacoma Defiance pulled away in the second half to take all three points at home against Earthquakes II in a clash between two strong sides in the Western Conference.
Reed Baker-Whiting opened the scoring in the 12th minute, but Quakes II's Alex Chow equalized 12 minutes later. In the 62nd minute, Braudilio Rodrigues scored his 13th goal of the season to hand Defiance the lead. Paul Rothrock scored from a tight angle on the left side to seal the win as Defiance led 3-1. Eduardo Blancas pulled back another goal for Quakes II with a penalty kick in stoppage time.
The Defiance remain second in the Western Conference, while Quakes II's campaign for a playoff spot took a hit. Quakes II remains eighth in the conference, just one point below the playoff line.
Timbers2 (1) - Houston Dynamo 2 (3)
Houston Dynamo 2 snapped a three-game losing skid by putting three goals past Timbers2 at Providence Park Sunday night. Diego Gonzalez led the charge for Dynamo Dos, scoring an impressive free kick and adding an assist.
Gonzalez opened scoring in the fifth minute with a free kick that found the top left corner. Tate Lampman knocked in a cross across the face of goal to put Dynamo Dos up 2-0, and Isaiah LeFlore scored to make it 3-0 in the 49th minute. T2's Tega Ikoba scored with a close-range header in the 61st minute to pull a goal back for the home side.
Dynamo Dos continues to stick in the playoff race in the Western Conference in sixth place with 40 points.
Saturday
Whitecaps FC 2 (0) - St Louis CITY2 (1)
Faysal Bettache emerged as the hero for St Louis CITY2 again, one week after a hat trick earned him Player of Matchday 25. Bettache scored in the 57th minute to hand CITY2 the lead, a goal that proved decisive.
CITY2 picked up its fourth win in a row and continues in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Colorado Rapids 2 (2) - Real Monarchs (0)
Colorado Rapids 2 clinched the top seed in the Western Conference with another dominant showing against a conference opponent.
Oliver Larraz put Rapids 2 in front in the 29th minute with an incredible dribbling move in the box before scoring. Remi Cabral scored his 14th goal of the season to bring Rapids 2 to a 2-0 lead in the 85th minute.
LA Galaxy II (1) - Los Angeles Football Club 2 (2)
Los Angeles Football Club 2 earned its second win in the first year of this crosstown rivalry, leading the series 2-1.
Christopher Jaime opened scoring in the 17th minute, putting a long-range shot into the top right corner. Aaron Bibout equalized six minutes later, but Jeremy Batioja's converted penalty kick in the 52nd minute made the difference for LAFC2.
Friday
Columbus Crew 2 (2) - NYCFC II (5)
A five-goal first half helped NYCFC II pick up their second win in a row as NYCFC II continues to stick into a tight battle for playoff spots in the middle of the Eastern Conference table.
Jonathan Jimenez, Jonathan Shore, and Matthew Myers scored within the first 30 minutes of the game. Cole Mrowka pulled a goal back for Crew 2 in the 42nd minute. Ronald Arevalo scored two goals to make it 5-2 at halftime. Gibran Rayo scored his fourth goal in the last two games to pull another goal back in the 53rd minute.
Philadelphia Union II (5) - TFC II (3)
Philadelphia Union II took an important step forward in their quest for a playoff spot with a high-scoring win against TFC II. Chris Donovan led Union II with two goals and one assist.
Toronto first-teamer Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty opened scoring for TFC II, but Union II made it 4-1 by the 58th minute with goals from Donovan, Francis Westfield, Stefan Stojanovic, and Jeremy Rafanello. Donovan added a fifth goal by scoring for the second time in the 84th minute.
Union II remains in eighth in the Eastern Conference and continues to fight for a playoff berth.
Thursday
New England Revolution II (1) - Orlando City B (1) (Revs II wins shootout 3-2)
New England Revolution II took two points from a road trip to Osceola County Stadium, with Marcos Dias scoring the decisive spot kick.
Revs II struck first, with Victor Souza scoring off a corner kick in the 14th minute. OCB's
Jack Lynn equalized in the 65th minute, scoring his 18th goal of the season.
Revs II remains second in the Eastern Conference and extended an unbeaten streak to 12 matches. OCB continues to fight for a home playoff match at fifth in the conference.
