Early in this MLS campaign, a noticeable gap is forming between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The league’s best teams are mostly from the east — Toronto FC, the New York teams and Atlanta United have separated themselves as the four best clubs in MLS. It could be argued that even the slumping Columbus Crew are superior to any western side.
This was also the case last year, when the top five Eastern Conference teams all would have won the west. Since the beginning of 2017, the league’s elite teams have been centered almost entirely east of the Mississippi.