MLS Standings: The Fire Hold Fourth in the East, and Decision Day Against Columbus Decides Home Field

The search term leading Google Trends in the United States overnight was 'mls standings,' and the Chicago Fire are why it matters here. Saturday's 4-2 win at Colorado — two goals from Jonathan Bamba, a 74th-minute winner from Robert Lewandowski in his first goal since September 9, and an insurance goal Lewandowski set up for Puso Dithejane — left Chicago fourth in the Eastern Conference on 55 points (16-10-7), three games undefeated with two wins in that spell, and already assured of a top-seven playoff place.

"I think it's great that he scored," head coach Gregg Berhalter said of Lewandowski, per MLSSoccer.com. "I think it's great that he embraced his role. We described what type of game it was going to be and how he could make an impact, and that's exactly what he did." The four goals in Colorado pushed the Fire to 61 for the season, the first time in club history Chicago has scored 60 or more in back-to-back seasons.

What remains is seeding. The regular season ends Saturday, November 7, on Decision Day, when Columbus comes to SeatGeek Stadium (3:00 p.m. CT, Apple TV). The Fire hold fourth; a top-four finish carries home advantage in the first-round Best-of-3 series, which runs November 20 to December 2. Columbus arrives eighth on 44 points, still fighting for its own position in a crowded race below the playoff line's upper half.

Chicago's designated players are producing at the right end of the calendar: Bamba's brace took him to 12 goal contributions (six goals, six assists), Philip Zinckernagel added two assists in Colorado, and Maren Haile-Selassie has broken out with 12 goals and 10 assists on the season. The question Decision Day answers is simply where the Fire's first playoff series begins — at home in Bridgeview, or on the road.