Anybody who follows New York City FC will tell you that the Eastern Conference is unusually competitive this year. NYCFC currently sit in 8th Place despite having 44 points with seven games left to play — and have been stuck in 8th Place since July 19 despite winning three of the following four games.

To put that in context, the 8th Place team finished the 2024 and 2023 seasons with just 43 points. This year, New York City's 44 points have them struggling to climb above the two Wild Card spots; in any other year, that point tally would have them in 4th or 5th Place and aiming for a Top 4 finish to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.

No doubt about it, the East is tough this year. But when we took a closer look at the numbers, we were surprised to see that the East is shaping up to be the most competitive conference since 2011, when Major League Soccer moved to a 34-game season. At the same time, the West is looking to be one of the softest conferences in that same span of time.

MLS | Minimum Points Needed to Qualify for Playoffs

Note: 34-Game seasons only

51 Points in the East...

After looking at the historical data, the Hudson River Blue analytics team interns project it will take 51 points to finish in 9th Place in 2025, and make the postseason. If that proves to be true, it will be the most points earned by a 9th-place team in the history of the league, and the second-highest point tally to make the playoffs since 2011, trailing only the 53 points it took in 2012.