Here are the ten things we learned from Week 27 of the 2016 MLS season.

1. Landon Donovan Returns

Landon’s back. Back again.

Two days after re-signing with the LA Galaxy for the remainder of the 2016 season, Landon Donovan made his second debut for his hometown club in the 83rd minute of LA’s 4-2 win over Orlando City in front of a sold-out crowd at the StubHub Center on Sunday night.

It’s a sentence that almost defies logic. Donovan wasn’t gone for a season; he was out of the game for almost two full years. And Donovan’s return, it should be noted, wasn’t instigated by Donovan himself.

Instead, it was Bruce Arena who picked up the phone after Gyasi Zardes went down injured last weekend against Vancouver and asked the player most identifiable with his managerial career would be willing to return to the field.

Donovan jumped – and on Sunday, in holding his son Talon on the field after the final whistle, he has already fulfilled one of his primary reasons for coming back. It was, no matter your feelings about Donovan, a lovely scene.

Donovan is too talented a player not to help LA down the stretch. The question is whether he’s going to help lead the Galaxy to MLS Cup #6.

Much of the answer might ride on Donovan’s disposition. The reasons Donovan listed for returning to the game – primarily his son and to be of service to the club in a time of need – are nice, but not necessarily ideal.

It’s truly great that Donovan seems at such peace. But at some point, he’s going to have to want this for himself. Donovan’s best performances – the chest-pounding, defense-shredding variety – have always come when he’s had something to prove.

We’ll see what the rest of the season holds. In any case, it’s thrilling to have the US’ standard-bearer back in the game.

2. LA Returns To Form

It actually started on Wednesday night in Sandy – before the Donovan announcement and before the big win over Orlando – but the Galaxy are starting to look like themselves again.

Throughout LA’s end-of-summer slump, the offense had been the major concern. But between the 3-3 draw against Real Salt Lake and the 4-2 win yesterday, the Galaxy had a seven-goal week.
Giovani dos Santos looks as locked in as he ever has been in his club career. Shouldering the attacking load with Keane, Zardes, and Gerrard out this week, Dos Santos scored four times – and pitched in more defensively than he did in the entirety of 2015.

Keane, of course, scored within seconds of returning as a sub on Sunday. Gerrard should be back next week. The return of Jelle Van Damme, the real focal point of LA’s offense, also helped against Orlando, as the Belgian assisted Alan Gordon’s first goal of the year.

Outside of Zardes – who could be back for the postseason – LA is getting healthy in a hurry. Through Donovan into the mix, and this team is again going to be amongst the favorites come November.

3. Revs Rise Without Kamara

New England, dead last in the Eastern Conference on points per game ten days ago, is suddenly back within a single point of Orlando, sixth place, and the playoffs.

The Revs have gotten two quality wins at Gillette Stadium in the last two weeks, beating Colorado 2-0 last Saturday and NYCFC 3-1 this Saturday. It’s not a bad time for the Revs to gain some confidence – the US Open Cup Final is on Tuesday night in Frisco.

And with that, the biggest game of New England’s season, on the horizon, Revolution boss Jay Heaps has a massive decision to make: Kei Kamara, absent on international duty for those last two wins, should be available for selection on Tuesday.

It’s no secret that Kamara hasn’t fit with New England, but it’s been slightly jarring to see how much better their offense is without him in the last two weeks. If Heaps leaves him out – which he should – it’s more than likely that Kamara won’t be back in 2017.

4. Sporting Continues To Sputter

The best game of the weekend for entertainment value was Sporting Kansas City’s rollicking 3-3 draw with Houston at Children’s Mercy Park on Friday night, in which the Dynamo’s Raul Rodriguez nabbed a point with a 94th minute header.

For Peter Vermes, however, it was an objectively terrible result – two dropped points at home against the Western Conference’s worst team – and it leaves Sporting just a single point clear of the Portland Timbers in fifth place.

Kansas City has now won just once in its last five, with the team’s greatest strength under Vermes – defensive toughness – in particularly short supply. Getting Matt Besler settled back into the central defense might be a start.

But it’s not just been the backline. Soni Mustivar hasn’t been as effective as he was last year, and even though Roger Espinoza is playing well, Sporting doesn’t have the look of a formidable playoff team.

Since winning MLS Cup in 2013, Sporting has lost road Wild Card games in consecutive years. Unless there are significant changes in the two months, that streak is going to continue.

5. Portland Buckles Down

The Timbers are still winless on the road in 2016, but they’re tied for the league lead in home wins – and Saturday’s contentious 1-0 decision over Real Salt Lake was one of the team’s most satisfying triumphs of the year at Providence Park.

The game was in turns physical and slightly absurd late – with both teams whistled for 21 fouls and Salt Lake in a particularly ugly mood – but the decisive stretch was the opening one, in which the Timbers got the winner through Fanendo Adi.

Through the first 30 minutes, Darlington Nagbe was phenomenal, Diego Chara was dominant, and the Timbers played with a kind of panache and tenacity that few other MLS teams are capable of on their best days.

SEE MORE: Schedule of MLS games on US TV and live streaming

Portland now sits four points above the red line. They’ve had plenty of big wins this year, and yet, remain a puzzle. They haven’t won on the road, and they haven’t won consecutive games all year.

This much is obvious: If the Timbers, now as healthy as they’ve been all year, can find some modicum of consistency, they’ll be one of the toughest playoff matchups on offer – and it’s never wise to count out Caleb Porter in the fall.

6. Timbers Celebrate 100th Consecutive Sellout

The Timbers’ victory on Saturday night was significant for reasons entirely outside of the playoff race – the match marked the club’s 100th straight sellout at Providence Park since the club moved to MLS in 2011.

It’s a phenomenal achievement, and one that no other club can truly claim. The Timbers have never played a home game in this league in front of anything less than a capacity crowd.

Even better? On Sunday night, the NWSL Portland Thorns beat the Western New York Flash 3-2 in front of a sellout crowd of their own.

There are plenty of great fan-bases in the league, but that city and that stadium are special. Soccer in Portland is a way of life, and MLS is lucky to benefit every other week.

7. Red Bulls Implode Again

It might be time to hit the panic button in Harrison.

After sailing out to a 2-0 lead against DC United on Sunday afternoon at Red Bull Arena, Jesse Marsch’s team capitulated again – conceding twice from the 89th minute on to draw 2-2.

The match was, aside from the weather, a carbon copy of the game these two teams played in August at RFK Stadium – or, it seems, every other Red Bulls game this year. The club has now dropped eighteen points from winning positions.

Those points, of course, are going to matter a great deal. Either Toronto, NYCFC, or the Red Bulls aren’t going to have a bye to open the playoffs. At this pace, it’s going to be New York playing in the Wild Card round.

More than that, the Red Bulls’ total inability to finish games is of grave concern. Up to minute 75, this has arguably been MLS’ best team since April. The Red Bulls should have had a chance at defending the Supporters’ Shield. Now, that ship has just about sailed.

8. Colorado Wins in Dallas

With a nod to that US Open Cup Final on Tuesday night, Oscar Pareja rested Mauro Diaz, Michael Barrios, and Carlos Gruezo for Dallas’ Saturday night clash at Toyota Stadium with Colorado.

The result was Dallas’ first home loss of the season, as another outstanding Tim Howard display gave Colorado another signature smash-and-grab 2016 win.

The book on the Rapids, at this point, is fairly simple: You have to score the first goal. Score first, like New England did last weekend and NYCFC did at the end of July, and you’re home free.

But the later games go 0-0 – especially in the altitude in Commerce City – and the better Colorado gets. This team can defend, and, in Howard, they now have one of the league’s best goalkeepers.

9. Montreal Comes Back From The Brink

The strangest item of the weekend was the Brotherly Game’s report that the Montreal Impact momentarily refused to emerge from their locker-room for the second half of their game against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

The Impact, down 1-0 in the game, had reason to be upset. They’d lost 4-1 at home midweek against Orlando, and save for that win with ten men in Toronto, Montreal was without a win in a month and just three points clear of the red line.

Then, just as a breaking point appeared close, the Impact were bailed out – Matteo Mancosu scoring a last-gasp equalizer to grab a point and stay within touching distance of Philadelphia and a home Wild Card game in the East.

Interestingly, Didier Drogba – who is mired in his first and maybe his last MLS slump – started the game against the Union on the bench. Midweek game not withstanding, the Impact need Drogba – along with Harry Ship – onside and in form for the stretch run.

10. Draw Suits Neither San Jose Nor Seattle

Chasing the Portland Timbers for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, both San Jose and Seattle entered Saturday night’s game at Avaya Stadium in desperate need of a win.

Neither came away pleased. Chris Wondolowski opened the scoring in the first half, but Nicolas Lodeiro equalized from a free-kick in the 80th minute and the game finished 1-1.

San Jose has now failed to win in four consecutive home games, and hasn’t won at all since that nine-man effort against Toronto in July. The boring, ugly soccer that helped get general manager John Doyle fired last week shows no signs of disappearing.

Seattle, meanwhile, irresistible after Lodeiro’s signing, has been thrown off balance by the absence of Clint Dempsey. Without the Texas, the Sounders’ offense is manageable.

With no timetable on a potential Dempsey return, and with Seattle sitting six points out of the playoffs, Brian Schmetzer may be facing an uphill battle to get his club into the playoffs. Neither of these teams looking like mounting a charge right now.