In the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Philadelphia Union and Los Angeles FC showcased dominant performances to secure wins in their home stadiums. LAFC defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-2, with Ryan Hollingshead and Denis Bouanga scoring two goals each. Meanwhile, the Union secured a 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution, with Daniel Gazdag scoring the opening goal. Although both teams experienced some concerns due to injuries to Julian Carranza and Carles Gil, they have a sufficient amount of time to recover before the next game.
This year, the playoff format has changed, and the first round consists of a best-of-three series. The first team to win two matches will advance to the next round. In case of a tie at the end of regulation time, the game will proceed directly to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. This news might not sit well with the Vancouver Whitecaps, as Ryan Gauld failed to convert two penalties in their final game, which could have secured them a top four spot and homefield advantage in the first round.
After the first round, the playoffs will return to a single-elimination format. The hosting rights for the MLS Cup will be determined based on the points gained throughout the season. This means that even though St. Louis City FC won the West, they won’t host the MLS Cup if they are facing FC Cincinnati, Orlando City, or the Columbus Crew.
Playoff schedule
All times Eastern, all matches can be streamed on MLS Season Pass
Wildcard round: Wednesday, Oct. 25
New York Red Bulls 5, Charlotte FC 2
Sporting Kansas City 0, San Jose Earthquakes 0 (Sporting win 4-2 on penalties)
Round one schedule
Saturday, Oct. 28
Philadelphia Union 3, New England Revolution 1
Los Angeles FC 5, Vancouver Whitecaps 2
Sunday, Oct. 29
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Real Salt Lake, Shell Energy Stadium (6 p.m.)
FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls, TQL Stadium (8 p.m.)
St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting Kansas City, CITYPARK (10 p.m.)
Monday, Oct 30
Orlando City SC vs. Nashville SC, Exploria Stadium (7 p.m.)
Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas, Lumen Field (9 p.m.)
Wednesday, Nov. 1
Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United, Lower.com Field (7:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 4
New York Red Bulls vs. FC Cincinnati, Red Bull Arena (7 p.m.)
FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders, Toyota Stadium (9 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 5
Sporting Kansas City vs. St. Louis City SC, Children’s Mercy Park (5 p.m.)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Los Angeles FC, BC Place (7:30 p.m.)
Monday, Nov. 6
Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo, America First Field (9 p.m.)
Tuesday, November 7
Atlanta United vs. Columbus Crew, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7 p.m.)
Nashville SC vs. Orlando City SC, GEODIS Park (9 p.m.)
Wednesday, Nov. 8
New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union, Gillette Stadium (7 p.m.)
Game 3’s if needed
Thursday, Nov. 9
Los Angeles FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, BMO Stadium (10 p.m.)
Friday, Nov. 10
Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas, Lumen Field (10 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 11
FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls, TQL Stadium (2 p.m.)
Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake, Shell Energy Stadium (4 p.m.)
St. Louis City FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, CITYPARK (6 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 12
Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution, Subaru Park (3 p.m.)
Orlando City SC vs. Nashville SC, Exploria Stadium (5 p.m.)
Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United, Lower.com Field (7 p.m.)
Conference Semifinals: Nov. 25-26
Schedule and broadcast info TBD
Conference Finals: Dec. 2-3
Schedule and broadcast info TBD
MLS Cup: Saturday, Dec. 9 (4 p.m.)
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MLS Bracket
Records broken
The New York Red Bulls secured a stoppage-time victory over Nashville SC, allowing them to not only host a wild-card round match but also make history. They possess the longest active streak of playoff appearances in all of American sports and the longest consecutive playoff appearances in MLS with 14 seasons. Despite facing many challenges this season, including changing their head coach, Gerhard Struber, the Red Bulls’ achievement is remarkable, and they are now a formidable team in the playoffs.
Welcome to the show
In just their second season in the league, Charlotte FC has made it to the playoffs in a remarkable fashion. They handed Miami their first league defeat, which happened to be a match where Lionel Messi played. By scoring an early goal and relying on exceptional goalkeeping from Kristijan Kahlina, Charlotte FC’s progress is impressive, especially after losing a midweek match against the Herons. To secure their place in the playoffs by defeating Messi is an even more satisfying accomplishment.
What a turnaround
It appeared that Sporting Kansas City and their long-time coach, Peter Vermes, would miss out on the playoffs. However, they achieved a statement win against Minnesota United, securing their spot in the wild-card round. Sporting Kansas City is a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs, especially after St. Louis’ loss to the Seattle Sounders on the final day of the regular season. While Sporting Kansas City still needs to win another game to advance further, reaching the wild-card round is a significant accomplishment.
