Following a hectic Decision Day on Saturday, the MLS Playoffs have finally arrived. The postseason kicks off on Tuesday with a wild-card showdown between Montreal and Atlanta United, culminating in the MLS Cup Final on December 7.
Inter Miami CF, led by Lionel Messi, claimed the Supporters’ Shield this season. The team, which has never advanced past the first round, will now strive to make a deep playoff run to match their regular-season success.
Meanwhile, history may repeat itself for two teams. Last year, the Columbus Crew triumphed over LAFC in the MLS Cup. Both teams are back in the 2024 playoffs, with Columbus aiming for a repeat and LAFC seeking redemption as the first seed.
But before these teams can dream of the Cup, they must navigate through the first round. Here’s all you need to know about the 2024 MLS Playoffs.
Playoff format
MLS is maintaining its new playoff format introduced last year. The playoffs start with two single-elimination wild-card games between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in each conference. The winners will then face the top seed — Inter Miami in the East and LAFC in the West — in the next round.
After the wild card, the remaining 16 teams will engage in a best-of-three series for the first round. The round follows a home-away-home format where the higher seed hosts Game 1 and the lower seed hosts Game 2, with a potential Game 3 returning to the higher-seed’s city.
In this format, there are no ties, and the aggregate score is not considered. Each game must have a clear winner, with penalty kicks used to break any ties. Following the first round, the victorious teams will progress to the conference semifinals, followed by the conference finals. Both are single-game elimination matches hosted by the higher seed, with standard extra time-penalty kicks format in case of a tie.
The pinnacle of the playoffs is the MLS Cup, a single match hosted by the team with the most regular-season points. The Cup is scheduled for December 7.
Wild-card round
The MLS Playoffs kick off this week with two wild-card matchups:
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 4:30 pm PT: No. 9 Atlanta United at No. 8 C.F. Montréal
Montréal, with five wins in their last seven games, faces Atlanta after a recent 2-1 victory over them.
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 pm PT: No. 9 Portland Timbers at No. 8 Vancouver Whitecaps
Portland and Vancouver, both struggling recently, will battle it out after a 1-1 draw in their last encounter.
First round: Eastern Conference
In the East, all eyes are on Inter Miami, finishing the regular season with a record 74 points. Miami will start their playoff journey on Friday against the wild-card round winner.
The reigning champions, Columbus Crew, ended the season with 66 points and will face the New York Red Bulls in the No. 2-No. 7 matchup. The Red Bulls, struggling towards the end, suffered a 3-2 loss to Columbus on Decision Day.
NYCFC and FC Cincinnati, the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, have clashed four times this season, with NYCFC prevailing in the latest encounter with a 3-2 victory.
Orlando City SC and Charlotte FC, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, both ended with similar records, but Orlando secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Charlotte last month.
First round: Western Conference
In the Western Conference, LAFC holds the top seed and will face the Cascadia wild-card winner.
The LA Galaxy, narrowly missing out on the top seed, will take on the Colorado Avalanche in the No. 2-No. 7 matchup following a dramatic goal differential loss to Houston Dynamo.
The Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota matchup, the No. 3-No. 6 pairing, promises excitement with two previous draws and red cards in their encounters. Seattle Sounders will battle Houston Dynamo, with Seattle aiming to continue their late-season resurgence after a 1-0 win over Houston in their last meeting.
How to watch
Like the regular season, all MLS Playoff games will be aired on Apple TV. The first-round games are free to watch, while the remaining matches require AppleTV’s MLS Season Pass.
For the complete schedule, click here.