Before the redesigned postseason begins in December, eighteen clubs are still in the running to win the trophy.
That time of year is here. You can smell the mayhem in the air as autumn moves closer to winter. Distinguished members: The MLS Playoffs are here, welcome.
Sadly, Lionel Messi’s inclusion in the festivities was not quite possible for the screenwriters. Before he arrived, Inter Miami had dug themselves a hole too big for even the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to entirely dig them out of. Watching Messi attempt to pull Miami into the MLS postseason would have been an incredible sight, anyway.
No issue, though, without Messi. As usual, there are plenty of teams feeling confident about making a deep run in the postseason, leaving the field wide open. The first two games take place on Wednesday and feature the worst two seeds from each conference. After that, each club will host one of the first two games of the first round’s best-of-three format, with the better seed, if needed, hosting the third game. From then on, it’s single elimination all the way to the December 9 MLS Cup final.
Who is the most likely to win and how did we get here? In order to get ready for the start of the postseason, GOAL examines each team:
First in the Eastern Conference: FC Cincinnati
The Supporters’ Shield winners and the best team in the league throughout the regular season. As difficult as it is to choose an MLS favourite, if you had to, Cincy would be it.
They are led by Luciano Acosta, the clear MVP favourite who has had a great season with 17 goals and 13 assists. But he’s not alone: Brandon Vazquez, a standout player for the US men’s national team, will be riding beside him in what might be his final race before moving to Europe.
Matt Miazga might be the Defender of the Year, while Santi Arias of Colombia plays wing-back for them with extraordinary skill.
They have postseason experience, lead MLS in most measures overall, and will play all of their games at home. The team to beat is them.
First round: vs. Charlotte FC/New York Red Bulls
No. 1 in the Western Conference: St. Louis City SC
How on earth were they able to pull this off? The newest MLS team has exceeded all expectations, rising from an expansion team to an MLS Cup contender almost immediately. Roman Burki, who will be named MLS Keeper of the Year, led them to the best regular-season record in the West.
Is all of this sustainable? That is the key question. The team exceeded even the most optimistic predictions and, to be honest, levelled off in the last few weeks of the campaign. Not that the St. Louis we witnessed in the first few months wasn’t genuine, but they are kind of stumbling into the postseason.
It would be one of the most ridiculous and amazing MLS Cup runs in history if this team succeeds. That is noteworthy in this league!
First round: vs. Sporting KC/San Jose Earthquakes
Orlando City, Eastern Conference No. 2
We must wonder, like we did with St. Louis, how in the world did they get this far? Orlando City, the team with the lowest salary in the league, keeps the sceptics at bay. Oscar Pareja, the team’s head coach, is an MLS miracle worker who has accomplished incredible feats with this squad thus far this season.
As the team’s greatest rookie striker, Duncan Maguire is following in the footsteps of Daryl Dike and Cyle Larin. In his first season following college, he scored 13 goals and added three assists. Meanwhile, a true star who will soon be in Europe is Facundo Torres.
Overall, Orlando is a well-rounded, well-coached team, and this may just be Pareja’s best chance at finally turning regular season success into a deep postseason run.
First round: vs. Nashville SC
No. 2 in the Western Conference is Seattle Sounders
The Sounders are a regular in the postseason, in contrast to a handful of the teams we highlighted. They’re here all the time for some reason.
And this is a team that many people did not expect to be. Key players are retiring as they get older, and club veteran Nico Lodeiro has already made his exit known. On the other hand, rising stars are too young, since the team has been developing some future stars this season.The Sounders should be starting over, but they’re instead aiming for another MLS Championship.
With their playoff experience, it’ll take complete performances to really bury this Seattle team, one that’ll know exactly what they’re signing up for as the postseason begins.
First round: vs. FC Dallas
Third Eastern Conference: Columbus Crew
In terms of offensive prowess, the Crew leads the Major League Soccer league. On the defensive end, things are a little different. So, the team’s main postseason challenge will be to simply outscore opponents en route to winning the MLS Cup.
Normally, that would be a risky wager, but you can’t discount this team. With players like Darlington Nagbe and Aiden Morris in midfield, they should win that matchup against many teams because to head coach Wilfried Nancy’s amazing style of play.
The key, though, is striker Cucho Hernandez, who may just be the league’s best. Can he be the match-winner of the playoffs? If yes, look out for the Crew.
First round: vs. Atlanta United
Western Conference No.3: LAFC
the winners of the MLS Cup in the past. Although they don’t have Gareth Bale on the roster this season, they still have a tonne of superstars.
The team still has players like Carlos Vela in the attack, but Denis Bouanga is the greatest of them and has already won the Golden Boot this year. In a situation when most teams would be content with only one, that is two match-winners all at once.
While their efforts to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League somewhat overshadowed their MLS regular season, LAFC’s priorities are now crystal clear: a repeat.
First round: vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Eastern Conference No.4: Philadelphia Union
And, following on from LAFC, we get the team that took them to wire in last season’s instant classic. The Union are very much back featuring almost the entire core from last season’s ridiculously-good team. They’ve been a little less good this season, but this Union squad is still one that may just be deeper than any in MLS.
They’ll be motivated, too, having come within just a few minutes of lifting an MLS Cup last season. With much of the team returning, they’ll be eager to finally get over the hump.
And, if you want an extra dose of motivation, the Union head into the playoffs knowing change is imminent, as Alejandro Bedoya and Kai Wagner prepare to leave the club. Can they use that to unite them?
First round: vs. New England Revolution