Eighteen teams remain in the running to lift the trophy in December ahead of the revamped postseason
It's that time of year. As the fall marches towards the winter, you can smell the chaos in the air. Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the MLS Playoffs.
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Unfortunately, the script writers couldn't quite fit Lionel Messi into the festivities. Inter Miami dug themselves too deep of a hole before his arrival, one not even the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner could quite shovel them out of. It would have been a wild sight, though: seeing Messi try and help claw Miami through the MLS postseason.
No Messi, no problem, though. As always, the postseason field is wide open, with any number of teams feeling like they can go on a big run. It starts on Wednesday with a pair of Wild Card matches featuring each conference's bottom two seeds. From there, the first round will be played in a best-of-three format, with each team hosting one of the first two games and the third being hosted by the higher seed, if necessary. After that, it'll be single-elimination right up until the MLS Cup final on December 9.
So how did we get here and who is likeliest to come out on top? GOAL takes a look at every team as we prepare for the start of the postseason:
@GettyEastern Conference No.1: FC Cincinnati
The league's best team in the regular season and the Supporters' Shield winners. It's hard to ever pick a favorite in MLS, but if you had to, it would be Cincy.
They're led by the runaway MVP favorite, Luciano Acosta, who contributed an absolutely wild 17 goals and 13 assists this season. He's not alone, though, as he'll have U.S. men's national team star Brandon Vazquez alongside him in what may just be his last go-around before heading to Europe.
Defensively, Matt Miazga may just be the Defender of the Year, while Colombian Santi Arias gives them ridiculously good wing-back play.
Overall, they lead MLS in so many metrics, have playoff experience and will play every game at home the whole way. They're the team to beat.
First round: vs. Charlotte FC/New York Red Bulls
AdvertisementRoman BurkiWestern Conference No.1: St. Louis City SC
How in the world did they pull this off? MLS' newest team has shattered every expectation imaginable, going from expansion side to MLS Cup contenders almost instantly. They had the best record in the West during the regular season, led by Roman Burki, who will win MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
The big question is if this is all sustainable. The club outperformed even the most hopeful of projections and, admittedly, came back down to earth in the final weeks of the season. That's not to say that the St. Louis we saw for the first few months wasn't for real, but they are limping into the postseason somewhat.
If this club pulls it off, it'll be one of the most absurd and unbelievable MLS Cup runs in history. For this league, that's saying something!
First round: vs. Sporting KC/San Jose Earthquakes
GettyEastern Conference No.2: Orlando City
Like St. Louis, we have to ask: how the hell did they get this far? The team with the lowest payroll in the league, Orlando City continues to silence the doubters. Head coach Oscar Pareja is an MLS miracle-worker, and he's done special, special things with this team so far this season.
Duncan Maguire is following the likes of Daryl Dike and Cyle Larin as the club's great rookie striker, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in his first season after college. Facundo Torres, meanwhile, is a bonafide star that will be in Europe sometime soon.
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
Getty ImagesWestern Conference No.2: Seattle Sounders
On the flipside of a few teams we mentioned, the Sounders are a team that are postseason regulars. Somehow, some way, they're always here.
And this is a team that many thought wouldn't be. Key stars are aging out, with club legend Nico Lodeiro already having announced that he's leaving. Rising stars, meanwhile, are too young, with the club having spent this season blooding in some potential key players for the future.The Sounders should be in a rebuilding phase but, instead, they're going for another MLS Cup.
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