MLS Cup Playoffs
Encyclopedia
The MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer
held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup
, the league's championship game. 10 teams in total from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure exists in the case of equal records. Awarding the league championship through a postseason tournament differs from most other soccer leagues around the world. In these cases, the team with the most points at the end of the season is deemed champion. However, MLS awards the "regular season" winners with the Supporters' Shield and a direct berth in the CONCACAF Champions League
, the continental tournament.
Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal
format. The lower-seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winners of those four series advance to single-game
Conference Championships that will determine the MLS Cup finalists.
The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the single-elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after two games (180 minutes) in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game.
In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Wild Card, Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by penalty kicks, if necessary, to determine the winners.
The seeding is as follows:
NOTE: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
, the league's championship game. 10 teams in total from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure exists in the case of equal records. Awarding the league championship through a postseason tournament differs from most other soccer leagues around the world. In these cases, the team with the most points at the end of the season is deemed champion. However, MLS awards the "regular season" winners with the Supporters' Shield and a direct berth in the CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
, the continental tournament.
Playoff system
New for 2011, each conference has a Wild Card playoff game, which is single elimination. The league's 7th seed plays a 10th seed, and the 8th plays the 9th, with the winners playing the top-seeded team in the Conference Semifinals. The lowest-seeded survivor plays the Supporters' Shield winner.Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
format. The lower-seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winners of those four series advance to single-game
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
Conference Championships that will determine the MLS Cup finalists.
The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the single-elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after two games (180 minutes) in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game.
In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Wild Card, Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by penalty kicks, if necessary, to determine the winners.
Qualification
10 teams will qualify for the playoffs – the top 3 teams in each conference plus the remaining 4 teams, regardless of conference, that have the most points in the standings upon the completion of the 34-game regular season.The seeding is as follows:
Team standings tie-breaking procedures
In the event that two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system will be used to break the tie:- The highest position shall be awarded to the team with the better win–loss record in current regular-season games against all other teams equal in points. (head-to-head competition)
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team with the greater goal difference against all other teams during the regular season. (goal differential)
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team scoring the greatest number of total goals against all other teams during the regular season. (total goals)
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the procedures described in this section shall be applied only to games played on the road by each team against all other teams during the regular season. (road 1-3)
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the procedures described in this section shall be applied only to games played at home by each team against all other teams during the regular season. (home 1-3)
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team with the fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table during the regular season.
- If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position in the standings shall be determined by the toss of a coin.
- The first tiebreaker in a three-way tie is also head-to-head, but it is determined via points-per-game versus the other two teams. If two teams are tied in points-per-game head-to-head, the next tie breaker is goal difference.
NOTE: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.