SOCCER
MLS Decision Day 2024: Every playoff scenario
Playoff spots are still up for grabs today, as the Major League Soccer regular season comes to its conclusion.
Four teams will battle it out for the final two playoff berths on Saturday, as Major League Soccer’s regular season reaches its climax with Decision Day.
While all nine postseason spots have been snapped up in the Western Conference, it remains to be seen which teams will finish eighth and ninth in the East, in the process clinching the conference’s two wild-card-round places. D.C. United and CF Montréal are the teams currently in possession of the Eastern Conference’s wild-card tickets, but they can still be overhauled by Philadelphia Union and Atlanta United.
Who has already qualified for the 2024 MLS playoffs?
Eastern Conference:
Inter Miami
Columbus Crew
Cincinnati
Orlando City
New York City
Charlotte
New York Red Bulls
Western Conference:
LA Galaxy
LAFC
Seattle Sounders
Real Salt Lake
Houston Dynamo
Colorado Rapids
Minnesota United
Vancouver Whitecaps
Portland Timbers
Who needs what in the Eastern Conference?
The top seven teams, who will all qualify automatically for round one of the MLS playoffs, have already been decided. There could still be some movement among that septet, though: the most significant potential change involves Orlando and New York City, who head into Decision Day in fourth and fifth, respectively. Whoever finishes higher will secure home-field advantage in the best-of-three round one, meaning they host games one and three. With two points separating the teams, Orlando know they must beat Atlanta to be sure of finishing fourth, while New York must defeat Montréal to have any chance of leapfrogging the Floridians.
Further down the Eastern Conference table, D.C. United and Montréal know they will reach the wild-card round - the playoffs’ single-legged preliminary round - if they avoid defeat against Charlotte and New York City, respectively. Philadelphia and Atlanta are both three points off the wild-card spots, and must both win to have any possibility of edging into the top nine on tiebreakers. In the event of any points ties, it’s set to come down to goal difference, given that MLS’s primary tiebreaker - total wins - wouldn’t separate the teams. As things stand, Union are on +8, Atlanta are on -4, D.C. are on -15 and Montréal are on -18.
Philadelphia and Atlanta actually sit behind 10th-placed Toronto, who also have 37 points. However, the Canadians have played all their regular-season matches, so can no longer overtake D.C. or Montréal.
Who needs what in the Western Conference?
While the top nine in the West has already been confirmed, there could still be significant changes to the order in which the conference’s playoff teams finish the regular season. At the top of the standings, Los Angeles Galaxy will claim the No. 1 seed if they win or draw against Houston Dynamo. Three points behind the Galaxy are city rivals Los Angeles FC, who need a win over San Jose Earthquakes, allied with a Galaxy defeat against Houston, if they’re to claim first place on tiebreakers. As in the wild-card chase in the East, total wins wouldn’t come into play; goal difference, meanwhile, currently favors Galaxy (+20 to +18).
In seventh and eight place, Minnesota United and Vancouver Whitecaps have both sealed postseason qualification - but don’t yet know whether they’ll avoid the wild-card round. Minnesota are two points ahead of Vancouver in the final round-one berth, and must beat St Louis City to be certain of staying in the top seven. To stand any chance of sneaking straight into round one at Minnesota’s expense, the Whitecaps need a Decision Day victory over Real Salt Lake.
MLS Decision Day 2024: full schedule, Saturday October 20
6:00 p.m. ET: Chicago Fire vs Nashville
6:00 p.m. ET: D.C. United vs Charlotte
6:00 p.m. ET: Inter Miami vs New England Revolution
6:00 p.m. ET: Montréal vs New York City
6:00 p.m. ET: New York Red Bulls vs Columbus Crew
6:00 p.m. ET: Orlando City vs Atlanta United
6:00 p.m. ET: Philadelphia Union vs Cincinnati
9:00 p.m. ET: Austin vs Colorado Rapids
9:00 p.m. ET: Dallas vs Sporting Kansas City
9:00 p.m. ET: Houston Dynamo vs LA Galaxy
9:00 p.m. ET: LAFC vs San Jose Earthquakes
9:00 p.m. ET: Minnesota United vs St Louis City
9:00 p.m. ET: Real Salt Lake vs Vancouver Whitecaps
9:00 p.m. ET: Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
Can Inter Miami set a new MLS points record?
Inter Miami have already secured the No. 1 seed in the East, and the Supporters’ Shield as MLS’s best regular-season team. Miami still have one more feat in their sights, though: if they beat the New England Revolution on Decision Day, the Herons will finish with 74 points - an all-time league high. New England are the present holders of that record, having racked up 73 points in 2021.
When are the 2024 MLS playoffs?
The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Tuesday October 22 and Wednesday October 23, with the two wild-card games. The round-one series are then due to take place from Friday October 25 to Sunday November 10.
The postseason then returns to a single-game-elimination format from the conference semi-finals, which are to be played on Saturday November 23 and Sunday November 24.
The conference finals are slated for Saturday November 30 and Sunday December 1, before the MLS Cup final takes place on Saturday December 7.