Rahul Sharma (Editor)

MLS Cup Playoffs

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Founded
  
1995

Number of teams
  
12

Region
  
United States Canada

MLS Cup Playoffs httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommons00

Current champions
  
Seattle Sounders FC (1st title)

Instances
  
2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs

All 43 goals from the audi 2015 mls cup playoffs


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 playoff championship game. Twelve 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 a championship through a postseason tournament differs from most other soccer leagues around the world where the team with the most points at the end of the season is deemed champion. MLS awards the regular-season champions with the Supporters' Shield and a direct berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, the continental tournament. The regular-season champion must be a U.S.-based club in order to receive direct entry to Champions League. Since 2015 Audi is the official sponsor.

Contents

Playoff system

Since 2015, the top six teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, playing in separate brackets. The first round of each conference has two play-in matches between the fourth- vs. fifth-place teams and the third- vs. sixth-, with the two higher seeds hosting. The lowest-seeded winner advances to play the conference's top seed, and the next-lowest playing the second in the Conference Semifinals. (This format matches that of the NFL Playoffs.)

The Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the two-game, total-goals Conference Finals or single-game MLS Cup Final, respectively. Since 2014 the away goals rule is used. In both rounds the lower-seeded team hosts Game One and the higher-seeded team Game Two. If the teams are tied after two games (180 minutes) in the Conference Semifinals or Finals, the team which scored more goals away from home advances. If there is still a tie after the away goals rule is applied, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by a penalty kick shootout, if necessary. The away goals rule does not apply to goals scored in extra time.

Qualification

12 teams qualify for the playoffs: the top six teams in each conference that have the most points in the standings at the end of the 34-game regular season.

The seeding is as follows:

  • The top six teams in each conference are seeded first to sixth in their respective six-team playoff conference brackets.
  • Top two teams get byes; third through sixth place teams in each conference play in the first round.

    • Tie-breaking procedures

    If two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system is used to break the tie:

    1. most wins
    2. goal differential
    3. goals for
    4. fewest disciplinary points
    5. away goal differential
    6. away goals
    7. home goal differential
    8. home goals
    9. coin toss/draw of lots

    Note:

  • Unlike past seasons, head-to-head competition results are not used in tie-breakers, since the 2012 season.
  • 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.
  • Tiebreaker #7 (home goal differential) isn't used because if tied teams have the same goal differential (#2) and the same away goal differential (#5), then they must also have the same home goal differential. Similarly, Tiebreaker #8 (home goals) isn't used in breaking ties.

    • MLS playoff records

  • Win–Loss–Draw records include all knock out playoff matches, individual home–and–home playoff matches, and MLS Cup appearances.

    • Records

  • Matches determined by shoot out counted as win-loss, not draw
    • As of December 11, 2016

    Appearances

    As of October 24, 2016
  • Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny folded after completion of the 2001 season
  • Chivas USA folded after completion of the 2014 season

    • References

    MLS Cup Playoffs Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA