The excitement of the MLS Cup journey kicks off this Wednesday with the wildcard round featuring the Chicago Fire, Orlando City SC, Portland Timbers, and Real Salt Lake. These teams will compete for a chance to advance to the first full round of playoffs. The match-ups are set: in the Western Conference, the victor of the Portland and Salt Lake clash will take on San Diego FC, while in the Eastern Conference, the winner between the Fire and Orlando will face the Philadelphia Union, the Supporters’ Shield champions.
The wildcard round is a decisive single-elimination match, paving the way for the first round, which transitions to a best-of-three format. The highest seed earns the right to host the opening match, with the second game played at the opponent’s venue. If the series reaches a third game, it reverts to a single knockout format for all subsequent playoff rounds.
Take a look at the upcoming matches and the results so far:
MLS Playoff Scores and Schedule
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time, with live coverage available on MLS Season Pass.
Wildcard Round – Wednesday, October 22
- Chicago Fire 3, Orlando City 1
- Portland Timbers 3, Real Salt Lake 1
Round One – October 24 – November 9
Game One
Friday, October 24
- (3) Inter Miami 3, (6) Nashville SC 1
Sunday, October 26
- (1) Philadelphia Union 2, (8) Chicago Fire 2 (Philadelphia wins 4-2 on penalties)
- (2) Vancouver Whitecaps 3, (7) FC Dallas 0
- (1) San Diego FC 2, (8) Portland Timbers 1
Monday, October 27
- (2) FC Cincinnati 1, (7) Columbus Crew 0
- (4) Minnesota United 0, (5) Seattle Sounders 0 (Minnesota United wins 3-2 on penalties)
Tuesday, October 28
- (4) Charlotte FC 0, (5) NYCFC 1
Wednesday, October 29
- (3) LAFC vs. (6) Austin FC, 10:30 p.m.
Game Two
Saturday, November 1
- (5) NYCFC vs. (4) Charlotte FC, 3:30 p.m.
- (8) Chicago Fire vs. (1) Philadelphia Union, 5:30 p.m.
- (6) Nashville SC vs. (3) Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m.
- (7) FC Dallas vs. (2) Vancouver Whitecaps, 9:30 p.m.
- (8) Portland Timbers vs. (1) San Diego FC, 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 2
- (7) Columbus Crew vs. (2) FC Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.
- (6) Austin FC vs. (3) LAFC, 8:30 p.m.
Monday, November 3
- (5) Seattle Sounders vs. (4) Minnesota United, 10:30 p.m.
Game Three (if necessary)
Friday, November 7
- (2) Vancouver Whitecaps vs. (7) FC Dallas
Saturday, November 9
- (1) Philadelphia Union vs. (8) Chicago Fire
- (2) FC Cincinnati vs. (7) Columbus Crew
- (3) Inter Miami vs. (6) Nashville SC
- (3) LAFC vs. (6) Austin FC
- (4) Minnesota United vs. (5) Seattle Sounders
Sunday, November 9
- (1) San Diego FC vs. (8) Portland Timbers
Conference Semifinals – Saturday, November 22 – Sunday, November 23
Conference Finals – Saturday, November 29 – Sunday, November 30
MLS Cup Final – Saturday, December 6
In summary, the MLS playoffs have kicked off with high-stakes matches set to determine who will advance. Fans can look forward to thrilling soccer action as teams vie for the coveted MLS Cup. With a mix of knockout rounds and competitive formats ahead, the next few weeks promise to be filled with excitement and unforgettable moments on the pitch.
