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The Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs start in October, and it’s time to crown a champion. Will the Columbus Crew repeat, or will the insurgent Inter Miami squad hold strong? The postseason is a marathon filled with dramatic finishes and heart-stopping moments. Here’s your MLS Cup playoffs preview with everything you need to know.
When Will the 2024 MLS Playoffs Start?
Like international leagues, the MLS has long regular season and playoff schedules. The postseason will start on October 23 with the wild card round. How can your team qualify for the playoffs? It depends on how your team fares on October 19 or Decision Day. On the last day of the regular season, the teams jockey for playoff position and seeding.
Some soccer leagues do single-elimination brackets or group play. However, the MLS Playoffs have a best-of-three format in the first round. Once the first round ends, the teams return to the traditional single-elimination format. The second round occurs in late October and early November, with the quarterfinals and semifinals around Thanksgiving.
Finally, the title match will be on December 7. Who will host the championship at the end of the 2024 MLS Playoffs? It boils down to the team with the best regular-season record. Like the NBA and NHL championships, playing well in the regular season and securing home-field advantage is essential. Right now, it looks like Inter Miami controls its destiny heading into the playoffs.
Where Can You Watch the 2024 MLS Playoffs?
If you watch MLS games, you know to click Apple TV+ on your home screen. This streaming service signed a 10-year contract and pays MLS about $250 million annually to broadcast the games. The complete MLS playoff schedule is available on Apple TV+, so don’t worry about finding another app to download to watch the games.
No Apple TV+? No problem. You can watch the championship match on FOX Sports if you have a cable service or another live TV platform. If you live in Canada, you can watch the title bout on TSN and RDS. Before the refs blow the whistle, get your party gear ready for guests. Food, drinks and a big TV are essential to set the stage.
Who Are the Contenders for the Crown?
Fourteen teams constitute the MLS Playoffs bracket, though only one can hoist the trophy. Who will be the champion? Here are the betting favorites to win it all.
1. Inter Miami
Inter Miami has only existed since 2020 but has quickly risen in the MLS ranks. How did they go from last in the conference to the leaders of the East? The fans can thank one man — Lionel Messi. The Argentinian forward has won four UCL titles and nearly every soccer trophy.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Inter Miami with +155 odds to advance in the playoffs and win the MLS Cup. These bets are justified because Inter Miami has the best record among both conferences. This team is terrific and has only lost once since June 1. The rest of the games included nine wins and three ties.
2. L.A. Galaxy
The stiffest competition in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Galaxy. After winning the MLS Cup Playoffs five times between 2002 and 2014, the California squad has fallen off. Even in 2023, the Galaxy were one of the worst teams in the entire league. However, they’ve quickly rebounded in 2024 thanks to stellar play from their core players.
Dejan Joveljic, Gabriel Pec, Ricard Puig and Joseph Painstill all have at least 10 goals and five assists this season. If the Galaxy’s contention surprises you, you’re not alone. This L.A. team opened at +2,600 odds to win the MLS Cup. Now? Fan Duel has them in second at +600 odds.
3. Columbus Crew
It’s hard to discuss the MLS Playoffs bracket without discussing the reigning champs. If you want to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. The Eastern Conference Finals could come down to Inter Miami and Columbus, which would be a riveting match. Columbus and Miami split the season series, so it’s hard to tell which team has the edge.
Columbus has a fighting chance as long as it has Cucho Hernández and Diego Rossi. The pair have combined for 26 goals and 22 assists in their 52 games, leading to a terrific regular season record. Health could be concerning with Hernández’s early-season injuries, but the pair should be ready to go this fall.
4. LAFC
While the Galaxy gets attention on the West Coast, there’s another California team worth mentioning in the 2024 MLS Playoffs conversation. Los Angeles FC (LAFC) won the championship just two seasons ago and should provide a legitimate challenge to the cup.
After a mediocre start to the season, the team got more potent in the summer. Now, LAFC has 14 wins and wants one of the top seeds. If they desire any postseason success, they must rely on stars Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz. The pair’s 31 goals and 16 assists far outpace anybody else on the team.
If LAFC and the Galaxy meet in the Western Conference Finals, it’ll be an incredible match. However, you may need help finding parking spots because of the crowds.
5. FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati has the fifth-best odds to conquer the MLS playoff schedule and hoist the trophy. However, they have a tall mountain to climb, as FanDuel has the squad at +1,300 to win it all. Fans in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky are eager to make the MLS Cup because they’ve never seen the team make it this far. Could this year see Cincinnati get over the hump?
If FC Cincinnati wins the title, they’ll need a massive performance from Luciano Acosta. Lucho leads the team in goals and assists this season and is one of the best playmakers in the MLS. Yuya Kubo and Luca Orellano are complementary players, though they must step up.
6. Everybody Else
While those teams have the best odds, others are worth mentioning as the season winds down. Real Salt Lake, the Colorado Rapids and the Houston Dynamo round out the best Western Conference teams, each boasting a winning record. However, the East isn’t as optimistic. Orlando City SC is the only other Eastern Conference team with a winning record.
Fourteen teams make the playoffs, so what happens to the remaining 16 squads? They’ll have to live vicariously through FIFA and complete their title hunt there. If they can land an aging superstar like Messi, they may be in Inter Miami’s position in the 2025 season.
Predicting the Bracket for the MLS Playoffs
Anything can happen in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with two of the last three championships coming down to penalty kicks. Which team will reign supreme when it’s all said and done? Inter Miami will win the title because Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi are far too good to lose this championship.
With Julian Gressel and Jordi Alba setting up the goals, stopping this Miami team will be hard. Inter Miami will defeat the L.A. Galaxy with a 3-2 final score.
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Author
Jack Shaw is a senior writer at Modded. Jack is an avid enthusiast for keeping up with personal health and enjoying nature. He has over five years of experience writing in the men's lifestyle niche, and has written extensively on topics of fitness, exploring the outdoors and men's interests. His writings have been featured in SportsEd TV, Love Inc., and Offroad Xtreme among many more publications.
