2021 MLS Cup playoffs
2021 edition of the MLS Cup playoffs tournament
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The 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the 26th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The tournament culminated the 2021 MLS regular season. The tournament began on November 20 and concluded with MLS Cup 2021 on December 11.[1]
Canada
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Dates | November 20 – December 11 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New York City FC (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Portland Timbers |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 32 (2.46 per match) |
| Attendance | 299,891 (23,069 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |  Valentín Castellanos Hany Mukhtar(3 goals each) |
The Columbus Crew were the defending MLS Cup champions, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference.
The 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs marked the first time since 2004 that no club from Texas qualified, and the first time ever that no club from California qualified.[2] This is also the only time that no Los Angeles-area club qualified.
Qualified teams
Conference standings
The top seven teams in the Eastern and Western Conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the conference champions receiving second round byes. Background colors denote playoff teams, with green also qualifying for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.
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Eastern Conference
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Western Conference
Source: MLS
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Bracket
| First round November 20–21, 23 | Conference semifinals November 25, 28, 30 | Conference finals December 4–5 | MLS Cup December 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | New England Revolution | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New York City FC (p) | 2 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New York City FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta United FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New York City FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Philadelphia Union | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Nashville SC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Orlando City SC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Nashville SC | 1 (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Philadelphia Union (p) | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Philadelphia Union (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New York City FC (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland Timbers | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Colorado Rapids | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland Timbers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland Timbers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Minnesota United FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland Timbers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Real Salt Lake | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Sporting Kansas City | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Real Salt Lake | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Real Salt Lake (p) | 0 (6) | |||||||||||||||||
Note: The higher seeded teams hosted matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points.
First round
The second through fourth-seeded teams in each conference hosted the first-round matches. The team with the best record in each conference got a bye to the Conference Semifinals.
Eastern Conference
| Philadelphia Union | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | New York Red Bulls |
|---|---|---|
Glesnes  120+3' |
Report |
Western Conference
| Sporting Kansas City | 3–1 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
|---|---|---|
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Report | Dájome 39' (pen.) |
Conference semifinals
The higher-seeded teams in each match-up as determined by regular season ranking hosted the matches.
Eastern Conference
| New England Revolution | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | New York City FC |
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| Report |
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| Penalties | ||
| 3–5 | ||
Western Conference
Conference finals
The higher-seeded teams in each conference as determined by regular season ranking hosted the matches.
Eastern Conference
| Philadelphia Union | 1–2 | New York City FC |
|---|---|---|
Callens  63' (o.g.) |
Report |
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Western Conference
MLS Cup 2021
The highest-ranked team remaining in the overall table (Portland Timbers) hosted the match.
