2024 MLS Cup playoffs
2024 edition of the MLS playoffs
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The 2024 MLS Cup playoffs (branded as the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 29th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2024 season. The playoffs began on October 22 and concluded with MLS Cup 2024 on December 7.[1][2]
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Dates | October 22 – December 7 |
| Teams | 18 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | LA Galaxy (6th title) |
| Runners-up | New York Red Bulls |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 29 |
| Goals scored | 74 (2.55 per match) |
| Attendance | 697,543 (24,053 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |  Dejan Joveljić(6 goals) |
The Columbus Crew entered the playoffs as the defending MLS Cup champions, but were eliminated by the New York Red Bulls in round one. Inter Miami CF entered as Supporters' Shield winners and Eastern Conference regular season leaders; they were eliminated in round one by Atlanta United FC. Western Conference regular season leaders Los Angeles FC were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Seattle Sounders FC.
The LA Galaxy won a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title after defeating the New York Red Bulls 2–1.[3] The LA Galaxy broke the record for the most goals in a playoff campaign with 18 goals.
Format
Similar to the 2023 edition, the playoffs featured a field of eighteen teams—the top nine teams from each conference. The top seven teams in each conference automatically qualified for round one, while the eighth and ninth-placed teams in each conference contested a single wild card match for the right to play the best-ranked team in their conference, with only a penalty shoot-out occurring if the game was tied. Round one comprised a best-of-three format, with higher seeds playing against lower seeds. The round did not have the aggregate score kept, and tied matches proceeded directly to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. The remaining three rounds — the conference semifinals, the conference final, and MLS Cup — were single-elimination matches played with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if still tied.[1][4] The team with the better regular season record hosted the match in all rounds except for the best-of-three series in round one, where the team with the lower regular season record hosted the second of three possible matches. All matches were broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service operated by Apple.[1]
Qualified teams
The playoffs were contested by eighteen teams. The date listed indicates when each team qualified for the playoffs.
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Conference standings
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Eastern Conference
Source: MLS |
Western Conference
Source: MLS
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Bracket
The higher seeded teams hosted single-elimination matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points in the Supporters' Shield table. During the best-of-three round, the team with higher seed hosted the first match and the third match if necessary.
Wild card round
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| CF Montréal | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Atlanta United FC |
| Western Conference | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 5–0 | Portland Timbers |
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Round one
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | |||||
| Inter Miami CF | 1–2 | Atlanta United FC | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| Columbus Crew | 0–2 | New York Red Bulls | 0–1 | 2–2 (4–5 p) | — |
| FC Cincinnati | 1–2 | New York City FC | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 (5–6 p) |
| Orlando City SC | 2–1 | Charlotte FC | 2–0 | 0–0 (1–3 p) | 1–1 (4–1 p) |
| Western Conference | |||||
| Los Angeles FC | 2–1 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 |
| LA Galaxy | 2–0 | Colorado Rapids | 5–0 | 4–1 | — |
| Real Salt Lake | 0–2 | Minnesota United FC | 0–0 (4–5 p) | 1–1 (1–3 p) | — |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2–0 | Houston Dynamo FC | 0–0 (5–4 p) | 1–1 (7–6 p) | — |
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United FC won the series 2–1.
New York Red Bulls won the series 2–0.
| New York City FC | 3–1 | FC Cincinnati |
|---|---|---|
|
Report | Orellano  65' |
New York City FC won the series 2–1.
| Orlando City SC | 1–1 | Charlotte FC |
|---|---|---|
| Torres 90+12' |
Report | Świderski 81' |
| Penalties | ||
| 4–1 | ||
Orlando City SC won the series 2–1.
Western Conference
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3–0 | Los Angeles FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Los Angeles FC won the series 2–1.
| Colorado Rapids | 1–4 | LA Galaxy |
|---|---|---|
| Larraz 19' |
Report |
|
LA Galaxy won the series 2–0.
Minnesota United FC won the series 2–0.
Seattle Sounders FC won the series 2–0.
Conference semifinals
The higher-seeded team as determined by regular season ranking hosted the match.[1]
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Orlando City SC | 1–0 | Atlanta United FC |
| New York City FC | 0–2 | New York Red Bulls |
| Western Conference | ||
| Los Angeles FC | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Seattle Sounders FC |
| LA Galaxy | 6–2 | Minnesota United FC |
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
| LA Galaxy | 6–2 | Minnesota United FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report | Yeboah 6', 45+4' (pen.) |
Conference finals
The higher-seeded team as determined by regular season ranking hosted the match.[1]
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Orlando City SC | 0–1 | New York Red Bulls |
| Western Conference | ||
| LA Galaxy | 1–0 | Seattle Sounders FC |
