Some seven months after the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season began, it’s over, and there’s a new campaign to enjoy: the MLS Cup playoffs. After a dramatic Decision Day shook up the seedings, and LAFC secured a second Supporters’ Shield in their fifth year of existence, the playoff field is now set.
With the postseason kicking off on Oct. 15, ESPN breaks down the MLS Cup playoff bracket and details every match leading up to MLS Cup on Nov. 5.
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Postseason format
The top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. The No. 1 seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conferences — the Philadelphia Union and LAFC, respectively — will receive a bye from Round One and move directly into the conference semifinals.
The remaining 12 teams, seeds two through seven in each conference, will face off in the single-elimination Round One. The winners from that round will advance to the two-legged conference semifinals, before the format returns to single elimination in the conference finals and MLS Cup.
Information is subject to change. All times Eastern.
Round One
Saturday, Oct. 15
East: 4. New York Red Bulls vs. 5. FC Cincinnati (12 p.m. ET)
West: 4. LA Galaxy vs. 5. Nashville SC (3 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Oct. 16
West: 2. Austin FC vs. 7. Real Salt Lake (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ABC)
East: 2. CF Montreal vs. Orlando City SC (8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN)
Monday, Oct. 17
East: 3. New York City FC vs. Inter Miami CF (7 p.m. ET)
West: 3. FC Dallas vs. 6. Minnesota United FC (9:30 p.m. ET)
Conference semifinals
Thursday, Oct. 20
East: 1. Philadelphia Union vs. TBD (8 p.m. ET)
West: 1. LAFC vs. TBD (10 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Oct. 23
TBD vs. TBD (1 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN)
TBD vs. TBD (8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN)
Conference finals
Sunday, Oct. 30
TBD vs. TBD (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ABC)
TBD vs. TBD (8 p.m. ET)
MLS Cup
Saturday, Nov. 5
TBC vs. TBC (4 p.m. ET)
