The MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup Championship game. Eight teams from the league's two conferences qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure exists in the case of equal records. It ends with the MLS Cup, the league's championship game.

[edit] Playoff system

Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. The lower-seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winners of those four series advance to single-game Conference Championships that will determine the MLS Cup finalists.

The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the single-elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game.

In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary, to determine the winners.

[edit] Qualification

Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs – the top two teams in each conference plus the remaining four teams, regardless of conference, that have the most points in the standings upon the completion of the 30-game regular season.

The seeding is as follows^[1]:

*The top two teams in each conference qualify and are seeded 1 and 2 in their respective four-team playoff conference brackets.

• The four teams with the next-most points, regardless of conference, receive "wildcard" berths.
  • The four wildcard teams will be seeded according to conference first.
  • If more than four teams qualify from one conference, the team(s) finishing lower than fourth in its conference will shift over to the other conference bracket.
  • A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.

[edit] Team standings tie-breaking procedures

In the event that two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system will be used to break the tie:

1. The highest position shall be awarded to the team with the better win–loss record in current regular-season games against all other teams equal in points. (head-to-head competition)
2. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team with the greater goal difference against all other teams during the regular season. (goal differential)
3. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team scoring the greatest number of total goals against all other teams during the regular season. (total goals)
4. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the procedures described in this section shall be applied only to games played on the road by each team against all other teams during the regular season. (road 1-3)
5. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the procedures described in this section shall be applied only to games played at home by each team against all other teams during the regular season. (home 1-3)
6. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position shall be awarded to the team with the fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table during the regular season.
7. If the teams are still equal in the standings, the highest position in the standings shall be determined by the toss of a coin.
8. The first tiebreaker in a three-way tie is also head-to-head, but it is determined via points-per-game versus the other two teams. If two teams are tied in points-per-game head-to-head, the next tie breaker is goal difference.

NOTE: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Additional references

• MLS Cup
• MLS Supporters' Shield
• Playoffs

[edit] External links

• MLS Rules of Competition