Few days after the manager of Inter Miami, Phil Neville, lamented about not having knowledge of how the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs would be conducted, the league has answered by confirming that there would be a new format and schedule for the 2023 MLS playoffs.
The latest format will see the teams at the summit from each conference qualifying automatically to the Round One Best-of-3 series after Decision Day on the 21st of October.
Teams that are placed seventh to ninth will justle in a single-elimination playoffs wild card encounter.
The team that emerges victorious in each Wild Card game will earn a place in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
The forthcoming edition of the postseason will witness twenty four (24) must win playoff matches ahead of the 2023 MLS Cup in comparison with only twelve in 2022.
This is how the new MLS playoff format is and this is detailing how the qualification processes would go:
Seeds 1-7 in every of the conference will qualify automatically for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Seeds 8-9 across all the conference will qualify for the 2023 Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs Wild Card games.
For the Wild Card matches there would be two single-game elimination encounters hosted by the higher seed.
If the score of a Wild Card game is level at the end of regulation, the game won’t go to extra time as teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
The team that comes out victorious in each Wild Card match will proceed to the Round One Best-of-3 series to face the conference No. 1 seed.
Eastern Conference Wild Card Match: No. 8 vs. No. 9.
Western Conference Wild Card Match: No. 8 vs. No. 9.
Round One Best-of-3 Series in Major League Soccer playoffs
Each Round One game will have a team coming out tops, no ties and no aggregate score as well.
The encounters will be hosted in a home-away-home format:
Match 1: higher seed hosts
The second match: lower seed hosts
Match 3: higher seed hosts
If a match is level at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played, teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to determine the winner.
The first team to get two victories will proceed.
Four teams from each conference will advance to the Conference Semifinals.
This is how the Eastern Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series would be:
No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
Number 2 vs. No. 7
Number 3 vs. No. 6
No. 4 vs. No. 5
This is how the Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series would be:
No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
Number. 2 vs. No. 7
No. 3 vs. No. 6
Number. 4 vs. No. 5
Conference Semifinals
Single-game elimination matches would be hosted by the higher seed.
If the score of a Conference Semifinal game is on parity at the end of ninety minutes of action, the game would proceed to extra time. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, the game would then have to be settled on penalties.
Conference Semifinal winners will proceed to the Conference Final.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series
Western Conference Semifinals
Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series
For the conference final, it is pretty straightforward but here is how it goes:
There would be a Single-elimination match hosted by the team ranked higher.
If the score of a conference final battle is on parity at the end of ninety minutes of action, the game would proceed to extra time. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, the game would then have to be settled on penalties.
The winner of each Conference Final match will then proceed to the MLS Cup.
Eastern Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed
Western Conference Final: highest advancing seed vs. lowest advancing seed
Now to the main dish, the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup
It would be a single encounter hosted by the team ranked higher.
If the score of the battle is on parity at the end of ninety minutes of action, the game would proceed to extra time. If the score is still tied at the end of the two extra time periods, the game would then have to be settled on penalties.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup backed by Audi would then see the Champions of the Eastern Conference go up against the Champions of the Western Conference to determine the champion.
 playoffs...){kind=link}