| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Teams | 8 |
| Defending champions | Houston Dynamo |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Columbus Crew (1st title) |
| Runners-up | New York Red Bulls |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Goals scored | 25 (2.27 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | (2 goals each) |
The2008 MLS Cup Playoffs were the postseason toMajor League Soccer's2008 season, and culminated withMLS Cup 2008 on November 23, 2008 atThe Home Depot Center inCarson, California.
At the 2008 season's end, the top three teams of each conference made the playoffs; in addition the clubs with the next two highest point totals, regardless of conference, were added to the playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners; the Conference Championships were one match each, with the winner of each conference advancing toMLS Cup. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method was two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. Theaway goals rule was not used.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 57 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | |
| 4 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | |
| 6 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | |
| 7 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 7 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Crew(C, S) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 57 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | North American SuperLiga |
| 4 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 5 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | |
| 6 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | |
| 7 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 10 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 11 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 | CONCACAF Champions League[a] |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
| Conference semifinals | Conference finals | MLS Cup | |||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Kansas City | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||
| E3 | New England | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Chicago | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 3 | |||||||||||||
| W4 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | New York | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||
| W3 | Salt Lake | 0 | |||||||||||||
| W3 | Salt Lake | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Chivas USA | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||
1 The New York Red Bulls earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.
| Columbus Crew | 1 – 1 | Kansas City Wizards |
|---|---|---|
| Padula Lenhart Carroll | [1] | Jewsbury Arnaud Gomez |
| Kansas City Wizards | 0 – 2 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Arnaud Wahl | [2] | Evans Rogers Hejduk Ekpo |
| Chicago Fire | 0 – 0 | New England Revolution |
|---|---|---|
| Soumare Pause Blanco | [3] | Mansally Castro |
| New England Revolution | 0 – 3 | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Albright Igwe Joseph | [4] | Thorrington Rolfe Conde Busch Segares |
| Houston Dynamo | 1 – 1 | New York Red Bulls |
|---|---|---|
| Mullan Kamara | [5] | Richards Angel |
| New York Red Bulls | 3 – 0 | Houston Dynamo |
|---|---|---|
| van den Bergh Richards Goldthwaite Angel Sassano Wolyniec | [6] | Robinson Onstad Mullan |
| Chivas USA | 0 – 1 | Real Salt Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Razov Thomas | [7] | Williams Beckerman Movsisyan |
| Real Salt Lake | 2 – 2 | Chivas USA |
|---|---|---|
| Mathis Borchers Kovalenko Morales | [8] | Nagamura Kljestan Bornstein Braun Razov Thomas |
| Chicago Fire | 1–2 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Soumare McBride Segares Prideaux | [9] | Marshall Gaven O'Rourke Hesmer |
| New York Red Bulls | 1–0 | Real Salt Lake |
|---|---|---|
| van den Bergh Goldthwaite Rojas Leitch | [10] |
| New York Red Bulls | 1–3 | Columbus Crew |
|---|---|---|
| Leitch Wolyniec | Moreno Marshall Padula Hejduk |