 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Dates | October 19 – November 10 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Defending champions | Atlanta United FC |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Seattle Sounders FC (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Toronto FC |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 53 (4.08 per match) |
| Attendance | 442,476 (34,037 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |  Raúl Ruidíaz(4 goals) |
The2019 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the2019 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship ofMajor League Soccer (MLS), the topsoccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 24th edition of theMLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the2019 regular season. The playoffs began on October 19, 2019, and concluded withMLS Cup 2019 on November 10.[1]
The playoffs were contested by fourteen teams under a new format, with the top seven teams from both conferences qualifying based on their regular season performances. All rounds usedsingle-elimination matches that were hosted by the higher remaining seed, and no rounds would be re-seeded unlike previous years.[1] As a result, the playoffs were played over a 23-day period without interruptions from aninternational break, as was previously the case.[2]
The first round (October 19–20) featured the second through seventh-seeded teams in each conference playing each other, with the first-placed teams in each conference receiving abye. The winners of the first round advanced to the Conference Semifinals (October 23–24) along with the first-placed team from each conference. The winners of the Conference Semifinals then advanced to the Conference Finals (October 29–30) for an MLS Cup berth.[1][3]
Atlanta United FC were the defending MLS Cup champions, having won their first title inMLS Cup 2018, but were eliminated byToronto FC in the Conference Finals. The 2019 regular seasonSupporters' Shield champions wereLos Angeles FC, but they were also eliminated in the Conference Finals bySeattle Sounders FC. For the first time in league history, the four conference finalists were allexpansion teams and did not feature any of the ten original teams from theinaugural season.[4] Seattle hosted MLS Cup 2019 and won 3–1 in their third finals played against Toronto FC.
The top seven teams from each conference advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the top team in each conference receiving a first-round bye. Background colors denote playoff teams, with green also qualifying for the2020 CONCACAF Champions League, and blue also qualifying for the2020 Leagues Cup. Non-playoffMontreal Impact qualified for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League as winners of the2019 Canadian Championship.
Eastern Conference
Source:MLS (L)Leagues Cup berth;(P) Playoffs berth;(U)U.S. Open Cup winners;(V)Canadian Championship winners | Western Conference
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|
| First round October 19–20 | Conference semifinals October 23–24 | Conference finals October 29–30 | MLS Cup November 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | New York City FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto FC (a.e.t.) | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | D.C. United | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta United FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta United FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | New England Revolution | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta United FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia Union | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia Union (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New York Red Bulls | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles FC | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | LA Galaxy | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota United FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | LA Galaxy | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | FC Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Real Salt Lake | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Real Salt Lake | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Portland Timbers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Note: The higher seeded team hosted matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points.
Source:2019 MLS Cup Playoffs Bracket
In the opening match of the playoffs, defending championsAtlanta United FC hosted theNew England Revolution in a rematch of the final regular season match they played two weeks prior.[6] The match was scoreless through the first half and after half-time until aformation change and substitutions by Atlanta managerFrank de Boer allowed the hosts to score. DefenderFranco Escobar finished a through ball fromEzequiel Barco with a one-time shot in the 70th minute, which gave Atlanta the 1–0 victory.[6]
Fourth-seededToronto FC hosted the fifth seed,D.C. United, atBMO Field in the second Eastern Conference playoffs match. Toronto took a lead in the first half through a goalkeeping error byBill Hamid that resulted in a successful chance forMarky Delgado, but D.C. equalized in second halfstoppage time with a sequence on aWayne Rooney corner kick that ended with a goal forLucas Rodríguez. Toronto scored four unanswered goals in extra time, advancing with a 5–1 victory, with two goals fromJonathan Osorio and one apiece fromRichie Laryea andNick DeLeon.[7]
ThePhiladelphia Union hosted theNew York Red Bulls on the following day and fell behind with a 3–1 halftime lead for the visitors, who took advantage of mistakes by goalkeeperAndre Blake.[8] The Union responded with two unanswered goals in the second half to tie the match at full time. In first half stoppage time during extra time, substituteMarco Fabián scored from a chipped shot that gave the Union a 4–3 win, their first playoffs victory.[9]
| Toronto FC | 5–1 (a.e.t.) | D.C. United |
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| Report |
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| Minnesota United FC | 1–2 | LA Galaxy |
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| Report |
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| Los Angeles FC | 5–3 | LA Galaxy |
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| Report |
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There were 53 goals scored in 13 matches, with an average of 4.08 goals per match.
