The first week of the MLS playoffs have been fun to watch, specifically the matches featuring inherent rivalries, like Hell is Real opponents FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew or FC Dallas taking on Vancouver in the East.
As we head into this weekend’s matchups, many that feature teams heading into what could be deciding Game 2 scenarios, here are the three questions fans should be pondering before the games kick off.
Is Philly still a favorite?
As the No. 1 seed in the East, the Union have a bullseye on their collective backs, no question. But many fans were surprised that the group had to go to penalty kick shootouts to defeat No. 8 seed Chicago — at home. Philadelphia was up 2-0 before a Fire barrage forced PKs, which saw longtime goalkeeper Andre Blake deliver a pair of clutch saves and substitute Jesus Bueno deliver the knockout blow the Union needed to now head into Chicago for Game 2 with a game in the bag on Saturday (5:30 p.m., ET, Apple TV+).
Still, for anyone watched that game, it was surprising to see the Union falter late which has to make you wonder — just how formidable are they to make this run for the long haul to the MLS Cup final? Saturday should tell us a whole lot.
Who’s going to stop LAFC?
The Los Angeles Football Club look like the team to beat in the West. Sure, it’s only been one game and their win over Austin FC took some work, but take the scoreline out of it. Their ability to create chances seemingly at will is impressive. They entered the playoffs with one of the most potent attacking corps in the league, second statistically only to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and its largely fed by the play of star striker Son Heung-Min. The Tottenham legend has been on a tear since joining MLS and his play in Game 1 of the Best-of-3 against Austin landed him Man of the Match honors and it’s not hard to see why.
Coupled that with the fact that he’s a tandem alongside French forward Denis Bouanga, and it’s been tough for teams to stop either alone, much less when they are playing in lockstep like they were in Game 1. The series heads to Austin now for a Sunday night showdown (8:45 p.m. ET, FS1) that easily looks like LAFC could move on unless Austin can find a solution.
Major League Soccer has to get its ever-evolving playoff structure figured out. Why are there penalty kick shootouts in Game 1 of a three-game series? Why call it a series if you can decide winners definitively on penalty kicks? MLS’ decision to hold its playoff like this hurts two things. One, it waters down the game for soccer fans who can actually comprehend things like aggregate and goal differentials, which is how series matchups, like say how UEFA Champions League legs are structured.
Two, it caters to casual viewers who need to see a definitive winner, when that’s not how its done. If you want to make it that way, it’s clear these games don’t need to go to a Best-of-3 scenario.
Make it one game, winner takes all and moves on. But that structure would find MLS losing major dollars on ticketing revenue, but more importantly TV deals with Apple and Fox who have signed up to showcase MLS for the long haul. However, it’s clear after watching a pair of games go to penalties, that there has to be a better way.
