MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup goes through Lionel Messi, Inter Miami – USA TODAY

The 18-team field is set for the 2024 edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
After setting a league record for the most points scored in a single season, Inter Miami CF will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Lionel Messi aims to add another trophy to his impressive collection — MLS Cup would be a 47th trophy won for club or country by Messi after Inter Miami won the Supporters’ Shield earlier this month for his 46th trophy.
Some worthy challengers could interrupt Messi and Miami’s road to glory. The Columbus Crew are the defending league champions and coach Wilfried Nancy’s club will be striving to be the first repeat MLS Cup winner since 2012.
The 2022 MLS Cup winners, Los Angeles FC, bring a talented group into the postseason for what they hope is a third consecutive MLS Cup run.
And it’s been a decade since the LA Galaxy last won MLS Cup, but the resurgent club seems determined to return to its prior glory.
Here’s a look at the MLS playoff teams, seeds and matchups:
Eastern Conference playoff seeds
Western Conference playoff seeds
These are the MLS playoff matchups through the first round (all games available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) …
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Wild-card match:
Round 1 (best-of-three series):
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Wild-card match:
Round 1 (best-of-three series):
MLS CUP: Ranking every Major League Soccer championship game
Here is the full playoff schedule in bracket form from MLSsoccer.com.
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