The Portland Timbers will face the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Playoffs on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 (10/23/24) at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

HOW TO WATCH: Fans can Watch on Apple TV+through a subscription to the MLS Season Pass.

Here's what you need to know:

What: MLS playoffs

WHO: Portland Timbers vs Vancouver Whitecaps

When: Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Time: 10:30 p.m

Where: Providence Park

TV: N/A

Live stream: Apple TV+

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Here's a recent football story from the AP:

Here's a recent AP story on the MLS playoffs:

Buoyed by the Messi Effect, Major League Soccer achieved record attendance and increased sponsorship revenue this season.

With the conclusion of the regular season, MLS reported a 5% increase in viewership on Tuesday compared to last year, with a league-wide total of 11.45 million. That's an increase of 14% compared to 2022.

There were more than 70,000 fans in attendance for two games and more than 50,000 for five games. At a game in April at Arrowhead Stadium, 72,610 spectators were in attendance to watch Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play Sporting Kansas City.

The average was a league record 23,234 per game. Ten teams set or exceeded attendance records and there were a record 213 sold-out games. Even if Messi's away games were excluded, the average attendance would still be an MLS best.

MLS expects nearly 12 million fans to attend this season's games between now and the playoffs, which begin this week.

There is no doubt that the league's superstar attraction is Messi, the clear front-runner for the league's MVP award this season. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 20 goals and 10 assists in just 19 games this season. Inter Miami won the Supporters Shield for the best regular season record with 74 points, one more than New England when it set the record in 2021.

“He definitely helped expose us to a global audience and he definitely piqued the interest of sports fans in our country,” said Chris McGowan, head of the club performance and optimization group at MLS. “Our clubs have done an incredible job of taking advantage of that and understanding that players don’t play forever. We have the best players ever in our league, so we have to be on our guard to take advantage of that.”

But while Messi has certainly played a big part in the league's growth since his arrival at Inter Miami last year, McGowan also cited other factors, including the fan experience in the league's stadiums, fueled by enthusiastic fan groups.

“People just see a great environment now when they attend our games across the league,” McGowan said. “The crowd is full of energy. There are a lot of great things happening at the venue. It’s just a fun time on a Saturday night and people really take note of that.”

This season's league success is not just at the box office level.

MLS also reported Tuesday that MLS and the league's marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, saw a 13% increase in sponsorship revenue year-to-date, the same increase at the individual club level. Eighteen new sponsors joined MLS this year.

The league is also increasing its social media reach, with a 26 percent increase in followers on TikTok, a 21 percent increase on YouTube and a 10 percent increase on Instagram.

The postseason begins Tuesday night with a wild card game between Atlanta United and Montreal – the winner of that game will face Messi and Miami in the first round.

The Portland Timbers host Vancouver in the other wild card game on Wednesday.