Schedule, playoff round, how to watch

The 2024 MLS season reaches its climax: Decision Day concludes the regular season and determines the playoff picture with 14 games on Saturday.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have already secured first place in the Eastern Conference by winning the Supporters Shield on October 2nd. In the Western Conference, the LA Galaxy – who have had a miserable 2023 season – need just one point to secure the No. 1 seed. 1 seed. However, the Galaxy face a difficult road game against the Houston Dynamo, while the only team that can catch them (city rivals LAFC) hosts the basement-based San Jose Earthquakes.

The biggest drama will be in the East, where four teams will fight for the final two playoff spots. DC United and CF Montréal both enter Saturday with 40 points, while Philadelphia Union and Atlanta United are behind on 37 points (Toronto FC is tied with those teams, but in a 29-team league they are the odd team out , and have completed). already their regular season). DC and Montreal both have home games, but if either lost, the door would be open for Philadelphia or Atlanta to dramatically clinch a playoff spot at the last moment.

Here's what you need to know for MLS Decision Day and the 2024 MLS Playoffs schedule.

MLS Decision Day schedule

Always east. Home teams listed first.

Chicago Fire vs. Nashville SC – 6 p.m
DC United vs. Charlotte FC – 6 p.m
Inter Miami vs. New England Revolution – 6 p.m
CF Montreal vs. New York City FC – 6 p.m
New York Red Bulls vs. Columbus Crew – 6 p.m
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United – 6 p.m
Philadelphia Union vs. FC Cincinnati – 6 p.m
Austin FC vs. Colorado Rapids – 9 p.m
FC Dallas vs. Sporting Kansas City – 9 p.m
Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy – 9 p.m
LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes – 9 p.m
Minnesota United vs. St. Louis City SC – 9 p.m
Real Salt Lake vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – 9 p.m
Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers – 9 p.m

MLS news: Messi is likely to come off the bench as Inter Miami seeks their points record

2024 MLS playoff round

Nine teams from each conference will qualify for the 2024 MLS Playoffs. The structure includes a single-elimination wild card round, followed by the best-of-three Round 1. From then on, the single-game format returns for the conference Semifinals, the Conference Finals and the MLS Cup (with the higher ranking).

Wild Card Round

With the teams involved still in limbo, MLS has not yet finalized its playoff schedule. The Wild Card round will be played October 22-23, with the No. 8 seed hosting the No. 9 seed in both conferences.

East No. 8 vs. East No. 9
West No. 8 vs. West No. 9

Round 1

MLS will announce dates and times for the first round of the playoffs at a later date. The higher seeded team in each pairing will host Game 1 and (if necessary) Game 3. Game 2 will be hosted by the lower seeded team. There will be no draw or extra time in this round; If the scores are even after regulation play, the winner will be determined by penalty kicks.

The first round begins on Friday, October 25th and runs until Sunday, November 10th.

Eastern Conference

Winner of the Inter Miami vs. East Wild Card round
Columbus Crew vs. No. 7 East
FC Cincinnati vs. No. 6 East
East No. 4 vs. East No. 5

In the East the three top seeds are fixed. Orlando City, New York City FC, Charlotte FC and the New York Red Bulls have all secured playoff spots, but their seeding depends on the results of Decision Day.

Western Conference

West No. 1 vs. West Wild Card winner
West No. 2 vs. West No. 7
West No. 3 vs. West No. 6
West No. 4 vs. West No. 5

In the West, the nine playoff teams have been determined. However, sowing is completely up in the air. The Galaxy and LAFC will take the top two spots, while the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake will fight for third and fourth spots. The Houston Dynamo can finish in fifth or sixth place, while the Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers enter Decision Day just four points apart.

Conference semifinals

The MLS playoffs are interrupted by a FIFA international window, during which clubs are required to release players for national team use. All four conference semifinal games will take place Nov. 23-24, with pairings and times to be determined.

Highest Remaining Seed in the East vs. Lowest Remaining Seed in the East
East second highest remaining seed vs. East second lowest remaining seed
The highest remaining seed in the West vs. the lowest remaining seed in the West
West with the second highest remaining seed vs. West with the second lowest remaining seed

Conference finals

Both conference finals will be played from November 30th to December 30th. 1, with the last two remaining teams from each conference playing at the higher seed's stadium.

Highest Remaining Seed in the East vs. Lowest Remaining Seed in the East
The highest remaining seed in the West vs. the lowest remaining seed in the West

MLS Cup 2024

The MLS Cup pits the two conference champions in a single-game final, with the team with the best record hosting the game. The game is scheduled for Saturday, December 7th.

Eastern Conference champions vs. Western Conference champions

How to watch MLS Decision Day

All 14 MLS Decision Day games will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.

Fans trying to keep track of multiple games at once can also tune in to MLS 360, a live broadcast show that jumps to key moments in the league as games are played.