FRISCO, Texas — It took FC Dallas all the way until Decision Day – the final match day of the regular season – to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Frisco-based club had numerous opportunities to clinch the postseason, but tied in five straight games before the 4-1 win in Los Angeles to rise into the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference. Now, FC Dallas has a familiar postseason foe on the slate: No. 2 seed Seattle Sounders.
FC Dallas and Seattle are no strangers to each other, having played against each other in in five of the last nine postseasons. The Toros have not faired well against Seattle in the playoffs.
FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders in 2023
FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders playoff history
- 2020: Seattle wins 1-0
- 2019: Seattle wins 4-3 (overtime)
- 2016: Two-leg aggregate
- Game 1: Seattle 3, FC Dallas 0 in Seattle
- Game 2: Seattle 1, FC Dallas 2
- Seattle advanced on aggregate score
- 2015: Two-leg aggregate
- Game 1: Seattle 2, FC Dallas 1 in Seattle
- Game 2: Seattle 1, FC Dallas 2 (overtime) in Frisco
- FC Dallas advanced on penalty kicks after Game 2 (4-2)
- 2014: Two-leg aggregate
- Game 1: Seattle 1, FC Dallas 1 in Frisco
- Game 2: Seattle 0, FC Dallas 0 in Seattle
- Seattle advanced on an away goal
You'll notice the playoff format in MLS has changed over the years, and that is also the case in 2023. From 2016 to 2022, the MLS worked on a single elimination bracket system, with the number of qualifying teams varying as the league grew and added new teams. From 2016 to 2018, six teams from each conference made the playoffs, which grew to seven each in 2019, 2021 and 2022 (2020 had an expanded field due to COVID-19).
In 2023, MLS made some tweaks to the structure again.
Who qualifies for the MLS playoffs?
Eighteen teams qualify for the MLS playoffs, including the top nine teams each from the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The bottom two seeds, No. 8 and No. 9 in each conference, qualify for Wild Card matches.
Seeds No. 1 through No. 7 will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-3 series.
When do the playoffs take place?
Four rounds will be played throughout the playoffs, ending with the MLS Cup match.
- Wild Card matches: Oct. 25-26
- Round One Best-of-3 series matches: Oct. 28 through Nov. 12
- Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals: Nov. 25 through Dec. 3
- MLS Cup: Dec. 9
Wild Card matches
New York Red Bulls beat Charlotte FC in the Eastern Conference wild card. Sporting KC beat San Jose in penalty kicks to advance in the West.
Round One Best-of-3 series
Round One will be a best-of-3 series, the first team to win two matches will advance.
Every game will have a winner; no ties. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played. The teams will participate in kicks from the penalty spot to get a winner.
The higher seed will host matches one and three, if necessary. The lower seed will host match two.
Matchups will be:
- No. 1 vs. No. 8 or 9
- No. 2 vs. No. 7
- No. 3 vs. No. 6
- No. 4 vs. No. 5
Here's what that looks like on each side:
Western Conference
- St. Louis CITY vs. Sporting KC
- Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas
- LAFC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
- Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
Eastern Conference
- FC Cincinnati vs. New York Red Bulls
- Orlando City SC vs. Nashville SC
- Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United
- Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution
Conference Semifinals
The semifinals will be single-elimination matches that will be hosted by the higher seeds.
In this match, if the score remains tied at the end of regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score remains tied, teams will determine the winner via a penalty kick shootout.
Matchups will be:
- Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 series vs. winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 series
- Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 series vs. winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 series
This means, if FC Dallas were to beat Seattle in the best-of-three series, they'd play the winner of LAFC and Vancouver Whitecaps in a single elimination match.
Conference Finals
The Conference Finals will also be single-elimination matches, hosted by the higher seed.
If the match remains tied after regulation, the rules will remain the same as the semifinals.
The winner of each match will advance to the MLS Cup.
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup will be a single match on Dec. 9, hosted by the higher seed.
The match will have the same rules as the conference semifinals and finals if the score remains tied at the end of regulation.
St. Louis has not announced when tickets will go on sale for the Round One Best-of-3 Series as of Oct. 4. The regular season will conclude on Oct. 21 for all MLS teams.
Find more information on the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs here.
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