Last Updated on November 13, 2023 7:58 pm by Erwin Noguera
MLS opted for a format never seen before in top-level professional soccer, since in the first round of the Playoffs it opted for a best of three series, leaving behind the customary round-robin.
This weekend the qualified teams for the quarterfinals were defined and the big blow came from Sporting Kansas City, which eliminated St. Louis City, one of the main candidates, with some ease.
Kansas took care of the Western Conference leaders and will now face Houston Dynamo, who defeated Real Salt Lake in a thrilling play-off.
Cincinnati, who did not accept any surprises, won the first two games against the New York Red Bulls, and will now face Philadelphia Union, who overcame the New England Revolution.
Orlando City took care of Nashville, winning the first two games 1-0. They will now face Columbus Crew, who took out Atlanta United.
Finally, Seattle Sounders defeated FC Dallas, and Los Angeles FC eliminated Vancouver, so they will face each other in the next stage.
Round Best of Three Series – Games
Houston Dynamo (4-3) 1-1 Real Salt Lake
Seattle Sounders 1-0 FC Dallas
New England Revolution 0-1 Philadelphia Union
Nashville 0-1 Orlando City
Vancouver Whitecaps 0-1 Los Angeles FC
Sporting Kansas City 2-1 St. Louis City
New York Red Bulls 1-2 Cincinnati
Columbus Crew 4-2 Atlanta United
MLS Best of Three Series: Louis City vs. Sporting KC
Moneyline odds:
St. Louis +330
Sporting KC -138
Draw +320
Where can I watch it?
Unexpected was what happened in the series between St. Louis City and Sporting Kansas City, as the Western Conference leaders were outplayed in both games.
The first match, in St. Louis, ended in a 4-1 victory for Kansas, with goals from Logan Ndenbe, Remi Walter, Gadi Kinda, and Daniel Salloi. The second matchup went to Sporting 2-1, thanks to goals from Ndenbe and Salloi.
In the regular season, St. Louis City scored 56 points, and Kansas City finished with 44, a 12-point difference between the two sides, but this was to no avail in the series.
The Missouri team was playing its first season and was in a Cinderella story. However, it did not finish as expected but it was a great debut. St. Louis City lost their last 4 games and in those matches none of their goal scorers like Joao Klauss (10), Nicholas Gioacchini (10), and Samuel Adeniran (8) were able to score.
Result: St Louis City 0-2 Sporting KC
MLS Best of Three Series: Orlando City vs. Nashville
Moneyline odds:
Orlando City +270
Nashville -102
Draw +250
Where can I watch it?
Orlando City is a serious team that has been going far in the MLS title race for several seasons now. In the first round, they had no problem in taking out Nashville.
Peruvian Wilder Cartagena scored the goal to win the first match 1-0, while the second game had the same result, but this time the hero was Colombian Ivan Angulo.
Orlando showed why it finished second in the East, only behind FC Cincinnati’s 69 points.
On the other hand, Nashville dropped a lot at the end of the regular season, partly because its star player, Hany Mukhtar, was not up to the task and had a negative peak in his performance.
Result: Orlando City 2-0 Nashville
MLS Best of Three Series: Cincinnati vs. NY Red Bulls
Moneyline odds:
Cincinnati +265
NY Red Bulls -102
Draw +270
Where can I watch it?
The great favorite to be MLS champion is FC Cincinnati, which was the team that scored the most points in the regular season and had no problems eliminating the New York Red Bulls, which got to this stage as eighth in the first round.
The ‘Orange and Blue’ were a steamroller in the first duel and won 3-0, with a brace from Argentine striker Álvaro Barreal and one more conversion from Luciano Acosta, who is having a tremendous season with 18 goals and 12 assists, fighting for MVP.
The second duel, in the ‘Big Apple’, ended 1-1 but in penalties the favorite triumphed by 8-7, after Andres Reyes missed his spot kick.
Result: FC Cincinnati 2-0 NY Red Bulls
MLS Best of Three Series: Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United
Moneyline odds:
Columbus +186
Atlanta United +117
Draw +300
Where can I watch it?
In one of the most evenly matched series, Columbus Crew is set to dispute the MLS title and although they had problems, they eliminated Atlanta United in the third game, as they won it 4-2.
The first game had been 2-0 favorable for Columbus, while the second was a 4-2 for Atlanta, so everything was decided in the last game and there they had no problems. Darlington Nagbe, Malte Amundsen, Alexandru Matan, and Diego Rossi were the heroes for Columbus, who must improve defensively, as they conceded six goals in three games.
Now in the quarterfinals, the opponent will be Orlando City, whom they already faced this year and could not beat in two games, losing one and tying the other. In addition, they have not beaten them since 2021.
Results: Columbus Crew 2-1 Atlanta United
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