After clinching MLS playoff berths with regular-season-ending wins on Saturday, CF Montreal and Atlanta United will square off in the Eastern Conference’s wild-card match on Tuesday.
The winner of the contest in Montreal draws a tough assignment in East’s quarter-finals: a best-of-three series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, who set the league’s single-season point record. A hat-trick from Messi lifted Miami past the New England Revolution on Saturday, giving Miami a 22-4-8 mark, good for 74 points.
The Revolution set the old record of 73 points in 2021.
The conference quarter-finals will see teams face off at the home of the higher seed in Match 1 and (if necessary) Match 3, with the lower-seeded team hosting Match 2.
The defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, seeded second in the East, will face the New York Red Bulls in a quarter-final series. The other East quarter-final matchups consist of third-seeded FC Cincinnati vs. sixth-seeded New York City FC and fourth-seeded Orlando City v fifth-seeded Charlotte FC.
Los Angeles FC snagged the top seed in the Western Conference after beating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday and then seeing the Los Angeles Galaxy lose 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo on a goal in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Both Los Angeles teams wound up 19-8-7 for 64 points, but LAFC wound up first thanks to the goal-differential tiebreaker. LAFC were at plus-20, while the Galaxy finished at plus-19.
The Portland Timbers will visit the Vancouver Whitecaps in a single-match wild-card playoff on Wednesday, with the winner earning a best-of-three matchup against LAFC.
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In the other Western Conference quarter-final series, the Galaxy will oppose seventh-seeded Colorado Rapids, third-seeded Real Salt Lake will meet sixth-seeded Minnesota United and the fourth-seeded Seattle Sounders will go up against the fifth-seeded Dynamo.
The only quarter-final date that had been announced as of Saturday night was Miami hosting its first playoff match on Friday.
