2024 MLS Cup Playoffs are underway

The GIST: The quest for the 2024 MLS Cup is officially underway, but while you’ll have to wait until Friday to see Lionel Messi’s MLS postseason debut with Eastern Conference top-seed Inter Miami CF, fantastic postseason footy is already…afoot. Let’s kick it.

How it works: The playoffs begin with a whirlwind 48-hour single-elimination Wild Card round, which began last night and wraps tonight. The Wild Card operates like the NBA’s play-in tournament and sees the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences battle on their respective coasts to clinch the final two Round One spots.

• Round One is best-of-three and begins on Friday, possibly lasting until November 10th. In Round One, the winner of each Wild Card game will face the top seed in their conference, the No. 2 seed will play the No. 7 seed, and so on.

• After that, it’s back to single-elimination for the Conference Semis and Finals, with the winning teams from the East and West battling for the MLS Cup on December 7th. The soccer truly never stops.

The Wild Card games: No. 9 Atlanta United clinched the Eastern Conference Wild Card berth last night, topping No. 8 CF Montréal 5-4 in penalties after the Canadian squad’s tremendous second-half comeback evened the score at 2–2 in regulation. It’s all about how you finish.

• Wednesday is for the West Coast with No. 8 Vancouver Whitecaps FC taking on the No. 9 Portland Timbers at 10:30 p.m. ET.

• Though the ever-consistent Whitecaps are the higher seed, the game will be played in Rose City due to a scheduling conflict, giving the inconsistent but recently victorious Timbers an unexpected postseason pick-me-up.