It’s about to get very serious in Major League Soccer with the playoffs set to kick off this weekend.
Fourteen teams have entered the fray after a gruelling regular season, including CF Montreal, who are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
This year’s notable absentees are the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids (the two best teams in MLS last season), the Seattle Sounders (who’ve never before missed the playoffs), and Toronto FC (who have the highest payroll in the league).
Here’s what you need to know about the 2022 MLS post-season.
The playoff format
The Eastern and Western Conference winners – Philadelphia Union (19-5-10) and LAFC (21-9-4) – have first-round byes.
The opening round consists of six matches with the winners advancing. All playoff matches are single elimination, rather than two-legged affairs. Here is the first-round schedule:
Eastern Conference
Oct. 15, Noon ET: FC Cincinnati (12-9-13) at New York Red Bulls (15-11-8)
Oct. 16, 8:00 p.m. ET: Orlando City (14-14-6) at CF Montreal (20-9-5)
Oct. 17, 7:00 p.m. ET: Inter Miami (14-14-6) at New York City FC (16-11-9)
Western Conference
Oct. 15, 3:00 p.m. ET: Nashville SC (13-10-11) at LA Galaxy (14-12-8)
Oct. 16, 3:00 p.m. ET: Real Salt Lake (12-11-11) at Austin FC (16-10-8)
Oct. 17, 9:30 p.m. ET: Minnesota United (14-14-6) at FC Dallas (14-9-11)
The second round will see Philadelphia host the winner of the New York Red Bulls-Cincinnati series on Oct. 20, while the winner of the LA Galaxy-Nashville series visits LAFC on the same day
The Conference Finals are slated for Oct. 30. MLS Cup is scheduled to be hosted by the highest remaining seeded team on Nov. 5. As the regular season champions, LAFC has home field advantage all the way through the playoffs.
CF Montreal carrying Canadian hopes
Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps failed to make the playoffs, which means CF Montreal will serve as Canada’s lone representative in this year’s post-season.
It’s been a remarkable campaign for Montreal after it finished 10th in the Eastern Conference in 2021. Led by coach of the year candidate Wilfried Nancy, Montreal pushed the Philadelphia Union for first place in the East right until the last day of the season, finishing just two points back.
With 63 goals for, Montreal had the third-best attack in the East thanks in part to Honduran forward Romell Quioto’s 15 goals, as well as solid contributions from veteran striker Kei Kamar and United States international Djordje Mihailovic (nine goals apiece).
Montreal was one of the best teams in the league since July 17, winning 11 of 15 games with just one loss. It closed out the campaign on a four-game winning streak and a six-match unbeaten run. But the club’s exploits went largely unnoticed by the MLS media. Despite the lack of respect, defender Alistair Johnston insists Montreal is comfortable with being a team that few pundits are talking about.
“Being in a Canadian market you’re always put at a disadvantage. The MLS media is generally going to overlook you, especially if you’re not in Toronto. If you don’t play for TFC, you get overlooked more,” Johnston told Sportsnet.
“But at the same time, we’re not one of those teams that really needs those plaudits to know we’re doing something special… We’re perfectly fine being the ones that go under the radar because often you see in the playoffs it’s a team that not a lot of people are talking about that goes on a run, and you want to be a dark horse.”
Orlando beat Montreal 2-0 at home on Feb. 27 in the season opener for both clubs, but Montreal exacted revenge in a comprehensive 4-1 win over the Lions win at Stade Saputo on May 7.
“Orlando has some dangerous players. This is a team that consistently wins in the playoffs, they’ve already won the U.S. Open this year so they have that confidence. It’s a pretty veteran-heavy group that has a lot of playoff experience and we know it’s not going to be an easy out. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but it’s great that we’re playing this game at home, and I think that will play a huge part,” Johnston said.
Johnston: ‘No better way to prepare for a World Cup’
Johnston is one of three CF Montreal players –midfielder Samuel Piette and defender Kamal Miller are the others – who are sure bets to be named to Canada’s World Cup roster next month, while Ismaël Koné has a very good chance of making the cut, too.
The failure of Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps to make the playoffs means Canadian internationals Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Doneil Henry and Lucas Cavallini might not be going into the World Cup as game sharp as they should be.
No doubt that Canadian coach John Herdman hopes Montreal can go a lengthy playoff run, thus assuring Johnston and his MLS teammates will be in peak condition for Qatar.
“There’s no better way to prepare for a World Cup other than to play in the most competitive games possible. There’s no substitute for match fitness. A deep playoff run for us is great in terms of CF Montreal and the Canadian team, so it’s a win-win all around,” Johnston said.
Notable Canadians on other teams
Taking CF Montreal out of the picture, this year’s playoffs have plenty of Canadian content, with two members of the men’s national team featuring prominently on American clubs.
Maxime Crépeau (LAFC) and Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota) are regarded as two of the top goalkeepers in MLS.
Crépeau, a 28-year-old from Greenfield Park, Que., was fifth in the league with clean sheets (nine) and started 33 of 34 games this year, playing a starring role in LAFC winning the Supporters’ Shield, which goes to the team with the best record in the regular season. St. Clair, a 25-year-old from Pickering, Ont., was a workhorse for Minnesota, starting in 32 games and registering five shutouts.
Overlooked by Toronto FC for most of this season, Kentville, N.S. native Jacob Shaffelburg flourished following his loan move to Nashville SC in August, scoring two goals in eight appearances. Calgary-born forward Tesho Akindele bagged three goals in four starts for Orlando City in 2022.
But the Canadian to watch could just be fullback Raheem Edwards. The 27-year-old from Toronto was a breakout player in his first season with the LA Galaxy, scoring one goal and tallying six assists in 30 appearances.
LAFC and Philly the favourites, but don’t sleep on FC Dallas
All eyes will be on the Philadelphia Union and LAFC, as the Eastern and Western Conference winners will be considered the top two favourites in the playoffs. But don’t sleep on FC Dallas.
Dallas finished third in the West, but boasted the second-best defensive record in MLS with just 37 goals against in 34 games. Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Paes posted eight shutouts in 32 starts in his first MLS season, playing behind a team that was noted for playing mistake free soccer inside its half for the majority of the campaign.
Coach Nico Estevez’s deliberate system means Dallas routinely controls not only the pace of the game, but where the action on the pitch will unfold.
Gazdag was red hot down the home stretch, with 10 goals (including two hat tricks) in his last eight games. His hat trick and assist on the final day of the season in a 4-0 home win over Toronto FC helped Philadelphia clinch first place in the Eastern Conference. After being snubbed as a finalist for the league’s MVP award, Gazdag has extra motivation to go on a tear in the playoffs.
Player to watch: Philadelphia’s Dániel Gazdag
After a modest debut season in MLS in 2021, forward Dániel Gazdag broke out in a major way this year. The Hungarian international scored 22 goals (tied for second overall in MLS) and added 10 assists for the Union.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.