Major League Soccer’s Decision Day (the final match week of the regular season) came and went this past Sunday and served as the perfect precursor to the main event: we have absolutely no idea how this’ll all pan out. You’ll find our how to watch MLS Playoffs 2018 and a knockout round preview below.
Last weekend, the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 win over Minnesota United — coupled with Real Salt Lake’s 0-3 defeat to Portland — seemed to all but guarantee Zlatan’s side a place in the playoffs. The route was clear: defeat the Houston Dynamo, the West’s 10th-place side, at home, and the Galaxy would be in.
Anything less and it was all over.
27 minutes into the first half, the Galaxy took control through Ola Kamara with Romain Alessandrini providing the assist.
Alphonso Davies signed off on his Vancouver Whitecaps career with a sensational solo strike in the club’s match against the Portland Timbers on Sunday. Vancouver had already been eliminated from playoff contention and used the season finale at BC Place as a send-off to the 17-year-old, who joined the club’s residency program in 2015.
Wayne Rooney’s time at DC United has been, to put it bluntly, special. The club’s season has done a 180 since his debut in mid-July. Before Rooney (the “BR/AR” era should certainly be a way of measuring time from now on if you’re a DC soccer or general MLS fan), DC United was having a season to forget. Now, just last week they secured a playoff spot.
Atlanta United has announced that after cooperative negotiations between the club and manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino concerning a contract extension beyond the 2018 season, the 55-year-old Argentine coach has elected to decline the offer and move on following the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
After setting the MLS attendance record in 2017 and putting five players in the list of top-selling jerseys throughout the year (including top-seller Miguel Almiron), Atlanta’s again set the attendance record in 2018 (including a single-season total record of 901,033 fans and a per-game average record of 53,002) while also putting a league-best five players in the top 25 jersey sales department.
After finishing 15th out of 22 sides during the 2017 MLS season, no one expected miracles from first-year coach Brad Friedel in 2018, despite his standing as arguably the finest playing export in U.S. soccer history. And so it’s proven for the 47-year-old, whose side will likely finish the season in 16th place this time around.
Minnesota United drew a record crowd for its final home match at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, and although the 50,000+ in attendance weren’t just there to watch Zlatan Ibrahimovic play (although that’s what Zlatan would have you believe), the big Swede delivered during a rare appearance on turf — he scored the first goal in the 30th minute and delivered an inch-perfect assist for the Galaxy’s third in the 3-1 win.
The ridiculous transformation that D.C. United’s experienced since the arrival of Wayne Rooney reached a fitting conclusion today with a 3-1 victory over New York City FC and a berth in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Rooney scored twice for United and strike partner Luciano Acosta was also on the scoresheet before David Villa struck a late consolation goal on a celebratory day at Audi Field.