New York Red Bulls keep 14-season playoff streak alive, while Charlotte sneak in with a narrow 1-0 win over already-eliminated Inter Miami… but who else joins them in MLS postseason and who will be having an early offseason with Lionel Messi?
- Inter Miami was already eliminated from postseason contention earlier this month
- Both conferences will now hold their respective play-in games on Wednesday
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The final day of the MLS regular season proved to be not only busy but also stressful for several teams as the New York Red Bulls and Charlotte FC emerged as the winners, but who else will join them in the playoffs and who will join Inter Miami on the sidelines in the offseason?
A string of fine saves from Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, including an insane free kick in the second half of Saturday night’s 1-0 win, kept his team’s status in the postseason in check. fixed. Whether they won or not, the Herons had already been eliminated from the playoffs after a 1-0 loss to Cincinnati earlier this month.
But Miami’s match against Charlotte wasn’t the only game to impact the picture of the MLS playoffs, as CF Montreal was knocked out of postseason contention in the cruellest of ways after a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew and a dramatic New York match. York Red Bulls win.
The Red Bulls were awarded a penalty in injury time against Nashville at Geodis Park to claim a 1–0 win and leapfrog the Impact as No. 8 in the Eastern Conference – one of two play-in seeds – after tiebreakers.
They now face The Crown on Wednesday night to determine which of the East’s two play-in teams will receive a spot in the first round of the playoffs.
Lionel Messi will not feature in the MLS Playoffs with Miami after finishing the season as the No. 11 seed
The New York Red Bulls earned a dramatic 1-0 victory against Nashville to clinch a play-in game
Red Bulls defender John Tolkin coolly converted his penalty (90+4′) to ensure the club’s play-off streak would last fourteen consecutive seasons
The Red Bulls’ dramatic win and their own loss to Columbus saw the Montreal Impact crash out
Elsewhere, NYCFC’s 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire was not enough to see the Blues reach the postseason, with Chicago also being eliminated.
Columbus finished the season as the East’s No. 3 seed and will next face No. 6-ranked Atlanta. Atlanta will be without Thiago Almada for the first leg of the first round next week in Ohio.
Supporters’ Shield winners Cincinnati, Orlando City, the Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution and Nashville are the other teams guaranteed a place in the top seven, meaning they have all automatically qualified for the play-offs.
As the conference’s No. 1 seed, Cincinnati will face the winner of the Red Bulls-Charlotte game, while No. 2 Orlando City will host Nashville – No. 7. The Union – the No. 4 seed – will face the Revolution – the No. 5 seed – was also at home in the first round of the postseason.
In the West, St. Louis City finished its first season in MLS as the conference’s top-ranked team despite losing Saturday night to second-place Seattle.
Sporting Kansas City and San Jose took eighth and ninth spots, respectively — both play-in seeds. Kansas defeated Minnesota with an impressive 3-1 victory and the Earthquakes earned a 1-1 draw against Austin FC to save their seasons by the best of margins.
New York will play Charlotte FC on Wednesday to determine who will advance to Round 1 of the playoffs
Like the Impact, the Portland Timbers were outscored on the final day of the regular season after a 3-1 loss to Houston, but started the day as the West’s No. 8 seed.
Sporting Kansas City players celebrate after beating Minnesota to reach the playoffs
Kansas plays San Jose on Wednesday to determine who makes the playoffs
The Portland Timbers’ 3-1 home loss to the Houston Dynamo dropped them from eighth to 10th and effectively dropped them from the postseason picture, allowing Kansas and San Jose to skip them.
Sporting Kansas City and the Earthquakes will now battle it out on Wednesday in a play-in game, as will Charlotte and the Red Bulls, to determine who makes it to the first round of the playoffs.
The winner of that game will face St. Louis City (No. 1). Seattle – No. 2 – takes on FC Dallas – the West’s No. 7 – at home.
LAFC, which finished third, will host the No. 6 Vancouver Whitecaps, while Houston (No. 4) will face Real Salt Lake City in the first round of the postseason.