With the dramatic Wild Card round behind us, attention can fully shift to the lengthy, best-of-three opening round series in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
It may be quite the slog for players and fans alike, but you can’t argue with the feast of football. Let’s dig into the main talking points from each series in the Eastern Conference.
Inter Miami vs Atlanta United
Making history is the theme to Inter Miami’s season, and they can make more with a deep run in the playoffs this fall. The Herons head into the postseason off the back of record-breaking, Supporters Shield winning campaign in which they won 22 of 34 games, scoring a staggering 79 goals across the campaign — lead, of course, by the magic duo of Lionel Messi and Luis Súarez.
Atlanta, on the other hand, have had to fight tooth and nail to make it to the opening round of the playoffs. After seemingly stealing a result on penalties in Montréal on Tuesday to book their ticket to the first round, they may just come into the postseason with an ‘us against the world’ mentality.
Brooks Lennon, Saba Lobzhanidze, Aleksei Miranchuk are they keys to any Five Stripes success, but they will need a miracle to win two of three potential games against a red-hot Inter Miami side.
Despite all that, Atlanta did storm into south Florida and beat Miami 4-1 back in March, and held them to a draw in Atlanta just a month ago. They seem to have discovered a way to hang with the Herons.
OneFootball Prediction: Miami win in two games
Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls
Columbus are in the the hunt for yet another trophy to add to their cabinet from a sterling last 18 months. Wilfried Nancy’s side have been by far the slickest machine in the North America since winning MLS Cup in 2023, and they will have their sights set on a repeat of that feat this fall.
The Red Bulls however, have found themselves stuck in a cycle of over-reliance on Emil Forsberg, and without his goals could well have missed out on the playoffs altogether. But an opening round tie with the reigning champions is the perfect platform for the likes of Lewis Morgan, and co. to help carry the load.
The likes of Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernández always seem to find a way to win in knockout games for the Crew, and they should do that in quick succession if they are at the top of their game in the opening round.
OneFootball Prediction: Columbus win in two games
FC Cincinnati vs NYCFC
It is perhaps the most exciting tie in the first round for the Eastern Conference, and with players like Lucho Acosta, Maxi Moralez, and Alonso MartÃnez involved, we may get plenty of goals.
After winning the Supporters Shield last season but failing to get over the final hurdle and make an MLS Cup Final, Cincinnati will be keen on rediscovering that hot-streak and proving why they nearly swept the year-end awards last season.
NYCFC can’t be slept on despite being the lower-ranked team in the tie. Their attacking power in the back-half of the season made them near-untouchable on their night, highlighted by a 5-1 thumping in the Hudson River Derby away from home.
Do not be shocked to see a surprise conference finalist come from this matchup.
OneFootball Prediction: FC Cincinnati win in three games
Orlando City vs Charlotte FC
Dean Smith’s Charlotte side are perhaps the biggest shock of the MLS season after choosing not to spend big in either transfer window, instead relying on their young core of Patrick Agyemang and Kerwin Vargas to lead them through most of the season. But with the return of Karol Åšwiderski and the addition of Liel Abada, they perhaps have more firepower than expected in the postseason.
Orlando however, were MLS’ hottest team from July onwards, winning 10 of their final 14 games to race from outside of the playoffs to a top-four finish. Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire finished the campaign with 24 goals and nine assists between, and it’s that duo that could lead Orlando on a surprise deep run.
While this is the 4/5 matchup in the conference, it may actually be more one-sided than it looks thanks, in large part, to Orlando’s wicked form to close out the campaign.
OneFootball Prediction: Orlando win in two games
