MLS Cup Playoffs 2014 Begins

Another MLS Season comes to a close, and before even more expansions and off season moves are afoot, 10 teams remain with one goal in mind: The MLS Cup

Playoffs are an American thing. Probably not the best way to put (especially since Canada can claim to have as much of a connection to playoffs as the USA) it but it's the easiest way for me to defend the playoffs format. Australia's Hyundai A-League, Mexico's Liga MX, and England's Football League Championship (between the 3rd-6th place teams to determine the 3rd and final promoted team that season) are just a few examples of league around the world who use some sort of playoff format in soccer. There is an argument that there needs to be some more important recognition for the team that won the regular season since that shows which team from start to finish was "the best". Well for that in the MLS we have the Supporters Shield, which the Seattle Sounders won this season, along with the right to compete in the 2015-2016 CONCACAF Champions League. So it's not like winning the season isn't important and only finishing in the top 5 in the West or East is. Plus the higher seed gets homefield advantage. But this is just the way we do things here in the USA and Canada, that's just how it is. Growing up watching playoffs in other sports such as the NBA and NFL, I can't imagine the MLS any other way.

So who made the playoffs? Unfortunately the San Jose Earthquakes didn't, and other notable absences include the high spending Toronto FC, Vancouver and Seattle's Cascadia rival Portland Timbers, and playoff regular and 2011+2012 MLS Cup runners up Houston Dynamo.

West
1.Seattle Sounders
2.LA Galaxy (4-time Champions, 3-time runners up)
3.Real Salt Lake (1-time Champions)
4.FC Dallas (1-time runners up)
5.Vancouver Whitecaps

East
1.DC United (4-time Champions, 1-time runners up)
2.New England Revolution (4-time runners up)
3.Columbus Crew (1-time Champions)
4.New York Red Bulls (1-time runners up)
5.Sporting Kansas City (Defending Champions, also 2-time Champions and 1-time runners up)

First up on October 29th is FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps. Whitecaps are the only of 3 Canadian teams to make it to the playoffs, while FC Dallas can exist in the playoffs out of the more successful Texas team's shadow. It'll be an interesting matchup but it'll be tough for the Whitecaps's defense to survive FC Dallas's attacking talent so I see FC Dallas coming out on top.

Red Bulls vs. SKC appears to be the more interesting of the two wildcard matchups, with more recognizable names by European fans such as Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry, as well as US soccer fans such as Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. Interestingly these two teams met in the last game of the season as well which decided the seeding. It ended in a NYRB victory, and there's no reason why the story should change this time around. A lot has changed in a year. NYRB look stronger, SKC look a bit weaker, and in what could be Thierry Henry's final season, the Red Bulls aren't about to let their Playoffs run end at the first hurdle.

This is only the beginning of what can be an exciting playoffs. Fans who more commonly follow leagues such as La Liga or Barclays Premier League may see little purpose in following along. The players in MLS aren't exactly as talented as those from bigger European clubs and leagues but it's still an exciting time of the season and it's worth giving it a go.