MLS Cup Playoffs

The MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. 12 teams in total from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure exists in the case of equal records. Awarding the league championship through a postseason tournament differs from most other soccer leagues around the world where the team with the most points at the end of the season is deemed champion. MLS awards the regular season winners with the Supporters' Shield and a direct berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, the continental tournament. The regular season champion must be a U.S.-based club in order to receive direct entry to Champions League.

Playoff system
Starting 2015, the top six teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, playing in separate conference brackets. The first round of each conference has two one-off matches between the fourth- vs. fifth-place teams and the third- vs. sixth-, with the two higher seeds hosting. The lowest-seeded winner advances to play the conference's top seed, and the next-lowest playing the second in the Conference Semifinals. (This format matches that of the NFL Playoffs.)

The Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals are conducted in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format. The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the two-game, total-goals Conference Finals. Since 2014 the away goals rule is used. In both rounds the lower-seeded team hosts Game One and the higher-seeded team Game Two. If the teams are tied after two games (180 minutes) in the Conference Semifinals or Finals, the team which scored more goals away from home advances. If there is still a tie after the away goals rule is applied, a 30-minute overtime period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by a penalty kick shootout, if necessary. The away goals rule does not apply to goals scored in the overtime period.

Qualification
12 teams qualify for the playoffs: the top six teams in each conference that have the most points in the standings at the end of the 34-game regular season.

The seeding is as follows:


 * The top six teams in each conference are seeded first to sixth in their respective six-team playoff conference brackets.
 * Top two teams get byes; third through sixth place teams in each conference play in the first round.

Tie-breaking procedures
If two teams finish the regular season with an equal number of points, the following system is used to break the tie:


 * 1) most wins
 * 2) goal differential
 * 3) goals for
 * 4) fewest disciplinary points
 * 5) road goals
 * 6) road goal differential
 * 7) home goals
 * 8) home goal differential
 * 9) coin toss/draw of lots

'''Note:
 * Unlike previous seasons, head-to-head competition results will not be used as a tie-breaker, since the 2012 season.
 * If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.

MLS playoff records

 * Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny folded after completion of the 2001 season
 * Chivas USA folded after completion of the 2014 season
 * Updated March 14, 2015