2021 MLS Cup playoffs

Last updated

2021 MLS Cup Playoffs
2021 MLS Cup Playoffs logo.png
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
Canada
DatesNovember 20 – December 11
Teams14
Defending champions Columbus Crew
(did not qualify)
Final positions
Champions New York City FC (1st title)
Runner-up Portland Timbers
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Goals scored32 (2.46 per match)
Attendance299,891 (23,069 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Flag of Argentina.svg Valentín Castellanos
Flag of Germany.svg Hany Mukhtar
(3 goals each)
←  2020
2022  →

The 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2021 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) was the 26th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The tournament culminated the 2021 MLS regular season. The tournament began on November 20 and concluded with MLS Cup 2021 on December 11. [1]

Contents

The Columbus Crew were the defending MLS Cup champions, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference.

The 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs marked the first time since 2004 that no club from Texas qualified, and the first time ever that no club from California qualified. [2]

Qualified teams

Conference standings

The top seven teams in the Eastern and Western Conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the conference champions receiving second round byes. Background colors denote playoff teams, with green also qualifying for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.

Bracket

First round
November 20–21, 23 		Conference semifinals
November 25, 28, 30 		Conference finals
December 4–5 		MLS Cup
December 11
            
E1 New England Revolution 2 (3)
E4 New York City FC (p)2 (5)
E4 New York City FC 2
E5 Atlanta United FC 0
E4 New York City FC 2
Eastern Conference
E2 Philadelphia Union 1
E3 Nashville SC 3
E6 Orlando City SC 1
E3 Nashville SC 1 (0)
E2 Philadelphia Union (p)1 (2)
E2 Philadelphia Union (a.e.t.)1
E7 New York Red Bulls 0
E4 New York City FC (p)1 (4)
W4 Portland Timbers 1 (2)
W1 Colorado Rapids 0
W4 Portland Timbers 1
W4 Portland Timbers 3
W5 Minnesota United FC 1
W4 Portland Timbers 2
Western Conference
W7 Real Salt Lake 0
W3 Sporting Kansas City 3
W6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1
W3 Sporting Kansas City 1
W7 Real Salt Lake 2
W2 Seattle Sounders FC 0 (5)
W7 Real Salt Lake (p)0 (6)

Note: The higher seeded teams hosted matches, with the MLS Cup host determined by overall points.

First round

The second through fourth-seeded teams in each conference hosted the first-round matches. The team with the best record in each conference got a bye to the Conference Semifinals.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia Union 1–0 (a.e.t.) New York Red Bulls
Glesnes Soccerball shade.svg120+3' Report
Subaru Park , Chester
Attendance: 18,623
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
New York City FC 2–0 Atlanta United FC
Report
Yankee Stadium , New York City
Attendance: 25,267
Referee: Chris Penso
Nashville SC 3–1 Orlando City SC
Report Dike Soccerball shade.svg14'
Nissan Stadium , Nashville
Attendance: 26,043
Referee: Ismail Elfath

Western Conference

Sporting Kansas City 3–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Report Dájome Soccerball shade.svg39' (pen.)
Children's Mercy Park , Kansas City
Attendance: 19,817
Referee: Alan Kelly
Portland Timbers 3–1 Minnesota United FC
Report
Providence Park , Portland
Attendance: 22,533
Referee: Armando Villarreal

Conference semifinals

The higher-seeded teams in each match-up as determined by regular season ranking hosted the matches.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Colorado Rapids 0–1 Portland Timbers
Report Mabiala Soccerball shade.svg90'
Dick's Sporting Goods Park , Commerce City
Attendance: 17,438
Referee: Ted Unkel
Sporting Kansas City 1–2 Real Salt Lake
Russell Soccerball shade.svg24' (pen.) Report
Children's Mercy Park , Kansas City
Attendance: 21,650
Referee: Kevin Stott

Conference finals

The higher-seeded teams in each conference as determined by regular season ranking hosted the matches.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia Union 1–2 New York City FC
Callens Soccerball shade.svg63' (o.g.) Report
Subaru Park , Chester
Attendance: 19,487
Referee: Ted Unkel

Western Conference

Portland Timbers 2–0 Real Salt Lake
Report
Providence Park , Portland
Attendance: 25,218
Referee: Alan Kelly

MLS Cup 2021

The highest-ranked team remaining in the overall table (Portland Timbers) hosted the match.

Portland Timbers 1–1 (a.e.t.) New York City FC
Mora Soccerball shade.svg90+4' Report Castellanos Soccerball shade.svg41'
Penalties
2–4
Providence Park , Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Attendance: 25,218
Referee: Armando Villarreal

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals [4]
1 Flag of Argentina.svg Valentín Castellanos New York City FC 3
Flag of Germany.svg Hany Mukhtar Nashville SC
3 Flag of Argentina.svg Sebastián Blanco Portland Timbers 2
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Larrys Mabiala Portland Timbers
Flag of Chile.svg Felipe Mora Portland Timbers
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Tajon Buchanan New England Revolution 1
Flag of Poland.svg Adam Buksa New England Revolution
Flag of Venezuela.svg Jhonder Cádiz Nashville SC
Flag of Peru (state).svg Alexander Callens New York City FC
Flag of Colombia.svg Cristian Dájome Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Flag of the United States.svg Daryl Dike Orlando City SC
Flag of Argentina.svg Franco Fragapane Minnesota United FC
Flag of Hungary.svg Dániel Gazdag Philadelphia Union
Flag of Norway.svg Jakob Glesnes Philadelphia Union
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Isimat-Mirin Sporting Kansas City
Flag of Ecuador.svg Anderson Julio Real Salt Lake
Flag of Brazil.svg Talles Magno New York City FC
Flag of Argentina.svg Maximiliano Moralez New York City FC
Flag of Colombia.svg Santiago Moreno Portland Timbers
Flag of Uruguay.svg Santiago Rodríguez New York City FC
Flag of Scotland.svg Johnny Russell Sporting Kansas City
Flag of the United States.svg Khiry Shelton Sporting Kansas City
Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Wood Real Salt Lake
Flag of the United States.svg Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City

Related Research Articles

The 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs was the postseason to Major League Soccer's 2007 season, and it concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Houston Dynamo were victorious for the second season in a row, defeating the New England Revolution in the Final, also for the second year in a row.

The 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs were the postseason to Major League Soccer's 2008 season, and culminated with MLS Cup 2008 on November 23, 2008 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2009 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason to Major League Soccer's 2009 season. MLS Cup 2009 concluded the season on November 22, 2009, at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. Real Salt Lake won the Cup in penalties over the L.A. Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2011 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs was the sixteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 26 with the play-in round and concluded on November 20 with the championship match. It was the first playoff series to include ten clubs, two more than the traditional eight. Six of the ten teams earned a direct bye into the conference semifinals, while the four wildcard teams played a single-elimination match to earn a berth into the conference semis. These eight clubs played in a single-elimination tournament en route to playoffs championship MLS Cup 2011, which doubles as the league championship for the 2011 MLS season altogether.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2012 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs was the seventeenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 31, and culminated on December 1, 2012 with MLS Cup 2012, the seventeenth league championship for MLS, won by the Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 over Houston Dynamo. It was the second year that the playoffs included ten teams, and the first playoff series since 2006 in which teams cannot cross-conference brackets. The top five teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences of the league earned berths, with the top three clubs in each conference earning direct byes to the conference semifinals. The fourth and fifth-place finishers of both conferences played in a single-elimination play-in match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2013 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs was the eighteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began in late October and culminated on December 7, 2013, with MLS Cup 2013, the eighteenth league championship for MLS. This was the third year that the playoffs included ten teams, and the second playoff series since 2006 in which teams could not cross conference brackets. The top five teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences of the league earned berths, with the top three clubs in each conference earning direct byes to the conference semifinals. The fourth and fifth-place finishers of both conferences competed in a single-elimination play-in match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2014 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs was the nineteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began in late October and culminated on December 7, 2014 with MLS Cup 2014, the nineteenth league championship for MLS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2015 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs was the 20th post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 28 with D.C. United defeating New England Revolution and culminated on December 6, 2015, with MLS Cup 2015, the twentieth league championship match for MLS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2016 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 26, and ended on December 10 with MLS Cup 2016, the 21st league championship match for MLS. This was the 21st version of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2017 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 25 and ended on December 9 with MLS Cup 2017, the 22nd league championship match for MLS. This is the 22nd version of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. Twelve teams, the top six of each conference, compete in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2018 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs began on October 31 and ended on December 8 with MLS Cup 2018, the 23rd league championship match for MLS. This was the 23rd version of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. Twelve teams, the top six of each conference, competed in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The 2019 season was the 107th season of competitive soccer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2019 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 24th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2019 regular season. The playoffs began on October 19, 2019, and concluded with MLS Cup 2019 on November 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2020 edition of the MLS Cup playoffs tournament

The 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs was the 25th edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The tournament culminated the 2020 MLS regular season. The playoffs began on November 20 and concluded with MLS Cup 2020 on December 12.

The 2021 season was the 109th season of competitive soccer in the United States. A significant number of games scheduled for 2021 are matches postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLS Cup 2021</span> 2021 edition of the MLS Cup

MLS Cup 2021 was the 26th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) at the conclusion of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. The soccer match was played on December 11, 2021, at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was contested by hosts Portland Timbers and New York City FC to determine the champion of the 2021 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2022 edition of the MLS Cup playoffs tournament

The 2022 MLS Cup playoffs was the 27th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. The tournament culminated the 2022 MLS regular season. The tournament began on October 15 and concluded with MLS Cup 2022 on November 5, 16 days before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The 2023 season was the 111th year of organized competitive soccer in the United States. The season began with friendlies for the men's national team (USMNT) and women's national team (USWNT) in January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2023 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2023 MLS Cup playoffs was the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It was the 28th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2023 season. The playoffs began on October 25 and concluded with MLS Cup 2023 on December 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 MLS Cup playoffs</span> 2024 edition of the MLS playoffs

The 2024 MLS Cup playoffs is the post-season championship of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the 29th edition of the MLS Cup playoffs, the tournament culminating at the end of the 2024 season. The playoffs began on October 22 and will conclude with MLS Cup 2024 on December 7.

References

  1. ↑ "MLS announces Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs schedule". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ Creditor, Avi (November 7, 2021). "MLS Decision Day: No Playoffs for Defending Champ Columbus, California or Texas Teams". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ Serrano, Rodrigo (September 22, 2021). "New England Revolution first team in MLS to clinch playoff spot". Diario AS . PRISA . Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Stats". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.