LAFC book their place in 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs: which teams have qualified?

Carlos Vela’s Los Angeles FC were undisputedly the best team in MLS in 2022, claiming a clean sweep of victories in the Western Conference, the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup itself, clinched with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Philadelphia Union.

Things haven’t gone quite as smoothly for Steve Cherundolo’s team this season, but Wednesday’s 5-1 thrashing of Minnesota United means they have secured a spot in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, giving them the chance to become the fourth team in history to lift the trophy in consecutive years.

Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga was again the star of the show, downing The Loons with a hat-trick at BMO Stadium and helping end his team’s four-match winless streak. LAFC have moved above Real Salt Lake into third spot in the Western Conference and now have 48 points, with the remaining fixtures meaning they have all but qualified directly for Round One of the Playoffs.

How do the MLS Cup Playoffs work?

The MLS Cup Playoffs are essentially two different knockout competitions, one for the Eastern Conference and another for the Western Conference.

Eight teams from each qualify for Round One, which is effectively the quarter-finals. The winners of those one-off matches progress to the semi-finals, which produce two finalists. The Eastern Conference winners then take on the Western Conference winners for the 2023 MLS Cup.

The top seven teams from each Conference qualify for Round One, with the one remaining spot decided by the wild card round, which sees the teams finishing eighth and ninth face off in a single match.

Which teams have qualified from the Western Conference?

St. Louis City became the first team in the Western Conference to clinch their Playoffs spot and can’t be caught at the top of the standings. As well as LAFC, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo confirmed their participation in the post-season tournament by virtue of Wednesday’s results.

Which teams have qualified from the Eastern Conference?

In the Eastern Conference, runaway leaders and Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati have long since qualified and have been joined in recent weeks by Orlando City, Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, New England Revoltuion, Atlanta United and Nashville SC.

Which teams have been eliminated?

Only two teams (Toronto FC in the east, Colorado Rapids in the west) have no hope of making the wild card round, although some, including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and former champions LA Galaxy, need a minor miracle to do so.