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MLS playoff clinching scenarios for Wednesday night’s games

Last weekend, three teams — the Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati and LA Galaxy — joined Inter Miami CF in the 2024 MLS postseason field.

On Wednesday night, three more teams can clinch playoff berths:

Win and FC Dallas loss or tie

Win and FC Dallas loss or tie, and Austin FC loss or tie

Win and Austin FC loss

MLS Matchday 33: What are Wednesday night’s games?

(All games available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV)

Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m. ET
New England Revolution vs. CF Montréal, 7:30 p.m. ET
New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. ET
Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. ET
Orlando City SC vs. Charlotte FC, 8:15 p.m. ET (FS1)
Houston Dynamo FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota United FC vs. FC Cincinnati, 8:30 p.m. ET
Nashville SC vs. Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m. ET
Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles FC vs. Austin FC, 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. ET
Seattle Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m. ET

What is the format for the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs?

A total of 18 teams qualify for the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs — the top nine finishers from each conference.

The eighth- and ninth-place finishers in each conference will play in wild-card matches. The top seven seeds qualify for the Round 1 best-of-three series.

When do the MLS playoffs start?

Here is the playoff schedule:

Oct. 3: Wild-card matches (single-elimination matches)
Oct. 26-Nov. 10: Round 1 (best-of-three series)
Nov. 23-24: Conference semifinals (single-elimination matches)
Nov. 30-Dec. 1: Conference finals (single-elimination matches)
Dec. 7: MLS Cup (single winner-take-all match)

MLS CUP: Ranking every Major League Soccer championship game

MLS playoff picture: If the season ended today …

Heading into MLS Matchday 30, these would be the MLS playoff matchups through the first round …

EASTERN CONFERENCE

➤ Clinched playoff spot: Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF

Wild-card match:

Toronto FC (No. 8 seed) vs. D.C. United (9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

Inter Miami CF (1) vs. Toronto FC-D.C. United winner
FC Cincinnati (2) vs. Charlotte FC (7)
Columbus Crew (3) vs. New York City FC (6)
New York Red Bulls (4) vs. Orlando City SC (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Clinched playoff spot: LA Galaxy

Wild-card match:

Portland Timbers (No. 8 seed) vs. Minnesota United FC (9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

LA Galaxy (1) vs. Portland Timbers-Minnesota United FC winner
Los Angeles FC (2) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (7)
Colorado Rapids (3) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6)
Real Salt Lake (4) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (5)

MLS betting odds: Who is favorite to win championship?

According to BetMGM, Inter Miami CF (+170) is the current favorite to win the 2024 league championship, followed by LA Galaxy (+700), Los Angeles FC (+700), Columbus Crew (+700) and FC Cincinnati (+1200).

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