The MLS Cup Wild Card round is upon as CF Montréal take on Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference, while a pair of Cascadia rivals face off in Portland as the Timbers play host to Vancouver.
Let’s dig into the big talking points ahead of the so-called ‘play-in’ games.
CF Montréal vs Atlanta United
It’s an unlikely showdown in the Eastern Conference. Montréal did not have high hopes for success coming into the season given their general lack of spending from an ownership group that is roundly criticized for their perceived lack of ambition.
But despite the frugally assembled squad, a late-season burst helped the Canadian club sneak into the Wild Card round. Five of the side’s 11 wins on the season came in their final seven games.
One-time MLS superstar Josef Martínez has rediscovered his form with Montréal, scoring six goals in his last seven, but he will face his former team in the Wild Card round.
Meanwhile, Atlanta United kicked off the 2024 season expecting to be challenging in the upper echelon of the conference. Yet despite being in the top-10 in MLS for spending on wages, the Five Stripes limped through most of the campaign, sacking head coach Gonzalo Pineda on the way.
But like Montréal before them, Atlanta won when it mattered, winning their last two games of the season to somehow find their way in the postseason.
Montréal is not an easy place to go, but Atlanta may feel that between Saba Lobzhanidze and late summer signing Aleksei Miranchuk they should have enough firepower to steal a result.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers
We’ve got ourselves a weird situation in the Pacific Northwest as the eight seed Whitecaps will actually travel to play against the nine seed Timbers. Vancouver was frustratingly forced to forfeit the home-field advantage they earned because of a scheduling conflict at BC Place Stadium, and it could spell bad news.
The Timbers, lead by the prolific attacking trio of Evander, Jonathan Rodríguez, and Felipe Mora have been much better at home than on the road, picking up nine of their 12 wins on the season in the comfortable confines of Providence Park, but they have been cold as of late.
The Whitecaps on the other hand, have not been as disastrously bad away from home. But the veteran spine of Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong and Brian White will have to put in the work to make Vancouver history and become just the second Whitecaps side to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
There were nine goals scored in the three regular meetings between the two Cascadia rivals, so we could be in for a show. But the onus will be on the visitors from north of the border to slow down the scintillating Timbers attack.