The Pitch: The Race for the Supporters' Shield and an Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Spot is Down to the Wire

MLS Communications

Inter Miami CF became the first club to clinch a spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs on Matchday 29 and as Decision Day on October 19 approaches, crunch time has begun for clubs still looking to compete with Miami for the Supporters’ Shield as well as those looking to creep in playoff positions.

Miami (17-4-5, 56 points) holds a four-point lead over the LA Galaxy (15-5-7, 52 points) with a game in hand heading into Matchday 30 in the Supporters’ Shield standings. LAFC (14-5-5, 47 points), who has two games in hand over Miami, sits in fourth behind defending Supporters’ Shield holder FC Cincinnati (15-8-3, 48 points), while Real Salt Lake (12-6-8, 44 points) rounds out the top five, and the newly crowned Leagues Cup champion Columbus Crew (12-4-7, 43 points) is in sixth with three games in hand.

In the battle for a spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Wild Card match, Toronto FC (10-14-3, 33 points) has a five-point lead over Atlanta United (7-12-7, 28 points) for the host position, but six teams are within two points of Atlanta for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card match spot.

In the West, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-8-5, 38 points) and the Portland Timbers (10-9-7, 37 points) are just above Houston Dynamo FC (10-8-7, 37 points) for direct qualification to the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 Series, while Austin FC (9-10-7, 34 points), FC Dallas (9-11-6, 33 points), and Minnesota United FC (9-11-6, 33 points) continue to push for the second spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Wild Card match.

Crew’s Leagues Cup Triumph Trends Towards Back-to-Back MLS Cups

When it comes to knockout competitions, the Columbus Crew has proven to be the dominant force in North America over the past 10 months. In that span, Columbus won Leagues Cup 2024, 2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi, and reached the final of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. In the 18 matches played during those competitions, the club has a 12-2-4 record with a plus-16 goal differential, taking down notable teams like Tigres UANL, CF Monterrey, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, and LAFC in two title matches.

To think the Crew could take it to another level is daunting, but momentum coming out of Leagues Cup has happened previously. In 2023, semifinalist Philadelphia Union (unbeaten in nine of 10 games after Leagues Cup 2023), finalist Nashville SC (unbeaten in five of six), and winner Inter Miami CF (unbeaten in seven of eight) all came out of Leagues Cup and maintained their positive form. With the importance of Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs seeding, Columbus will need to continue their momentum to secure a top-two position in the East.

Luckily for the Crew, they have one of the hottest players in global soccer – star forward Cucho Hernández. The Colombian dominated the Leagues Cup Final, scoring twice and adding an assist in the 3-1 victory over LAFC. Across all competitions, Hernández has totaled 13 goals and 10 assists in his last 14 matches for the Crew and he will look to continue his hot form on Wednesday in a Leagues Cup Semifinal rematch against the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

Tom Brady, David Beckham, and Lionel Messi posed for a photo at Inter Miami CF’s match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Twitter
Leagues Cup anthem artists Emilio Estefan, Emilio Regueira Perez, Gusi, and Abel Pintos were welcomed on the field ahead of the Leagues Cup 2024 Final. Instagram
The Leagues Cup Final on Sunday was broadcast live from New York City’s Times Square. Instagram

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

In recent outings, LAFC has been just one win from a trophy (2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi runner-up and Leagues Cup 2024 runner-up), and they will lean on Cristian Olivera (three goals in 117 minutes) and Timothy Tillman (two goals, one assist), who have been impressive thus far for the Black and Gold in U.S. Open Cup play to reach another tournament final with a win over Seattle Sounders FC at Starfire Sports Complex on Wednesday, August 28 (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

With its four U.S. Open Cup titles, the Sounders are tied with Sporting Kansas City and Chicago Fire FC for the most among MLS clubs. In addition to seeking their fifth U.S. Open Cup title, a win would see Seattle advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time since 2022, when they won it all. Seattle last advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final in 2014, which they went on to win.

Sporting Kansas City will take on Indy Eleven of the USL Championship on Tuesday, August 27 at Children's Mercy Park (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) in the other semifinal match, and forward Johnny Russell will likely have a big say in the proceedings with his eight goal contributions (four goals, four assists) in 10 career Open Cup appearances.

TELUS Canadian Championship

Toronto FC, down 2-1 on aggregate to the Canadian Premier League’s Forge FC, can advance to the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship final with a 1-0 win in part to the away goals rule as the club continues its search for its first title since 2018 and qualification to CCC for the first time since 2021.

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over Pacific FC ahead of Tuesday’s match at BC Place as they look to become the first team to win three consecutive titles since Toronto between 2016-18. Club captain and midfield talisman Ryan Gauld has returned from injury and will be raring to reignite his partnership with Brian White, who leads the club in goals with 12 across all competitions in 2024.

The Race for MLS Newcomer of the Year Heats Up

The 2024 MLS regular season returned to action this past weekend with standout performances by key signings during the Secondary Transfer Window.

Former German national team midfielder Marco Reus and U22 Initiative midfielder Luca Langoni scored and assisted in their debuts for the LA Galaxy and the New England Revolution, respectively. St. Louis CITY SC’s newest Designated Player signing, Marcel Hartel, became the first player to record three assists in their MLS debut since 1998, and Minnesota United FC forward Kelvin Yeboah notched a brace in his first MLS regular season appearance for the club.

As the MLS Year-End Awards season approaches, here are some of the first-year players these new stars could be competing against for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award.

Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire FC) – The Fire’s club-record acquisition was brought in to answer their goal-scoring questions, and the Belgian forward has provided an answer as the first player to score at least 10 goals for the Fire since Robert Beric in 2020.
Hugo Lloris (LAFC) – No MLS goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets through Matchday 29 this season than the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner’s nine, which is just one short of tying the club-record for shutouts in a single season set by Tyler Miller in 2018.
Petar Musa (FC Dallas) – Another club-record signing and Designated Player, Musa is the first foreign player to score at least 13 goals during the regular season for Dallas since Jeff Cunnigham (17) in 2009 and powered the club’s push for a playoff position.
Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy) – The Galaxy’s club-record acquisition for a reported fee of over $10 million has shined among the stars in L.A. as the only player with double-digit figures in goals and assists (10 goals, 10 assists) for the Western Conference leaders.
Jonathan Rodríguez (Portland Timbers) – The former Uruguay national team player has brought the offensive prowess that made him an elite winger in LIGA MX to Portland, contributing 13 goals and six assists through 22 games played in his first MLS season.

MLS MEDIA RESOURCES

To assist in your coverage of the 2024 MLS season, the MLS Communications staff has provided the following media resources, all of which are available on MLSsoccer.com/Media-Resources.