After a 16-day opening slate, MLS Cup playoffs Round 1 wrapped Sunday as the international break begins. The early narrative is clear: the higher seeds mostly advanced, Lionel Messi carried Inter Miami into the conference semifinals for the first time in his MLS career, and a half-dozen penalty shootouts supplied classic postseason drama. Here are the biggest takeaways from the opening round.
The favorites largely held Expectations for shocks were disappointed. In the West the top four seeds — San Diego FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, LAFC and Minnesota United FC — all prevailed over lower-seeded opponents, with LAFC and Vancouver closing their series in two matches. In the East there was one lower-seed upset: No. 5 New York City FC knocked out No. 4 Charlotte FC, but the major contenders in the conference remain the Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami, each still very much title threats.
In a league known for parity, surprises can happen, but this first round mostly read chalk. — Hernandez
Scheduling stumbles MLS’ hybrid playoff design — a best-of-three opening round that pauses for an international break before single-e
