Daniel Ríos found the net in the first half, Thomas Müller and Kenji Cabrera scored in the second and the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked FC Dallas 3-0 in a best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup

A battle of in-state rivals in the postseason begins on Monday night, as FC Cincinnati plays host to the Columbus Crew in Game 1 of their first-round matchup in the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs.

Find out how to watch the highly-anticipated MLS Cup playoff game between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, including TV channel and streaming.

Is it Messi's time? Will some of MLS's high-profile newcomers win it all? Or will there be an unexpected champ? Our writers have their say

Two very strong Major League Soccer squads open up their first-round series on Monday night, as Minnesota United plays host to the Seattle Sounders in Game 1 of the MLS Cup Playoffs. These two clubs finished very close to each other in the Western Conference standings, and it could lead to a thrilling best-of-three series.

The 2025 MLS playoffs can feature as many as 33 playoff games over 46 days from the wild-card matches on Oct. 22 to MLS Cup on Dec. 6.

Jesús Bueno scored the decisive goal in a penalty-kick shootout after Philadelphia blew a two-goal lead late and the top-seeded Union beat the Chicago Fire in a best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Monday, Oct. 27 🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Betis vs. Atletico Madrid, 4 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+ 🇺🇸 MLS Cup playoffs: FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew, 6:45 p.m. ➡️ FS1 🇺🇸 MLS Cup playoffs: Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1