The Conference Semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs are now set, and while the Seattle Sounders will unfortunately not be in them, there are plenty of league-wide storylines that emerged from Round One. Here are a few non-Seattle-related takeaways on what stood out from around MLS. For my thoughts on the unceremonious end to Sounders season, I'll refer you to the latest episode of Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff with Niko Moreno.
The Timbers might tear it all down
As tough as Seattle's Round One loss was, it actually wasn't particularly close to what their arch-rivals endured at the hands of No. 1 seed San Diego. For a second straight year, Portland are going home after a blowout playoff defeat with Sunday's 4-0 result at Snapdragon Stadium, which also featured a crash-out red card. Losing that game competitively would have been explainable, but the nature of this defeat raises a lot of questions for the Rose City side, and it does feel like they might be looking at some wholesale changes over the offseason. For them, the next obvious storyline becomes the future of head coach Phil Neville, who was already fully approaching embattled status even before this latest postseason debacle. Personally, I've advocated for them to give him a multi-year extension.
Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati is a tasty matchup
Over in the Eastern Conference, Messi and the Barca Boys will meet a formidable foe in their Semifinal clash with FC Cincinnati. Inter Miami had a relatively painless Game 3 against Nashville SC, cruising to a 4-0 victory. They'll be favored against a Cincinnati side that was a little less convincing in their Hell is Real triumph over Columbus. But if there's one team that has the firepower to give Inter Miami a run for their money, Cincy has as good a shout as anyone. The attacking trio of Evander, Kevin Denkey and Brenner is more than enough to trouble Miami's defense, even taking into account the Messi effect, and the return of Luis Suárez after his very surprising, unexpected and completely out-of-character crash-out violent conduct suspension.
LAFC vs. Vancouver is even tastier
The West clash between LAFC and Vancouver is obviously terrific on paper, and has a chance to be one of the best games in MLS this season. It's certainly one of the most compelling matchups. You've got an LAFC side that's been tearing up the league since the arrival of Son Heung-Min, and his instant chemistry with Denis Bouanga. Then there's the Whitecaps, one of the only teams in the league to have approached LAFC's level in recent weeks, aided by their own late-season superstar arrival, Thomas Müller. Whoever emerges victorious in this matchup probably can lay claim to the title of MLS Cup favorites, even over Inter Miami.
Minnesota United have a chance against San Diego
Much has been made about Minnesota head coach Eric Ramsay and his unorthodox tactics, but you can't deny their effectiveness, as we saw in the Seattle series. San Diego are deservedly going to be the heavy favorite in that series, but I'll go on record early in saying I wouldn't write the Loons off here without a second thought. First of all, playing on the road is not actually much of a disadvantage for Minnesota (8W-3L-6D road record in 2025). Then, consider that despite all their expansion-season success, San Diego were actually not that good of a home team in 2025 (7W-5L-5D home record). This take could wind up backfiring, but all of that sets the stage for what I think will at the very least be a hotly contested matchup.
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Catching up on Sounder at Heart
Here's what you missed on the site this week.
Sounders
Season over
- Lost to the Loons: Sounders drop deciding game in shootout
- Postgame Pontifications: Over too soon
- Seattle Sounders at Minnesota United: community player ratings form
- Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff: What went wrong in Minnesota?
- Minnesota United vs. Sounders: Highlights, stats, quotes
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Reign
Season over
Defiance
Season over
Looking back at the news
Everything else you need to know
Turkey arrests eight, investigates 1,024 players in widening gambling probe (Reuters)
Round One drama: What we learned in Game 3 & what comes next (MLSsoccer)
Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinal matchups & key info (MLSsoccer)
Washington Spirit advance over Racing Louisville in NWSL playoffs after dramatic penalty shootout (CBS Sports)
Gotham FC shun underdog tag, stun No. 1 Current in playoffs (ESPN)
Reilyn Turner’s overtime header lifts Thorns past Wave in NWSL quarterfinal (Oregonian)
UW women’s soccer wins Big Ten tournament days after Mia Hamant’s death (Seattle Times)
Atlanta lands NWSL expansion franchise backed by Arthur Blank for record $165 million: Sources (The Athletic)
MLS playoff winners, losers: Messi, Minnesota United, LAFC impress in Round 1 (USA Today)
NWSL playoff recap: Gotham FC stun K.C. Current, Spirit advance (ESPN)
The San Diego Wave are embracing the crests and troughs of their latest era in NWSL (The Athletic)
