Upsets mean Sounders will host MLS Cup if they get there

It was a day of upsets in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati both losing Game 3’s. Inter Miami fell 3-2 to Atlanta United while FC Cincinnati went down in a shootout with NYCFC. With the Columbus Crew going out to the New York Red Bulls in two games, Orlando City was the only top seed to advance from the First Round after they beat Charlotte FC in a shootout on Saturday.

The upshot of all those upsets is that the Seattle Sounders – as well as the LA Galaxy and LAFC – would be guaranteed to host MLS Cup if they were to advance that far. The only Eastern Conference team that can still host MLS Cup is Orlando City and that’s only if it’s against Minnesota United.

That only serves to raise the stakes of the Sounders’ Western Conference semifinal against LAFC, which will be played on Nov. 23 at 7:30 PM. The winner of that game will face the winner of the LA Galaxy-Minnesota United semifinal with a chance to host MLS Cup on the line.

This is a similar situation that led to the Sounders hosting MLS Cup in 2019 as they needed several upsets on the other side of the bracket to earn that opportunity.