Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda and player Luiz Araujo gave mostly positive reviews Thursday of MLS’ new playoff format.
The format, announced Tuesday, will see the top nine teams from the Eastern and Western conferences advance to the postseason. Each conference will have one wild-card, knockout game featuring the two lowest seeds. The higher seed will host.
The next round will be a best-of-three series, with the higher seed hosting the first and, if necessary, third game. Games that end with a draw after 90 minutes will go to penalty kicks. The next rounds will be single elimination at the higher seed, including the MLS Cup. The games will have added time if regulation ends in a draw.
“It’s interesting, right?” Pineda said. “I used to love the home and away because that’s what I used in Mexico. That’s what is in Champions League. That’s what happens in many tournaments. But once we tried the one-game playoff, it was nice. It’s exciting. I think we will have a little bit of that at the end. That’s, that’s what I understood.
“So, we will see. We have to try it, we have to see the series of three games: How is that format, how we can take advantage of that format, how we can utilize that format to get where we want to get in terms of winning trophies here.”
Araujo said he likes the fact that, after the wild-card round, teams get at least one home playoff game.
“In the previous seasons, you could play a full season of 30-something games, and then your season all depends on one game, so I like it,” Araujo said.
Atlanta United, which opens the season Saturday hosting San Jose at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:30 p.m., qualified for the playoffs in four of its first six seasons. It didn’t qualify in two of the past three.
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m.
March 4 vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
March 11 at Charlotte FC, noon, Fox
March 18 vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.
March 25 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
April 1 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
April 8 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 15 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 23 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 4:30 p.m., FS1
April 29 at Nashville SC, 1:30 p.m., Fox
May 6 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
May 13 vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 17 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.
May 20 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
May 27 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
May 31 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m., FS1
June 3 at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.
June 10 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 21 vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
June 24 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
July 2 vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 p.m., Fox
July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
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