The MLS Cup is the championship sport of Main League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight soccer league in america.
The twenty ninth version shall be performed between Western Convention champions LA Galaxy and Japanese Convention champions New York Crimson Bulls. It can happen on 7 December 2024 at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park, Galaxy’s house floor in California.
The sport kicks off at 21:00 GMT and you may watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
How is MLS competitors structured?
MLS is uncommon in comparison with a lot of the world’s top-flight soccer leagues, in that there’s a common season adopted by a post-season knockout match to find out the league champion.
The common season includes 29 groups (together with three Canadian groups) organised into the Japanese and Western Conferences.
The seven highest-finishing groups from every convention mechanically qualify for the MLS play-offs, a knockout competitors which determines the winner of the MLS Cup and, due to this fact, the MLS champion.
The groups that end eighth and ninth in every convention face off in a wildcard match, with the winner additionally getting into the play-offs.
The primary spherical of the play-offs follows a best-of-three format, the place certified groups from the identical convention meet. It’s seeded, with the highest seed enjoying the underside seed and so forth.
The primary workforce to win two matches advances to the convention semi-final. From then on the matches are only a single knockout spherical, with the convention last following after which the MLS Cup last.
Who’s enjoying within the last?
LA Galaxy are essentially the most profitable workforce within the competitors’s historical past, having gained 5 titles in 9 finals. In 2024, they completed second within the Western Convention behind California rivals Los Angeles FC – their finest end result since 2014.
They beat Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United and Seattle Sounders to achieve the ultimate.
New York Crimson Bulls shall be bidding for his or her first MLS Cup title, having misplaced within the 2008 last, their solely earlier look. Through the common season, they completed simply seventh within the Japanese Convention, turning into the bottom seed to contest a last.
They beat defending champions Columbus Crew, metropolis rivals New York Metropolis FC and Orlando Metropolis to safe their last spot.
The 2024 last marks the primary championship match between groups from the 2 largest metropolitan areas in america – Los Angeles and New York Metropolis. The final time the 2 sides confronted one another competitively was in 2021 in the course of the common season when Galaxy gained 3-2.
Galaxy have the house benefit for the ultimate, as they completed larger within the common season.
What is the prize?
The winner is of the MLS Cup is awarded one of many USA’s 4 berths within the following season’s Concacaf Champions Cup – the American equal of the Uefa Champions League.
Nevertheless, the winner , regardless of america internet hosting the match subsequent yr and one place being reserved for the house nation.
Fifa awarded this spot to Inter Miami for , given to the workforce with the very best factors whole within the common season. Inter had been , dropping to Japanese Convention wildcard facet Atlanta United.
The one different MLS workforce participating within the Membership World Cup is Seattle Sounders, by advantage of profitable the 2022 Concacaf Champions League.
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