Storylines abound in the run-up to the 2019 MLS Cup playoffs, but perhaps none will be more visible than the change in format for this season — a single leg knockout tournament with home field advantages for higher seeds.
It means all teams — even ones as good as LAFC, NYCFC, Seattle Sounders and Atlanta United — are just 90 minutes away from seeing their seasons come to a screeching halt.
“It’s a different tournament now,” said Atlanta United center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez last week. “We need to be focusing on the passion, how we play, the intensity, the aggressivity [sic] how we play.