TORONTO — If MLS needs a theme for its latest attempt to get the playoff format right, D.C. United Coach Ben Olsen might have stumbled upon it.
“It’s going to be fast,” he said, “and furious.”
For the first time, every stage — from this weekend’s first round to MLS Cup on Nov. 10 — will feature single, knockout matches. No more two-leg aggregates in the intraconference scuffles or complaints about the absence of definitive home-field advantage.
There are 90 minutes at the lair of the higher seed and, if necessary, 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty-kick tiebreaker.