MLS playoffs: Montreal, Atlanta vie for right to face Miami

After clinching MLS playoff berths with regular-season-ending wins on Saturday, CF Montreal and Atlanta United will square off in the Eastern Conference's wild-card match on Tuesday.

The winner of the contest in Montreal draws a tough assignment in East's quarterfinals: a best-of-three series against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, who set the league's single-season point record. A hat trick from Messi lifted Miami past the New England Revolution on Saturday, giving Miami a 22-4-8 mark, good for 74 points.

The Revolution set the old record of 73 points in 2021.

The conference quarterfinals will see teams face off at the home of the higher seed in Match 1 and (if necessary) Match 3, with the lower-seeded team hosting Match 2.

The defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, seeded second in the East, will face the New York Red Bulls in a quarterfinal series. The other East quarterfinal matchups consist of third-seeded FC Cincinnati vs. sixth-seeded New York City FC and fourth-seeded Orlando City vs. fifth-seeded Charlotte FC.

Los Angeles FC snagged the top seed in the Western Conference after beating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday and then seeing the Los Angeles Galaxy lose 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo on a goal in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time.

Both Los Angeles teams wound up 19-8-7 for 64 points, but LAFC wound up first thanks to the goal-differential tiebreaker. LAFC were at plus-20, while the Galaxy finished at plus-19.

The Portland Timbers will visit the Vancouver Whitecaps in a single-match wild-card playoff on Wednesday, with the winner earning a best-of-three matchup against LAFC.

In the other Western Conference quarterfinal series, the Galaxy will oppose seventh-seeded Colorado Rapids, third-seeded Real Salt Lake will meet sixth-seeded Minnesota United and the fourth-seeded Seattle Sounders will go up against the fifth-seeded Dynamo.

The only quarterfinal date that had been announced as of Saturday night was Miami hosting its first playoff match on Friday.

--Field Level Media