NEW YORK (Thursday, October 23, 2025) – The Round One Best-of-3 Series kicks off Friday night, and getting off to a strong start in Game 1 is the foundation for a deep run in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Throughout the Round One Best-of-3 Series, if a match is tied after ninety minutes of regulation, it will go directly to a penalty shootout to determine a winner. Historically, Game 1 has been essential, with the winners of the first game advancing to the Conference Semifinals 13 of the last 16 instances.
Higher seeds will look to set the tone at home, while visiting teams will look to steal the first game in search of a series upset. Key stats to be aware of for the Round One Best-of-3 Series include:
- Home-field Advantage: Over the past two seasons, home teams have won 27 of 39 games (69%) in the Best-of-3 Series.
- Expect Thrilling and Close Games: Last season, 75% of games in the Best-of-3 Series were decided by one goal or fewer, with eight of those games going to penalty kicks.
- Beware of the Wild Card Winner: In each of the last two editions of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, a Wild Card winner has gone on to upset a No. 1 seed in the Best-of-3 Series: in 2024, No. 9 Atlanta United upset Inter Miami CF and in 2023 No. 8 Sporting Kansas City in 2023 shocked St. Louis CITY SC.
- Tough to Flip the Script: No higher-seeded team that has lost Game 1 has gone on to advance out of Round One. In fact, all three times the higher seed lost Game 1, the teams were eliminated after Game 2, without even forcing a decisive Game 3.
Wild Card Game Round Up
Chicago Fire FC Win First Playoff Game Since 2009, Set Up Clash with Supporters’ Shield Winners Philadelphia Union
- An inspired second-half performance spearheaded by Hugo Cuypers and local hero Brian Gutiérrez saw the Fire sweep Orlando City SC aside in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Wild Card game, 3-1. Chicago will hope to ride the wave of their first playoff win in 16 years and pull off the upset in the Round One Best-of-3 Series against the Philadelphia Union, which starts on Sunday night (5:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass and Apple TV, FS1, Fox Deportes)
Portland Timbers Dispatch Real Salt Lake, Aim for Redemption Against San Diego FC
- After dropping into the Wild Card game due to a home loss to San Diego FC on Decision Day, the Timbers responded strongly and defeated Real Salt Lake, powered by two first-half goals from forward Felipe Mora. Portland will now set their sights on revenge against San Diego in the Western Conference Round One Best-of-3 Series, with Game 1 kicking off on Sunday evening at Snapdragon Stadium (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass and Apple TV).
Nashville Looking to Get Over the Miami Hump
Nashville SC’s 2025 season has been historic under head coach B.J. Callaghan in his first full year in charge, as they equaled their most points (54), scored a club-record number of goals (58), and tallied a record win total (16). The prize for a historic year – a Round One Best-of-3 Series clash with No. 3 seed Inter Miami CF, starting on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass and Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes). A star-studded affair, the series should be one of the most thrilling in the opening round if it’s anything like the 5-2 Decision Day spectacle.
Miami has been Nashville’s kryptonite in knockout competitions, as they fell in both the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 and the memorable 2023 Leagues Cup Final. Since Lionel Messi joined the Herons in the summer of 2023, Miami is unbeaten (5-0-3) against Nashville. However, Nashville has excelled in knockout competitions in 2025 by winning their first trophy, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and will look to bring that momentum to the MLS postseason.
Cincinnati Look to Write New Chapter in Hell is Real Rivalry
Since the appointment of head coach Pat Noonan ahead of the 2022 MLS season, FC Cincinnati is in the midst of their most successful period yet. The Orange and Blue have qualified for the postseason four times in a row, won the Supporters’ Shield in 2023, and set the MLS record for the most wins in a three-season stretch (58). Despite that period of success, Ohio rivals the Columbus Crew remain a thorn in the team’s side. Under Noonan’s guidance, Cincinnati has won just twice in nine tries against the Crew across regular and postseason play. The rivalry’s only playoff meeting was a heartbreak for Cincinnati, a 3-2 loss to the Crew in extra time of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final, as the Crew advanced to win MLS Cup that year.
Cincinnati will look to capitalize on their home-field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series to make things right. Behind star attackers Evander (18 goals, 15 assists) and Kévin Denkey (15 goals, two assists), Cincinnati will approach the game confidently, having gone unbeaten in their last five matches. A win in Monday’s Game 1 match (6:45 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass and Apple TV, FS1, FOX Deportes) will be a massive step towards eliminating their rivals and writing a new chapter in Hell is Real history.
Owen Wolff’s Breakout Season Primed for the Playoffs
Still just 20 years old, Austin FC midfielder Owen Wolff has been outstanding for Los Verdes. Among all players in MLS this season, Wolff is the youngest with at least seven goals and seven assists, with many of those contributions deciding the outcomes of key matches. His five game-winning assists are the most in a season in Austin history and goes along with two game-winning goals, which is one reason Austin finished as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. A 20-year-old orchestrating a playoff team’s midfield is rare and Wolff faces a daunting task when he goes face-to-face with the high-scoring duo of Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min from No. 3 LAFC on Wednesday night (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass and Apple TV).
On the international stage, Wolff is yet to receive a call-up to the senior U.S. Men’s National Team, but his play during the regular season and a potential postseason upset of LAFC could make him an attractive option for Mauricio Pochettino in the upcoming November international window. Wolff would follow several breakout MLS midfielders to reach the national team in 2025, including Diego Luna, Sebastian Berhalter, and Jack McGlynn. With his versatility and clutch season for Austin, Wolff could be the emerging star of the postseason and could put him on the doorstep of a U.S. call-up.
