FRISCO — Thanks to Major League Soccer’s innovative and business-oriented way of thinking, FC Dallas has a real chance of staying alive in the playoffs. All they have to do is win their next match on Saturday at Toyota Stadium.
FCD is locked in a best-of-three series with Vancouver Whitecaps, a format practically nonexistent in any other soccer league in the world.
Last Sunday, FC Dallas fell 3-0 in Vancouver in Game 1. In any other league, that scoreline would have been near-fatal, but not in MLS.
To stay alive in the postseason, FCD needs to win by any score on Saturday to force a third and decisive game, which would be played Friday, Nov. 7 in Vancouver.
Sports Roundup
Soccer leagues around the world follow a wide range of playoff formats, or skip them entirely. In many countries, there’s no postseason at all. Instead, the team that finishes atop the table after the regular season, having earned the most points, is crowned champion. As simple as that.
In other leagues that use a playoff system, teams face off in a two-legged series, one match at home and one away. The team with the highest combined score across both games moves on.
Some competitions, though increasingly rare, use the away goals rule: if the aggregate score is tied, the team that scored more goals on the road advances.
Major League Soccer operates under a distinct set of rules, and that’s why FC Dallas’s three-goal loss in Vancouver doesn’t spell doom.
Major League Soccer’s playoff format is crafted with purpose: to maximize postseason matchups, boost club revenue, and energize fan engagement.
By embracing a “win and you’re in” or “win and you’re still alive” structure, MLS turns every game into a high-stakes spectacle, one that keeps stadiums full and storylines thrilling.
“I think it’s a great format,” said Dan Hunt, FC Dallas President.
He added: “From a business standpoint, it is incredibly smart by Major League Soccer because it makes the game more valuable right there. I think MLS has looked at this for years and it’s very thoughtful because, like any sports league in the world, your most valuable content is your playoffs and your championship game. The more playoff games that you can have, the more excitement and energy around it.”
Related
The 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs have drawn an average attendance of 23,243 fans per match across the first nine games, totaling 209,186 spectators so far.
These numbers reflect a strong turnout early in the postseason, especially considering that the playoffs only began on Oct. 22 and will run through Dec. 6.
The 2025 regular season ranked second-highest in total attendance in MLS history, with 11.2 million fans and average crowds of 21,988 per match.
Maintaining that average attendance in the postseason will be a bit tricky considering that Atlanta United didn’t make the playoffs.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United, is the venue that draws the most fans per season. In 2025, the team welcomed 703,760 fans during the regular season, averaging 43,985 per match.
For Saturday’s game, Toyota Stadium will have a capacity of 11,004 fans, as the Frisco venue is currently undergoing renovation, which limits its capacity.
Before the renovation, the stadium had a capacity of 19,096 fans. Once the work is completed in 2027, the stadium will have a capacity of over 22,000 fans.
FCD currently holds a streak of 34 consecutive sellouts.
For FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill, the playoff format allows his team to believe they’ll be back in Vancouver next week.
“It’s an opportunity. That’s the most important thing you look at,” said Quill, who is in his first season as an MLS head coach.
“We’re going to utilize the format to our benefit right now. It’s an opportunity to move forward, and we must make the most of it. Our confidence probably lies in a better place than if you’re having to make up a 3-0 deficit.”
The stakes are high for FC Dallas in Game 2 against Vancouver.
But pressure is nothing new for this squad. They’ve been living on the edge for the last 10 matches of the regular season, grinding out crucial wins to claw their way into the playoffs as the Western Conference’s seventh seed.
“We’re back in that phase that we’ve been in during the last ten games of the season, where it’s win or go home. We’ve been stepping up to that challenge, and I’m expecting our guys to do the same Saturday night,” said Quill.
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