The 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons) began on October 26, and ended on December 10 with MLS Cup 2016, the 21st league championship match for MLS.[1] This was the 21st version of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Teams | 12 |
| Defending champions | Portland Timbers (did not qualify) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Seattle Sounders FC (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Toronto FC |
| Semifinalists | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 17 |
| Goals scored | 50 (2.94 per match) |
| Attendance | 472,461 (27,792 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) |  Jozy Altidore(5 goals) |
Twelve teams (the top 6 per conference) competed. The first round of each conference had the third-seeded team hosting the sixth seed while the fourth-seed hosted the fifth in a single match to determine who advanced to the Conference Semifinals. In the Conference Semifinals, the top seed played the lowest remaining seed while the second played the next-lowest. The winners advanced to the Conference Finals. Both the Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals were played as two-legged aggregate series. The winners advanced to the MLS Cup, a single match hosted by the participant with the better regular season record.
Seattle Sounders FC defeated Toronto FC 5–4 on penalties to win their first-ever MLS Cup. The game ended scoreless after extra time.
It was the first MLS Cup in league history that two expansion teams participated in the final.[2] It was also the first time in the league's history that a Canadian MLS team competed in the MLS Cup.
Conference standings
The top 6 teams from each conference advance to the MLS Cup playoffs. Green background denotes also qualified for 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Dallas | 34 | 60 |
| 2 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 58 |
| 3 | LA Galaxy | 34 | 52 |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 48 |
| 5 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 47 |
| 6 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 46 |
| 7 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 44 |
| 8 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 39 |
| 9 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 38 |
| 10 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 34 |
Bracket
| Knockout round | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | MLS Cup December 10 – Toronto, Ontario | ||||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Montreal Impact | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| October 27 – Washington, D.C. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| E4 | D.C. United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Montreal Impact | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Montreal Impact | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Toronto FC (a.e.t.) | 2 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Toronto FC | 2 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| October 26 – Toronto, Ontario | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Toronto FC | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Philadelphia Union | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Toronto FC | 0 (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle Sounders FC (p) | 0 (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| October 27 – Seattle, Washington | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| W1 | FC Dallas | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Sporting Kansas City | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle Sounders FC | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | LA Galaxy | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| October 26 – Carson, California | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Colorado Rapids (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | LA Galaxy | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Knockout round
Summary
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||||
| Toronto FC | 3–1 | Philadelphia Union | ||
| D.C. United | 2–4 | Montreal Impact | ||
| Western Conference | ||||
| LA Galaxy | 3–1 | Real Salt Lake | ||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 1–0 | Sporting Kansas City | ||
Matches
Conference semifinals
Summary
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||||
| Toronto FC | 7–0 | New York City FC | 2–0 | 5–0 |
| Montreal Impact | 3–1 | New York Red Bulls | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Western Conference | ||||
| LA Galaxy | 1–1 (1–3 p) | Colorado Rapids | 1–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 4–2 | FC Dallas | 3–0 | 1–2 |
Matches
Toronto FC won 7–0 on aggregate.
| New York Red Bulls | 1–2 | Montreal Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Montreal Impact won 3–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Colorado Rapids won 3–1 on penalties.
Seattle Sounders FC won 4–2 on aggregate.
Conference finals
Summary
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||||
| Montreal Impact | 5–7 | Toronto FC | 3–2 | 2–5 (a.e.t.) |
| Western Conference | ||||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 3–1 | Colorado Rapids | 2–1 | 1–0 |
Matches
Toronto FC won 7–5 on aggregate.
Seattle Sounders FC won 3–1 on aggregate.
