Nothing ever stays still in Major League Soccer for long. The allocation order, for example, was used for years to determine which clubs have priority to sign a player until its abolishment in January. This season an entire month was set aside for the first-ever Leagues Cup only a few years after the creation of the Campeones Cup, another mid-season competition. No change, however, has been more consequential – and controversial – than the tweaks to this season’s playoff format.
Eighteen teams (nine from each conference) entered this season’s expanded postseason, up from 14 the…
