The 2011 MLS Cup playoffs was the sixteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 26 with the play-in round and concluded on November 20 with MLS Cup. It was the first playoff series to include ten clubs, two more than the traditional eight. Six of the ten teams earned a direct bye into the conference semifinals, while the four wildcard teams played a single-elimination match to earn a berth into the conference semis. These eight clubs played in a single-elimination tournament en route to playoffs championship MLS Cup 2011, which doubled as the league championship for the 2011 MLS season altogether.
The defending MLS Cup champions were the Colorado Rapids, who beat FC Dallas 2–1 in the 2010 championship.
As the preliminary round was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League, both finalists directly entered the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League group stage, along with the Supporters' Shield winner for the regular season and the 2011 U.S. Open Cup champion. However, none of these berths were available to the league's two Canadian teams, which instead participated in the Canadian Championship for that country's single berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Format
The format for the tournament was announced on February 23, 2011. The top three clubs in each of the league's two conferences earned the six automatic spots in the conference semifinals. The wild card entrants, seeded seventh through tenth, entered based upon their overall position in a single table of the league standings. The new format was assembled so that the weakest seed to qualify out of the wild card rounds would have to play the Supporters' Shield winner. The other entrant played the conference champion that did not win the Shield.
The playoffs began with the play-in round, which contained the wild card seeds. The first and second-placed wild card seeds (seventh and eight place, respectively) hosted the third and fourth-placed wild card seeds (ninth and tenth place, respectively). The winners of each play-in proper earned a berth into the conference semifinals of the playoffs.
Following the play-in round was the conference semifinals, where the two play-in round winners joined the six clubs that earned a direct bye into this round. The conference semifinals were a two-legged, aggregate series, in which each team played their opponent twice: once at home, and once away. The team with the most goals accumulated over the two-match series won the series and qualified for the conference championship. In this round, the lowest-seeded wild card team to advance played against the Supporters' Shield winner (regular season champion). The other wild card seed played against either the Eastern or Western Conference regular season champion, depending on which conference champion won the Supporters' Shield. The conference semifinals also featured the conference runners-up and third-place finishers from both the Eastern and Western Conference.
The conference finals featured the winners from the conference semifinals. This round was a one-legged affair, in which the higher seeded club hosted the lower seed. The winner of these matches earned two berths (one from each conference) into the 2011 MLS Cup championship match, and a guaranteed berth in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.
The Eastern Conference and Western Conference bracket winners met in the MLS Cup final, which was held at the pre-determined neutral venue. This year, the final was held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. The MLS Cup winner was crowned league champion for the 2011 MLS season.
Qualified teams The top three clubs from each conference, based on final point totals, qualified for the playoffs. From among the remaining clubs, the top four qualified as wild cards, entering the play-in round to narrow the field to eight. The Los Angeles Galaxy were the first MLS club to secure a playoff berth, qualifying with a 1–0 win over the Colorado Rapids on September 9.
Conference standings Eastern table
Western table
Overall standings
Tiebreakers Head-to-head (points-per-match average) Overall goal differential Overall total goals scored Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches on the road Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches at home Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table Coin toss
If more than two clubs were tied, once a club advanced through any step, the process reverted to Tiebreaker 1 among the remaining tied clubs recursively until all ties were resolved.
Bracket
Note: The LA Galaxy, as MLS Supporters' Shield winners, were assured of playing the lower seeded Wild Card series winner (New York Red Bulls) in the Conference Semifinals, while Sporting Kansas City would play the higher seeded Wild Card series winner (Colorado Rapids).
Schedule Major League Soccer released the schedule for its playoffs on August 9, 2011.
Key
SS = MLS Supporters' Shield winner E1/W1 = Eastern or Western Conference winner E2/W2 = Eastern or Western Conference runner-up E3/W3 = Eastern or Western Conference third place WC1 = Top wildcard seed (7th place overall) WC2 = Second wildcard seed (8th place overall) WC3 = Third wildcard seed (9th place overall) WC4 = Fourth wildcard seed (10th place overall)
Play-in round
Conference semifinals Eastern Conference
Sporting Kansas City won 4–0 on aggregate.
Houston Dynamo won 3–1 on aggregate.
Western Conference
Los Angeles Galaxy won 3–1 on aggregate.
Real Salt Lake won 3–2 on aggregate.
Conference finals Host depended on the higher seeded team. Single elimination match.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
MLS Cup 2011
Player statistics Note: Statistics only for post-season games.
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Landon DonovanLos Angeles Galaxy3 Mike MageeLos Angeles Galaxy3 Álvaro SaboríoReal Salt Lake34 Teal BunburySporting Kansas City2 André HainaultHouston Dynamo26 Osvaldo AlonsoSeattle Sounders FC1 Calen CarrHouston Dynamo1 Aurélien CollinSporting Kansas City1 Carlos CostlyHouston Dynamo1 Omar CummingsColorado Rapids1 Ned GrabavoyReal Salt Lake1 Thierry HenryNew York Red Bulls1 Robbie KeaneLos Angeles Galaxy1 Sébastien Le TouxPhiladelphia Union1 Joel LindpereNew York Red Bulls1 Lamar NeagleSeattle Sounders FC1 Luke RodgersNew York Red Bulls1 C. J. SapongSporting Kansas City1
Top assists RankPlayerClubAssists1 David BeckhamLos Angeles Galaxy32 Graham ZusiSporting Kansas City23 Mehdi BallouchyNew York Red Bulls1 Luiz CamargoHouston Dynamo1 Júlio CésarSporting Kansas City1 Brian ChingHouston Dynamo1 Brad DavisHouston Dynamo1 Landon DonovanLos Angeles Galaxy1 Michael FarfanPhiladelphia Union1 Thierry HenryNew York Red Bulls1 Robbie KeaneLos Angeles Galaxy1 Kosuke KimuraColorado Rapids1 Fredy MonteroSeattle Sounders FC1 Javier MoralesReal Salt Lake1 Jamison OlaveReal Salt Lake1 Chris WingertReal Salt Lake1
References
External links Major League Soccer: MLS Cup Playoffs