It’s here. Eight months and two days after the 2025 MLS season kicked off, we have finally arrived at the promised land of the playoffs.
Technically the postseason could be said to have started on Wednesday, with the Wild Card fixtures from both conferences. Those play-in games gave the teams in eighth and ninth position a chance to book their spots in Round One, with both matchups settled on one breathless night of action.
In the East, Orlando City went into the evening hoping that they could improve on last year’s Conference Final appearance. By 11pm on opening night their dreams were dashed as the Chicago Fire swatted them aside, putting together one of the most comprehensive 3-1 wins you are ever likely to see.
Chicago became the last of the eight Eastern Conference teams to book their place in Round One. We will be previewing all of those games in the coming days. To get things started, here’s a look at the first two matchups in the East…
Inter Miami vs Nashville SC
Friday, October 24 @ 8:00pm ET
Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL
It’s always nice when there’s a bit of subplot to a game, some common thread that binds the two teams. Well…
Inter Miami and Nashville SC both began life in MLS in 2020 and have been inextricably linked ever since. In 2023 they contested the Leagues Cup final, where both teams were looking to pick up their first-ever trophy. Miami won. The following year was the first time that either team had competed in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Of course, they met in the Round of 16. Miami won.
For much of 2025 the two teams were even in contention for individual honors, with Lionel Messi and Sam Surridge battling it out for the MLS Golden Boot. Predictably, Inter Miami and Nashville met on the final day of the season. Surridge scored twice, Messi scored thrice, and the Inter Miami captain clinched the Golden Boot. Miami won.
Since Messi’s arrival in the summer of 2023, Inter Miami and Nashville have met eight times. Miami have won six and drawn two of those games. However this year’s best-of-three playoff series could be closer than the history suggests, with Nashville still riding high from their US Open Cup triumph earlier this month. Nevertheless, Miami should be too strong for the No. 6 seed and we expect The Herons to ease their way through to the Conference Semifinal.
Prediction: Miami advance in two games.
Philadelphia Union vs Chicago Fire
Sunday, October 26 @ 5:30pm ET
Subaru Park, Chester, PA
The Supporters’ Shield winner against a lowly No. 8 seed. Considering that the Philadelphia Union finished the regular season 13 points ahead of Chicago, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this will be a routine victory for Bradley Carnell’s side. Perhaps not.
This series will be defined by contrasts, both in style and in substance. Philadelphia’s success this year has been built on the collective, with a rotating cast of attacking options operating ahead of an industrious, well-drilled defensive unit. Olwethu Makhanya and Jakob Glesnes are both genuine Defender of the Year candidates and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better defensive midfielder in MLS than Danley Jean Jacques.
Chicago are much more reliant on game-winners, namely Hugo Cuypers (17 goals, 3 assists) and Phillip Zinckernagel (15 goals, 15 assists). The appropriately-named Fire are red-hot in attack but vulnerable defensively, as their 2025 performances suggest. Only Inter Miami have bettered the Fire’s 68 league goals across the season, but the 60 goals conceded is the worst of any playoff team. They will simply try to out-score the opposition, whoever they are.
Coaching Dichotomy
There’s also a pretty stark difference in coaching experience between the two teams. Before joining Philadelphia, Carnell’s only taste of playoff soccer was with St. Louis City and his sole postseason jaunt was short-lived. He led St. Louis to a record-breaking expansion season points tally, before suffering a shock first round loss to an unfancied Sporting Kansas City.
In the Fire dugout, however, former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter previously led the Columbus Crew into the playoffs on four separate occasions and made it to MLS Cup in 2015. Berhalter is one of the more experienced coaches in MLS and his postseason nous may give Chicago the edge.
Prediction: Chicago advance in three games.
