After 34 very long and very intense matchdays on Major League Soccer’s regular season calendar, the real fun kicks off on Wednesday night when the wild card rounds of the MLS Playoffs start.
In the Eastern Conference, No. 8 Chicago will host No. 9 Orlando City in its old digs at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview Ill., while in the Western Conference, it’s No. 9 Portland looking to upset the established order when they take on No. 8 Real Salt Lake.
Planning on tuning in? Here’s everything you need to know, from when, what’s at stake, which team to bet, and our prediction — you know, should you want to take a stab at a moneyline wager.
Eastern Conference wild card:
No. 9 Orlando City vs. No. 8 Chicago (8:30 p.m., ET, Apple TV)
If you ever wondered what happened to former U.S. national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, after being replaced by current American boss, Mauricio Pochettino, he resurfaced as one of the better coaches in MLS, guiding this Chicago team into the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Chicago, which normally plays inside Soldier Field, were forced to move due to a prior event scheduled in the stadium. The team is fueled by the play of striker Philip Zinckernagel, who has scored 15 goals this season. Like his head coach, this is his first year in the league. Rephrase that last part: Berhalter has coached in MLS before, this is his first with the Fire.
As for Orlando City, they enter as an underdog with a +225 to win the match on the money line. But it’s not reflective of what they had to do to get to this point. The common cliché is that it’s “not how you start but instead, how you finish,” but in the case of Orlando City, the start has been much more beneficial than the end with the Lions on the losing their last four — straight.
Prediction: Chicago 3, Orlando City 1
Western Conference wild card:
No. 8 Portland vs. No. 9 Real Salt Lake (10 p.m., ET; Apple TV)
Say it with us: Portland is a playoff team. This is not their first rodeo. Now, here’s the thing. Their run of form isn’t exactly inspiring, since the Timbers have won just one match out of their last 10 games. However, there’s a history with this team making the postseason and making a serious run at the cup in the West too.
However…
It’s surprising that Real Salt Lake finished as low as it did in the West, considering it started off the 2025 season hot behind midfielder Diego Luna, one of the brightest young American stars who has had one of the best seasons of any player for both club and country. This one will go down to the wire but despite this game being in the home of the Timbers, anticipate them getting cut down by Real, who moves on to face the No. 1 seed in the West in San Diego.
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 2, Portland 1
