A guide to the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs: Teams, dates, seeding, format
The playoffs start Wednesday and conclude with the championship game on December 9.
Here is a look at the 2017 MLS Cup Playoff format:
The 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs will consist of four rounds: The knockout round, the conference semifinals, the conference finals and MLS Cup.
The top two seeds in each conference were given a bye through to the conference semifinals.
The Timbers will face the lowest-seeded winner from the two Western Conference knockout games taking place this week. The No. 3 Vancouver Whitecaps will host the No. 6 San Jose Earthquakes Wednesday, while the No. 4 Houston Dynamo will host No. 5 Sporting Kansas City Thursday.
Portland's most likely conference semifinal opponent is Houston, but the Timbers could face Sporting Kansas City or the San Jose Earthquakes instead if there are upsets in the knockout games.
The conference semifinals will consist of a two-leg, aggregate-score series. The lower seeded team will host the first game with the higher seed team hosting the second and final match. As the No. 1 seed in the West, the Timbers will travel to face their conference semifinal opponent in the first leg of the series.
The teams that win out in the conference semifinals will advance to the conference finals. The conference finals will also consist of a two-leg, aggregate score series.
The winner of the Western Conference Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals will meet in the MLS Cup on Dec. 9.
Here is a look at the full 2017 MLS Cup Playoff bracket:
Knockout Round
— E3. Chicago Fire vs. E6. New York Red Bulls, 8:30 p.m. (UniMás, FS1, TSN3/5, TVA Sports)
— W3. Vancouver Whitecaps vs. W6. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m (UniMás, TSN1/3/4/5, TVA Sports 2)
— E4. Atlanta United vs. E5. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m. (ESPN2, UniMás, Univision Deportes, TSN4, TVA Sports)
— No. 4 Houston Dynamo vs. No. 5 Sporting Kansas City, 9:30 p.m. (UniMás, TSN4, TVA Sports)
Conference Semifinals
— Monday, Oct. 30, time TBD
— Tuesday, Oct. 31, time TBD
–Sunday, Nov. 5, E1. Toronto FC vs. TBD, time TBD
–Sunday, Nov. 5, E2. New York City FC vs. TBD, time TBD
— Sunday, Oct. 29, time TBD
— Tuesday, Oct. 31, time TBD
— Thursday, Nov. 2, W2. Seattle Sounders vs. TBD, time TBD
— Sunday, Nov. 5, W1. Portland Timbers vs. TBD, time TBD
Conference Finals
— Tuesday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
— Tuesday, Nov. 28 or Wednesday, Nov. 29, time TBD (Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes)
MLS Cup Final
— Saturday, Dec. 9, 4 p.m. (ESPN, UniMás, TSN channels TBD, TVA Sports)
Staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this report.