Every 1996 MLS playoff matchup, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
D.C. United won the 1996 title from a regular season record of 16-16-0. 8 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 3 rounds. Every matchup below is taken from the MLS stats API; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference Semifinals | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2-1 in games | Columbus Crew | September 25 to October 2, 1996 |
| Conference Semifinals | LA Galaxy | 2-1 in games | San Jose Clash | September 26 to October 2, 1996 |
| Conference Semifinals | D.C. United | 2-1 in games | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | September 24 to October 2, 1996 |
| Conference Semifinals | Kansas City Wiz | 2-1 in games | Dallas Burn | September 26 to October 2, 1996 |
| Conference Finals | D.C. United | 2-0 in games | Tampa Bay Mutiny | October 10 to October 12, 1996 |
| Conference Finals | LA Galaxy | 2-0 in games | Kansas City Wiz | October 10 to October 13, 1996 |
| MLS Cup | D.C. United | 3-2 | LA Galaxy | October 20, 1996 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.