Every 2016 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.
Seattle Sounders FC won the 2016 title from a regular season record of 14-14-6. 12 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every matchup below is taken from the MLS stats API; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knockout Round | Toronto FC | 3-1 | Philadelphia Union | October 26, 2016 |
| Knockout Round | LA Galaxy | 3-1 | Real Salt Lake | October 26, 2016 |
| Knockout Round | Seattle Sounders FC | 1-0 | Sporting Kansas City | October 27, 2016 |
| Knockout Round | Impact de Montréal | 4-2 | D.C. United | October 27, 2016 |
| Conference Semifinals | Seattle Sounders FC | 4-2 on aggregate | FC Dallas | October 30 to November 6, 2016 |
| Conference Semifinals | Colorado Rapids | 1-1 on aggregate, 3-1 on penalties | LA Galaxy | October 30 to November 6, 2016 |
| Conference Semifinals | Impact de Montréal | 3-1 on aggregate | Red Bull New York | October 30 to November 6, 2016 |
| Conference Semifinals | Toronto FC | 7-0 on aggregate | New York City Football Club | October 30 to November 6, 2016 |
| Conference Finals | Seattle Sounders FC | 3-1 on aggregate | Colorado Rapids | November 22 to November 27, 2016 |
| Conference Finals | Toronto FC | 7-5 on aggregate | Impact de Montréal | November 22 to November 30, 2016 |
| MLS Cup | Seattle Sounders FC | 0-0, 5-4 on penalties | Toronto FC | December 10, 2016 |
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.