The 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs have reached the final four. They have, perhaps, been short on goals and star power, but they’ve delivered two intriguing semifinal matchups. In the East, FC Cincinnati hosts the Columbus Crew. In the West, LAFC welcomes the Houston Dynamo to Los Angeles. Both conference finals are set for Saturday, at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET, respectively (both on Apple TV).
The Eastern Conference match, a battle for Ohio, has been prefaced by controversy. First there was Cincinnati’s goal in the conference semis last Saturday. Then there was the suspension of MLS Defender of the Year Matt Miazga, who will miss the remainder of the playoffs after entering the referees’ locker room following a first-round win over the New York Red Bulls.
Cincy survived last weekend without Miazga. The Crew, though, will pose new problems. They boast the league’s most prolific attack. They’ve lost just once (in a best-of-three playoff series) since mid-September. Their Colombian forward, Cucho Hernandez, has scored a whopping 14 goals in 12 games since the beginning of that month. He’s a primary reason that many analysts fancy Columbus, the No. 3 seed, to upset the Supporters’ Shield winners.
Out west, on the other hand, LA-Houston looks more one-sided. LAFC is the defending champ and, according to some underlying numbers, the league’s best team once again. It survived a Seattle onslaught last weekend, but it should seize control of Saturday’s conference final. Houston has been on fire since the July-August Leagues Cup break, but doesn’t quite have the firepower that its hosts do.
Yahoo Sports’ Andy Deossa will be at BMO Stadium in LA for that game. In the meantime, we’ll also be following, covering and analyzing the Eastern Conference final below. Join us. — Henry Bushnell
