2014 MLS Cup Playoffs
The 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs (branded as the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was the nineteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began in late October and culminated on December 7, 2014 with MLS Cup 2014, the nineteenth league championship for MLS.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States Canada |
| Teams | 10 |
| Defending champions | Sporting Kansas City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | LA Galaxy (5th title) |
| Runner-up | New England Revolution |
| Semifinalists |
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 42 (2.8 per match) |
| Attendance | 354,455 (23,630 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Charlie Davies Bradley Wright-Phillips (4 goals each) |
The 2014 playoffs was the first time that the away goals rule was applied to the home-and-away, aggregate-goal series. The first series impacted by the rule was a Western Conference semifinal that saw Seattle Sounders FC advance past FC Dallas when the first match (held in Dallas) ended 1–1 and the second (held in Seattle) ended 0–0.
LA Galaxy defeated New England Revolution 2–1 after extra time in the MLS Cup 2014, thus earning a spot in the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League.
Sporting Kansas City were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round by New York Red Bulls.