With the MLS Cup playoffs getting started on Wednesday night with Toronto FC hosting the Philadelphia Union (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN), we turned to our Major League Soccer experts Jeff Carlisle, Doug McIntyre, Jason Davis and Graham Parker to predict the postseason. Plus, ESPN FC TV analysts and former MLS managers Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner gave us their thoughts on how the playoffs will unfold.
Check out their MLS Cup and conference winners below, and see their full MLS Cup bracket over at MLSsoccer.com.
Who will win MLS Cup?
Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle): I think the New York Red Bulls will win MLS Cup. They're simply the best team in the league right now, even if they sometimes turn the last 15 minutes of games into an adventure. I wouldn't necessarily make that statement if Mauro Diaz were healthy. I think FC Dallas is still good enough to reach the final, but I think New York has too many attacking weapons and better balance from front to back than any other team in the league.
Doug McIntyre (@DougMacESPN): The Red Bulls have come close in the past few seasons, winning the Supporters' Shield in 2013 and 2015 and reaching the conference final in each of the past two years. After a rough start to the season, Jesse Marsch's team has been flat-out unstoppable. They're also the most balanced and experienced Red Bulls side we've ever seen.
Jason Davis (@davisjsn): In a year when no one team separated itself from the pack to demand the status of MLS Cup favorite heading into the postseason, the New York Red Bulls look like the best of the bunch. New York is well rounded, with a top-notch goal scorer; a strong, experienced midfield core; a competent defense and an excellent goalkeeper. If Marsch's team can shake its habit of letting leads slip late in games, there's no reason to think this isn't the year the Red Bulls finally lift the league's top prize.
Graham Parker (@KidWeil): I picked the Red Bulls; it's their time, and at the very least this should be the year they take that next step and seal an Eastern Conference championship. Watching New York keep its focus for what was a meaningless game in Philadelphia this past weekend suggests that the Red Bulls' concentration levels will not be the issue they were last year, provided they remain confident in the closing moments of games.
Paul Mariner (@Paul_Mariner): I think Dallas has enough depth in the squad to overcome the loss of Diaz. They have enough defensively to keep the Red Bulls out and even without Diaz, have enough going forward to do the job.
Steve Nicol (@SteveNicol61): Last year was a learning curve for Dallas; this year the club will take the next step. They have too much quality.