Forget what the purists say. In the United States, the beautiful game is reaching its most thrilling crescendo not through a protracted league campaign, but in the high-stakes, win-or-go-home drama of the playoffs. The current postseason runs in both Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League are delivering edge-of-your-seat contests and indelible moments that a traditional title race simply cannot replicate.
The Messi Show and Miami's Playoff Surge
Facing Inter Miami in the MLS playoffs right now must feel like stepping into a surreal advertisement. Before Saturday's Eastern Conference final against New York City FC, Lionel Messi had been directly involved in every single one of Miami's 12 postseason goals, either scoring or assisting. While he dazzled throughout the regular season, the Argentine superstar has saved a special kind of savagery for the knockout stages.
On Saturday, however, Miami showcased they can thrive beyond pure Messi-dependence. In a rollicking 5-1 victory over NYC FC, Messi contributed just a single assist as his teammates took centre stage. Watching this Miami team, with Messi in his pomp dragging the club forward until it found its own unstoppable momentum, has been pure entertainment. The entire MLS playoff bracket, even as favourites have largely prevailed, has been packed with drama, sudden reversals of fortune, and cinematic climaxes.
The epic Western Conference semi-final between Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC was a prime example. It was a ding-dong affair sealed by a 95th-minute free-kick, went to extra time where Vancouver finished with nine men, and saw LAFC hit both posts and the crossbar in a single sequence before the Whitecaps ultimately triumphed on penalties. This is the kind of theatre the playoffs manufacture.
Gotham FC's Improbable NWSL Fairytale
The magic of the playoff format cares not for gender or league. Across in the NWSL, Gotham FC scripted a remarkable underdog story by winning the Championship final, thanks to a splendid Rose Lavelle strike from the edge of the box. Their path to glory was extraordinary: as the No. 8 seed, they became the lowest-seeded team ever to win the title, breaking their own record set two years prior.
Their seeding belied their talent, influenced by injuries and a late-season slump, but their playoff run was no fluke. They squeaked past a dominant Kansas City Current team in the dying seconds of extra-time in the quarter-finals. They then dethroned the defending champions, Orlando Pride, with a 97th-minute winner on their only shot on target in the entire match. This is the concentrated jeopardy and narrative that playoffs provide, transforming a team with a modest 9-win regular season into champions.
The Unbeatable Drama of Win-or-Go-Home Football
Is this format always fair? Certainly not. But is it highly entertaining? For the neutral, absolutely. And professional sport's primary purpose is entertainment, with fairness a secondary concern. Analysis from consultancies like Twenty First Group identifies "quality, jeopardy and connection" as the key ingredients for compelling contests. Pound for pound, a playoff match delivers more of these elements than a standard league fixture.
This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. The regular season can start to feel like a qualifying exam for the main event—the playoffs—where the real action and jeopardy are concentrated into a handful of superior, must-watch games. While traditionalists champion the purity of a league table deciding a champion—the model used by most of Europe's elite divisions—they often overlook a glaring inconsistency.
Some of football's most beloved global competitions—the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the European Championships, and Copa América—derive their immense appeal from being, at their core, knockout tournaments. It is in these win-or-go-home games where the true theatre, elation, and heartbreak reside.
With Vancouver's 3-1 win over San Diego setting up an MLS Cup final against Messi's Miami, fans are guaranteed a spectacular finale. The message from across the Atlantic is clear: for unrivalled drama and unforgettable moments, playoffs are forever.
