The 2023 MLS Playoffs are upon us, and the field this year feels as open as ever. There's no obvious winner, for sure, and, in a league defined by chaos, there will be plenty of teams feeling like they have a chance at winning silverware in early December.
Last year's champions, LAFC, are involved after winning arguably the best MLS Cup final we've ever seen. They'll face the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference finale, with the U.S. Open Cup winners looking to complete an unthinkable run to another finale. Their opponents in 2022, the Philadelphia Union, are now out, leaving the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati to duke it out for Eastern Conference supremacy
But who are the favorites, who are the dark horses and which teams should start looking toward next year already? GOAL has you covered...