Atlanta United and CF Montréal clinched the final two postseason spots in the Eastern Conference on a dramatic Decision Day in the division.
The Canadian outfit were already on track to reach the Wild Card and only needed a draw to keep their season alive. First-half goals from Caden Clark and Josef Martínez were enough for Montréal to secure a 2–0 win at home against NYCFC—who had already qualified for the playoffs—and thus book its place in the Wild Card match. Laurent Courtois' guided Montréal to an eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference in his first season in charge at Stade Saputo.
It wasn't as straightforward for Atlanta, however. Montréal and D.C. United occupied the two Wild Card spots heading into Decision Day, meaning Atlanta needed one of the two above teams and Philadelphia Union to drop points while also taking care of business on the road at Orlando City—who already qualified for the postseason.
That's a wrap on the Eastern Conference! ✅
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 20, 2024
▪️ @cfmontreal secures the No. 8 spot
▪️ @ATLUTD punches their ticket at No. 9
▪️ @InterMiamiCF breaks the MLS single-season points record pic.twitter.com/5o4XpuolVK
The stars aligned for the Five Stripes as they held on for a 2–1 win against Orlando after a late equalizer from Duncan McGuire was chalked off after a VAR check. At the same time, Philadelphia fell 2–1 at home against FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC won 3–0 against D.C to give Atlanta a boost in the standings.
Atlanta and D.C. both accumulated 40 points and won 10 matches from 34 regular season games. However, Atlanta's minus-three goal difference was superior to D.C.'s minus-18 goal difference, meaning the Five Stripes clinched ninth place in the East over the Black and Red.
Montréal is set to play host to Atlanta at Stade Saputo on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Wild Card match. The winner takes on 2024 Supporters' Shield champions Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the Round One Best of Three Series starting on Oct. 25.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Atlanta United, CF Montreal Secure Final MLS Eastern Conference Postseason Slots.
