Britain’s League Cup, the one soccer tournament you simply cannot explain to nonsoccer friends, bubbles up in midweek. Best to ignore it for now then look up in February to see if your club is in the final; that’s what most Premier League managers will do.
The M.L.S. playoffs begin Wednesday and Thursday. The top two teams in each conference earned byes and will not play until the weekend, but the one-game first-rounders offer some enticing matchups: The Los Angeles Galaxy managed to lose their way into a date with Seattle on Wednesday (10 p.m., Eastern time, Unimas), while Didier Drogba-led Montreal won its way into a home game against Canadian rival Toronto F.