The captivating thing about playoffs, regardless of level or sport, is that the best teams do not always win. Such is the unpredictability of complex games played by fallible beings. And unpredictability sells. It's the source of drama. It's why Major League Soccer has chosen to differ from foreign leagues and use a single-elimination tournament to determine its champion.
For a decade, though, it also became MLS' problem.
The tournament welcomed half the league, and almost invariably disposed of top seeds. Only one even reached MLS Cup between 2012 and 2021.