The New York Red Bulls advance to the MLS Cup and drive home the randomness of these playoffs

The New York Red Bulls played 20 soccer games between June 2 and the end of the regular season in MLS; they won three, including two against lowly Toronto.

They started the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign relatively strongly, but by the end of the 34 games they had only 11 wins.

For eight months, they were the epitome of mediocrity. They entered the MLS playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed, with title odds of +5800, as beneficiaries of the inflated format more than deserving contenders.

And yet here they are, 90 minutes away from an MLS title.

The Red Bulls beat Orlando City 1-0 on Saturday night to advance to the MLS Cup, where they will face either the Seattle Sounders or the Los Angeles Galaxy next weekend.

They survived a few scares, stunning Orlando with an early set piece in the second half. John Tolkin’s delivery was excellent. Andrés Reyes’ header was brave. On the day they were worthy winners.

But their presence in the conference finals alone also highlighted the randomness of the MLS playoffs — an 18-team, stop-start, part-single-elimination contest to decide a league defined by parity.

After two consecutive MLS Cups with relative heavyweights, the 2024 playoffs have created chaos. The Red Bulls beat the acclaimed Columbus Crew in Round 1, first on the road, then in Game 2 at home on penalties. Atlanta, meanwhile, with all 10 wins in the regular season, upset top-seeded Inter Miami. FC Cincinnati also fell on penalties to sixth-seeded NYCFC.

The Red Bulls then beat NYCFC in the quarterfinals. They topped Orlando with a scrappy, solid performance Saturday in the semifinals. They’ve beaten more teams in the playoffs than they did in four-plus months and need just one more next Saturday (4 p.m. ET, Fox) to clinch the club’s first MLS Cup championship.