Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 14 matches played on Decision Day 2023, the 38th and culminating Matchday of the 2023 MLS season, on Saturday, October 21.
Tolkin Powers Red Bulls to MLS-Record 14th Consecutive Postseason Appearance
With their playoff hopes on the brink, 21-year-old New York Red Bulls star John Tolkin stepped up to the penalty spot for the first time in his MLS career and delivered a perfect strike in second-half stoppage time (Watch Here), giving his club a 1-0 lead and punching their ticket to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for an MLS-record 14th consecutive season.
The Red Bulls playoff streak surpassed Seattle Sounders FC (13 consecutive postseasons from 2009-21) for the longest streak in MLS history and extended the longest active postseason streak among the major North American men’s professional leagues in the United States and Canada, sitting three ahead of Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers (11 consecutive berths).
With momentum on their side, the Red Bulls will welcome playoff debutant Charlotte FC to Red Bull Arena in a win-and-advance, one-game Wild Card match on Wednesday, Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass) for the right to take on Supporters’ Shield winner FC Cincinnati in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Charlotte FC Goes Dancing in Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for First Time
Needing a victory and some help to clinch a berth in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, Charlotte FC received an early goal from Kerwin Vargas (Watch Here) and a pair of sensational, game-winning saves from goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina (Watch Here) helping the club punch a postseason ticket in just their second year of existence.
A combination of the Charlotte FC victory and losses by both CF Montréal and Chicago Fire FC secured the clubs first playoff berth as they became just the sixth expansion team in MLS history to make their postseason debut in one of their first two seasons while also producing at least 40 points in both seasons.
Charlotte FC will hit the road for the Eastern Conference Wild Card match, as they travel to Red Bull Arena for the critical game on Wednesday, Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). The winner of the Wild Card match advances to take on Supporters’ Shield winner and the top seed in the Eastern Conference, FC Cincinnati, in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Bouanga’s Late-Season Scoring Surge Secures Golden Boot Presented by Audi
Los Angeles Football Club forward Dénis Bouanga claimed the 2023 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi after scoring a league-high 20 goals in a race that came down to the final day of the MLS regular season – Decision Day 2023. Bouanga, who became the second LAFC player to score 20 goals in a single season (Carlos Vela, 34 in 2019), finished ahead of FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta (17 goals) and Atlanta United’s Giorgos Giakoumakis (17 goals) to earn the honor.
Bouanga scored LAFC’s lone goal in their 1-1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC and closed his award-winning season with six goals across his final three matches. That total is the second-highest by a Golden Boot winner in his last three matches of a season and just one behind Alex Pineda Chacón, who scored seven in his final three matches for the Miami Fusion in 2001.
Bouanga and LAFC secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and will begin their quest to repeat as MLS Cup champions as they take on Vancouver, the No. 6 seed, in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
FC Dallas Pours it on in Los Angeles, Clinches Playoff Berth
A win was all FC Dallas needed to clinch a berth in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and they erased all shadow of a doubt early, scoring four goals in the first half of the club’s 4-1 victory over the LA Galaxy. Led by a pair of goals by Bernard Kamungo, FC Dallas became just the fifth team in MLS history to score four goals in the first half of their final match of the season and the second team to do so in the past two seasons (FC Cincinnati, four vs. D.C. United on Decision Day 2022).
With the win, FC Dallas joined Sporting Kansas City in becoming the third and fourth clubs in MLS history to make the postseason in 20 different seasons. The two original clubs join the New York Red Bulls (23 playoff appearances) and the LA Galaxy (20 playoff appearances) as the only clubs in MLS history to reach the milestone.
FC Dallas secured the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and will face No. 2 seed Seattle Sounders FC in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
Western Conference Wild Card Match Set: Sporting KC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
The final two positions in the Western Conference playoff picture were determined on Decision Day, as Sporting Kansas City and the San Jose Earthquakes clinched the eighth and ninth seeds, respectively, with their results on Saturday night.
Courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Minnesota United FC, Sporting Kansas City returns to the postseason for the third time in four years and the 20th time in club history, accompanying FC Dallas in becoming the third and fourth teams in MLS history to do so. Head coach Peter Vermes will coach in his 11th different postseason, tying Bob Bradley for the third-most by a head coach in league history.
For San Jose, a 1-1 draw was all that was needed to secure a berth in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, as the club returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Cristian Espinoza scored the ‘Quakes lone goal in the match and recorded his 26th goal contribution of the season, passing Ronald Cerritos (25 in 1998) for the second-most in a single season in club history. First-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez joined current Earthquakes general manager Chris Leitch as the only coaches since 2006 to lead San Jose to the postseason in their first season as manager.
Sporting Kansas City will host San Jose at Children’s Mercy Park in the Western Conference Wild Card match on Wednesday, Oct. 25 (9:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). The winner will advance to take on Western Conference No. 1 seed St. Louis CITY SC in the Round One Best-of-3 series.
