MLS Cup Playoffs 101: The essential facts about Sounders FC’s 2015 postseason

And while those 12 sides have their sights firmly set on the league’s top prize, MLS Cup, which will be awarded on 6 December, a few of Major League Soccer’s top stars are going to be doing double duty in the coming weeks with the return of Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup™ qualifiers taking place around the planet.

The Galaxy find themselves all the way down in fifth, traveling to play the fourth-placed Seattle Sounders on Wednesday; those teams were once favored to face off in the Western Conference final.

Here is a look at the bracket and a few key things to know regarding the postseason.

Should the Revs advance with a win over the United on Wednesday, they would host the Eastern Conference Semifinal Leg 1 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, November 1. The matchups in the knockout round in particular should provide a few drama, as a few of the teams from higher up the table in the early season will now face elimination in a one-off game.

Davies scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season in New England’s 3-1 win over New York City FC on Sunday. MLS ranks seventh globally in terms of highest average total attendance.

The Sounders learned the hard way last season that winning your conference doesn’t necessarily give you the easiest path to the MLS Cup Final. In fact, a top-ranked team hasn’t been conference champion since the LA Galaxy did it in 2011. That Galaxy group is one of just five teams to win the Shield and the Cup in the league’s 19-year history. The Galaxy accomplished that feat as the No. 4 seed in 2012. If Wednesday’s match is tied after regulation, it will go to extra time and penalty kicks if necessary.