After a long and winding regular season, the MLS Cup playoffs are right around the corner. What better way to prepare yourself for the upcoming action than by reading a team-by-team tactical breakdown? Grab a snack, sit back and enjoy a strategic look at all 14 teams competing for MLS Cup. Keep in mind: these aren’t meant to be all-encompassing scouting reports. Rather, I wanted to give you one tactical thing to keep your eye on as you watch these teams in action in the most important games of the year.



Western Conference



LAFC



This year’s LAFC team may be the most tactically well-rounded team Major League Soccer has ever seen. But if you were to force me to choose one specific thing that LAFC do well compared to the rest of the teams in the league, I’ll always talk about their off-ball positioning in possession.



LAFC typically use a 4-3-3 (or a slight variation of a 4-3-3) in possession, with one dedicated deep-lying...