Major League Soccer on Tuesday announced the MLS Cup air date, playoff structure and television information for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, and there are some historical changes in the works this fall.
The MLS Cup Final will be broadcast on Fox, UniMas, TSN and RDS on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. PT, the first time in league history the championship game has been on Saturday night primetime TV.
The playoffs, which feature the top six teams in the Eastern and Western Conference, will begin on Oct. 26-27 in knockout round games. The two-leg conference semifinals will begin on Sunday Oct. 30 and conclude the following Sunday, Nov. 6.
After a week off for a FIFA international break Nov. 7-15, the first legs of the conference championships will be on Sunday Nov. 20 (Western Conference) and Tuesday No. 22 (Eastern). The seconds legs will be on Nov. 27 (Western) and Nov. 30 (Eastern).
MLS Cup will be held at the home venue of the finalist with the better record in the regular season.