By Rachel Blood

We’re riding the high of the most exhilarating playoff game in recent history, and that’s no exaggeration. A 3-3 draw against Seattle and a PK shootout that came down to the keepers? We saw Pereyra score off a brilliant free kick, Jefferson Díaz’s first MLS goal, and a classic Markanich header, plus some riveting back-and-forth play along with a series of brilliant saves from Keeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair. That’s cinema, and we can’t stop watching the highlights.

Now that the Loons have put the Sounders to bed and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, the boys get a break before they launch back into action in San Diego on November 24. During this break, make sure to keep an eye on the eight MNUFC players have been called up for international duty, including newcomer Nectarios Triantis, who will get his first cap with the Greek national team.

Meanwhile, some massive news came out of the league office this week, as Major League Soccer's Board of Governors formally voted to transition the season to a summer-to-spring format that matches the European calendar, beginning in 2027. You can read more about what that transition will look like and how the league plans to manage scheduling for cold-weather markets on our MLS Schedule Change Resources page. 

It was also announced that starting next season, all MLS games will be moving to Apple TV in place of the standalone MLS Season Pass subscription—an exciting move to put the league in front of a broader audience and make sure MLS fans can watch this new Pluribus show everyone's talking about with their subscription.

Whew. That was a lot of happenings for a supposedly "off week". Once you've had a chance to digest all of this league news about 2026 and beyond, it's time to turn your attention back to the fact that THE LOONS ARE ONE OF THE FINAL EIGHT TEAMS STANDING, and get ready to lock in for the conference semis, whether you’re making the trek out to Cali or cheering on the Black and Blue from home.