The second leg of a two-match knockout tie isn’t just down to who wins or loses on the day. With advancement decided by the goal differential over the course of both matches –– and the away goal rule tiebreaker coming into play –– there are different outcomes for various scorelines.
First, the easy part: with a one-goal lead entering the match, any win or draw for the Five Stripes means Atlanta Untied makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals. No matter the scoreline, if Atlanta United don’t lose, they move on.
But if New York City FC are leading at the end of 90 minutes, that’s where the scoreline comes into play. The rules state if the teams score the same amount of goals over two legs, the first tiebreaker is how many goals a team has scored on the road. Atlanta United scored once at Yankee Stadium, so if NYCFC score twice or more in Atlanta, that tiebreaker swings into their favor. The different tiebreaker situations are illustrated by MLS here:
In this graphic, it shows the outcome of each possible scoreline. So if it’s 1-0 NYCFC after 90’, the match goes to extra time. Any draw or win goes Atlanta United’s way –– but any loss with more than a goal scored by NYCFC would be the end of the Five Stripes’ postseason run.
The only other thing you need to know is this: the away goals tiebreaker no longer applies if the match goes to extra time. So if both teams score in extra time, the visiting team won’t necessarily be the winner just because they scored on the road. The simplest way to think of it: once extra time begins, it's a clean slate for both teams, if the extra time score remains the same at the final whistle, penalties will ensue.
Five Stripes fans will hope the result won’t come down to goal-counting –– win or draw and they’re in. But in case they do, make sure you’re studied up on all the different ways the match could end.
