Everything you need to know about FC Cincinnati's MLS Cup playoff ...

It's playoff time in Cincinnati.

With one of the most successful regular season campaigns in Major League Soccer history in the rearview mirror, FC Cincinnati is gearing up for playoff soccer and its first-ever playoff match at TQL Stadium.

The dates of FC Cincinnati postseason run haven't been announced yet but MLS officials are expected to release that information by Monday at the latest.

FC Cincinnati already has one trophy in 2023 via the Supporters' Shield. It can become one of the league's best teams ever if it claims MLS Cup. Cincinnati has homefield in each round of the playoffs so all roads to MLS Cup go through the Queen City.

Here's everything you need to know about the playoff run that's about the start:

FC Cincinnati: The betting favorite to win it all

Let's start with this as a baseline: Most people, including (and perhaps most tellingly) the oddsmakers in Las Vegas, like FC Cincinnati to win MLS Cup. The club's comfortable Supporters' Shield win, which was clinched with three games to spare, is highly suggestive FCC is the best-constructed team in MLS. Vegas is figuring FC Cincinnati will continue that form in the playoffs, too.

According to BetMGM, FC Cincinnati (odds at 333) is the favorite to win MLS Cup with Los Angeles FC (600), St. Louis City SC (800), Orlando City SC (1000) and Philadelphia Union (1200) rounding out the top five.

BetMGM last updated its MLS Cup odds board Friday, prior to the final round of regular-season matches, so these numbers might shift. FC Cincy is the clear favorite this postseason, though.

The playoff format

The new quirk in this year's MLS postseason is the best-of-three first round series. Every match will have a winner and, if necessary, go straight to penalty kicks if the matches are tied after 90 minutes to decide that game's victor. The first team to win two games advances, and then we go back to the lose-and-you're-out, single-game elimination format.

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MLS has staged multi-game, home-and-away playoff series in the past but those were ultimately decided by the combined score over just two games. In global soccer, that's a far more common method for determining the winner in knockout competitions. The best-of-three format feels more like a borrowed concept from other North American sports leagues but that's how it is this year.

The playoffs will run from Wednesday through the MLS Cup final on Dec. 9. Wednesday will feature the play-in games between the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds from both conferences.

Who will FC Cincinnati face and when?

Speaking of those eight-versus-nine play-in games, that's what FC Cincinnati is waiting on. St. Louis CITY SC, the top finisher in the Western Conference, is waiting to learn its playoff opponent too.

No. 8 New York Red Bulls hosts No. 9 Charlotte FC Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, for the right to face Cincinnati.

In the Western Conference, No. 8 Sporting Kansas City hosts No. 9 San Jose Earthquakes at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas (9:30 p.m.).

FC Cincinnati will host the first match of the first round series (date and time TBA), travel to its opponent's home venue for the next match and, if necessary, host the third and final game of the series.

FC Cincinnati faced the Red Bulls three times in 2023, going 1-1-1. Cincinnati knocked the Red Bulls out of the U.S. Open Cup via penalty kicks, defeated "RBNY" at Red Bull Arena and, most recently, lost to New York at TQL Stadium on Oct. 4.

Cincinnati went an undefeated 1-0-1 against Charlotte this year. It fought back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a 2-2 draw at Bank of America Stadium on July 8. FCC then beat Charlotte, 3-0, at TQL Stadium on Sept. 23.

How do I get playoff tickets?

As far as the home matches at TQL Stadium are concerned, FC Cincinnati has advertised for playoff ticket sales on Monday. Season ticket members, along with Orange and Blue Reserve enrollees, can purchase tickets at 10 a.m. Monday. The public sale of tickets begins at 1 p.m.

No other information has been released regarding ticket sales.

Who are FC Cincinnati's impact players?

Luciano Acosta is likely going to win the 2023 Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player award this year. He scored in the team's regular-season finale against Atlanta United, giving him 17 scores on the year. As Acosta goes, so goes FC Cincinnati. FCC will need Acosta at his best to win MLS Cup.

Matt Miazga, who often takes the captain's armband when Acosta isn't on the field, has mounted a season worthy of Defender of the Year consideration. He needs to be sharp, too. FCC can feel confident about its defending up and down its roster after improving its goals-against numbers year over year. Cincinnati conceded 17 fewer goals (39) in 2023 than in 2022 (56).

Defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo, who played his first full season with FCC this year, is one of the best players at his position in MLS and factored heavily in FCC's defensive efforts.

Cincinnati had three players with double digit goal contributions: Acosta (27), Brandon Vazquez (10; eight goals, two assists), and Alvaro Barreal (11; five goals, six assists).

Dominique Badji added eight goal contributions (five goals, three assists).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Everything you need to know about FC Cincinnati's MLS Cup playoff run