The playoff format was also modified with eight teams (five from the East and three from the West) now qualifying for the post-season, as opposed to six in the previous years.
The fifth place team from the East would cross over and play in the West Division playoff bracket.
In the mini-game, each team named a new lineup, could include three more substitutes and re-activate any players who sat out of Game Two for caution accumulation.
The playoff final remained a one-off match, as in previous years, hosted by the top seed, or team with the best league record, in 1990.
As 1989 league champions, the Vancouver 86ers competed in the North American Club Championship against the champions of the American Professional Soccer League, the Maryland Bays.
Vancouver defeated Maryland 3–2 in the final played in Burnaby to capture the title.