[3] The MLS Cup Playoffs, which ran from late October to early December, were expanded to include the top nine teams in each conference playing over five rounds.

[12] Nancy and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko made few acquisitions during the offseason, signing Christian Ramirez from Scottish side Aberdeen F.C., and traded away veteran players Jonathan Mensah and Artur.

[13][14] The team opened the season playing a possession-oriented style favored by Nancy that used players on the wing to create opportunities to attack and score.

[19][20] Columbus finished atop their group in the Leagues Cup, ahead of Club América and St. Louis City SC, but were eliminated in their first knockout match against Minnesota United FC.

[21] The summer transfer window saw the departure of Room to the Netherlands, attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayán to Saudi Arabia, and defender Miloš Degenek to Serbia.

In the first leg at home, the first playoff match to be played at Lower.com Field, Columbus won 2–0 through a pair of goals from Hernández while the away side were without key midfielder Thiago Almada.

[37] FC Cincinnati led 2–0 at half-time with a Brandon Vázquez strike and stoppage time free kick by Luciano Acosta; the hosts were able to maintain a shutout despite the suspension of defender Matt Miazga and the Crew's advantage in possession.

[38][39] After a pair of substitutions and adjustments from Nancy, Columbus rallied to score twice before the end of regulation time—an own goal by Alvas Powell created by Gressel's cross and an equalizer from Diego Rossi in the 86th minute.

[41] Under first-year head coach Steve Cherundolo in 2022, LAFC won the Supporters' Shield with 67 points—tied with the Philadelphia Union but ahead on the total wins tiebreaker—and the MLS Cup at home.

Defender Aaron Long was acquired through free agency and midfielder Timothy Tillman was signed from Germany, but LAFC ended the winter transfer window with an open Designated Player slot.

[12][44] The team were scheduled to open the regular season against crosstown El Tráfico rivals LA Galaxy, but the match at the Rose Bowl was postponed due to regional floods and potential thunderstorms.

[46][47] The team moved to the top of the Western Conference in late May, ahead of the Champions League final,[48] but faced an 18-day stretch in June with six matches due to fixtures that were rescheduled to accommodate the continental campaign.

[51][52] During the summer transfer window, the team traded forward Kwadwo Opoku to Montreal and lost midfielder José Cifuentes to Rangers F.C.

[54] The team finished the regular season with one loss in their final seven matches and clinched the third seed in the West with a draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Decision Day.

[58] LAFC traveled to face second-seeded Seattle Sounders FC in the Conference Semifinals and won 1–0 from a Bouanga goal and several saves by Maxime Crépeau.

The match, which ended a 19-match home unbeaten streak in the playoffs for the Sounders, was marked by allegations of unbalanced calls from the referees, including a potential red card offense that was not reviewed.

Chiellini led the team's defense to a shutout despite the Dynamo's possession and creative play; an own goal in the 80th minute from LAFC-turned-Houston defender Franco Escobar gave the home side a 2–0 victory and clinched a second consecutive Western Conference championship.

[62][63] Steve Cherundolo became the third head coach to lead a team to the MLS Cup final in his first two seasons after Bruce Arena with D.C. United and Brian Schmetzer with Seattle Sounders FC.

[76] The English commentary team for Apple's broadcast includes play-by-play commentator Jake Zivin, color analyst Taylor Twellman, and sideline reporter Katie Witham; the Spanish team comprises play-by-play commentator Sammy Sadovnik, color analyst Eduardo Biscayart, and sideline reporter Antonella Gonzalez.

The English broadcast team for Fox comprises commentator John Strong, analyst Stu Holden, and reporter Jenny Taft.

LAFC responded by sending more players upfield and leaving themselves vulnerable to counterattacks; an attempt by Yeboah was saved off the goal line by Palacios early in the half.

[81] On December 12, the Crew held a victory parade on Nationwide Boulevard and a rally at a plaza outside Lower.com Field to celebrate their MLS Cup title.

[92] Columbus had already qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup and their original berth was transferred to the New England Revolution, who finished sixth in the regular season standings.