Yankee Stadium will host NYCFC playoff games. (FrontRowSoccer.com Photo)

NEW YORK – After clinching a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row, New York City FC Friday announced the playoff ticket timeline and pricing. City Members have had their playoff tickets automatically loaded into their account and have until Oct. 9 to opt out if they don’t want their seats for the playoffs. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

City Member ticket prices for potential knockout round and conference semifinals matches will remain at normal regular season match prices starting at $21 for Founding Members. The club has also announced that tickets will be limited to the lower levels of Yankee Stadium, and the 300 and 400 levels will not be opened.

While the club is in second place in the Eastern Conference, playoff seeding is not yet finalized as there are still three games left in the regular season. As a result, there are three potential home playoff game scenarios.

New York City FC finishing as the number 1 – 2 seed:

If NYCFC finishes as the Eastern Conference’s first or second seed, the second leg of the Conference Semifinals will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 1, instead of Sunday, Nov. 5, due to an event at Yankee Stadium scheduled prior to the MLS season.

New York City FC finishing as the number 3 – 4 seed:

If the club finishes as a three or four seed, a knockout round game would take place at home on either Oct. 25 or 26. With a win, the club would qualify for the conference semifinals and would host Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Oct. 30 or 31.

New York City FC finishing as the number 5 – 6 seed:

If the club finishes as a five or six seed, the team would play the knockout round game on the road. With a win, the club would qualify for the Conference semifinals and would host Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Oct. 30 or 31.

MLS CUP PLAYOFFS HOME SCHEDULE

Knockout Round Games (seed 3-4)
October 25 or October 26

Conference Semifinals
If New York City FC is the number 1 or 2 seed
Leg 2: November 1
If New York City FC is the number 3 – 6 seed
Leg 1: October 30-31

Conference Championship
Leg 1: November 21
or
Leg 2: November 28-29

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.