NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer will take a week off in the middle of its playoffs during the FIFA fixture period for international matches.
MLS said Tuesday that its playoffs will start with conference knockout games Oct. 29-30. The first legs of conference semifinals will be Nov. 1-2 and the second legs of the home-and-home, total-goals series will be Nov. 8-9.
The league will then take a break while many players report to national teams. European Championship qualifiers are scheduled from Nov. 14-16, and the U.S. has a friendly at Ireland on Nov. 18.
The first legs of conference semifinals will be Nov. 22-23 and the second legs Nov. 29-30. The MLS final will be Dec. 7 at the finalist with the most regular-season points.