The New York Red Bulls played 20 soccer games between June 2 and the end of the MLS regular season; They won three, including two against lowly Toronto.

They started the 2024 Major League Soccer season relatively strong, but at the end of the 34 games they had only achieved 11 wins.

For eight months they were the epitome of mediocrity. They entered the MLS playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a title chance of +5800, making them beneficiaries of the bloated format rather than deserving contenders.

And yet here they are, 90 minutes away from an MLS title.

The Red Bulls defeated Orlando City 1-0 on Saturday evening to advance to the MLS Cup, where they will face either the Seattle Sounders or Los Angeles Galaxy next weekend.

They survived some scares and stunned Orlando with a set piece early in the second half. John Tolkin’s performance was outstanding. Andrés Reyes’ header was brave. They were worthy winners that day.

But their very presence in the conference finals also highlighted the randomness of the MLS playoffs — a stop-start, 18-team, partial single-elimination competition that determines a league defined by parity.

After two consecutive MLS Cups with relative heavyweights, the 2024 playoffs have caused chaos. The Red Bulls defeated the vaunted Columbus Crew in Round 1, first on the road, then in Game 2 at home on penalties. Atlanta, in turn, upset top-seeded Inter Miami with its ten wins in the regular season. FC Cincinnati also failed in a penalty shootout against sixth-seeded NYCFC.

The Red Bulls then defeated NYCFC in the quarterfinals. They topped Orlando in the semifinals on Saturday with a weak, solid performance. They’ve beaten more teams in the playoffs than in the last four months, and next Saturday (4 p.m. ET, Fox) they need just one more to win the club’s first MLS Cup championship.