FC Cincinnati has its playoff berth. Now, it's closing in on MLS history.

ATLANTA − A dominant 2023 Major League Soccer campaign is just beginning to bear fruit for FC Cincinnati in the form of an MLS Cup Playoffs spot, with the possibility for more historic accomplishments to come.

FC Cincinnati on Wednesday traveled to the inhospitable environs of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to play an Atlanta United FC team they rarely beat, and on the kind of artificial surface FCC has scarcely won on since entering MLS in 2019.

Those obstacles couldn't hinder this iteration of FCC, which grew into the match after giving up an early goal and eventually found its own scores in the 75th and 80th minutes from Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez, respectively, before coasting to a 2-1 victory.

More: Why FC Cincinnati's NYCFC rout was the biggest win of 2023: MLS takeaways

The win gave FC Cincinnati a berth to the MLS Cup playoffs, making the club the second-fastest team in MLS history to punch its postseason ticket. Eight matches and almost two months' worth of regular season remain in 2023.

FCC also clinched back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since entering MLS, which anyone will tell you is no small accomplishment following three consecutive last-place finishes after the club entered the league.

With an 11-point lead in the Eastern Conference over second-place Revolution, FC Cincinnati is looking at hosting playoff matches throughout the playoffs. But the club has other goals in mind, too.

Next on FC Cincinnati's list of accomplishments is its first major trophy. Most pundits and observers agree FCC is within touching distance of it.

Supporters Shield all but locked up and chasing MLS history

With eight matches remaining before the MLS Cup playoffs and a 10-point lead over St. Louis City SC of the Western Conference in the race for the Supporters Shield, FC Cincinnati is on pace to not only run away with its first-ever major trophy but it could do so in record-breaking fashion.

The race for the Shield, which carries with it important incentives that could take FC Cincinnati far beyond MLS, likely still has some twists and turns. But FC Cincinnati is currently dominating that race.

Based on the MLS points system, Cincinnati has earned 57 points from its 17 wins, plus six draws. The best points haul from a full, 34-match campaign in MLS history was recorded by the 2021 New England Revolution (73 points).

With 24 points still available to FC Cincinnati, and the club averaging 2.19 points per contest, the club is on track to surpass 73. A maximum haul of 81 points is still possible, so FCC even has some margin for error as it looks for the 17 points needed to break the New England's single-season points record.

Blowing the 10-point lead with eight matches to play would constitute a major collapse, and that doesn't seem likely for a team with only three outright, non-shootout losses in 2023.

Winning the Shield is a great accomplishment, but it doesn't get you a star above your team crest like winning MLS Cup does. To be remembered for winning the Shield, you have to do it handsomely, and FCC can and should close out the Shield that way.

Winning the Shield is a stated goal for FC Cincinnati, but it's fair to say breaking the single-season points record isn't a topic of conversation yet, or at least not one that's discussed publicly. That wouldn't mesh with the club's proven, one-match-at-a-time mentality.

Luciano Acosta for MVP? You bet, and that's not breaking news

The game within the game against Atlanta was the battle between Argentine attacking midfielders. It was FC Cincinnati's Acosta versus Atlanta's Thiago Almada, who in December became the first active MLS player to win a FIFA World Cup.

As those two players go, so go their clubs more often than not. They were tied with 22 goal contributions – goals plus assists – entering the match. But by the end of the night, Acosta had 24 goal contributions, was tied for the league lead in scoring and had out-performed his compatriot.

Not to mention FC Cincinnati had fended off yet another challenger in the Supporters Shield race − an Atlanta win could have seen the club move into second place in the east − and reinforced its lead atop MLS.

All of that served as the latest argument in Acosta's candidacy for the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Award. Some of us have been banging that drum since mid-July, arguing Acosta was already in pole position for the honor.

Other observers needed to see yet more impressive play from Acosta on Wednesday, who received his 10th Team of the Week honor for his outing at Atlanta, league officials announced Thursday. Either way, most reasonable minds end up in the same place on this issue: "Lucho" is the MVP front-runner coming down the home stretch of the regular season. Here are the arguments in Acosta's favor:

• The "best player on the best team" argument looms large in this debate, and is growing stronger as FCC moves closer to the Shield.

• Acosta, who is generally more of an offensive facilitator than goal-scorer, is tied for the MLS lead in goals. He's also the league leader in goal contributions with 24 (13 goals, 11 assists).

• In head-to-head battles with Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar and Almada, the best other candidates for the award, Acosta is 3-0 with two goals and three assists combined over the three matches.

• Acosta has already stacked up close to a dozen league-wide MLS awards so far this season, including the 10 Team of the Week nods. He was also named Player of the Month for July. Acosta is a front-runner for the abbreviated three-match August Player of the Month honor, too (Leagues Cup, the now-completed in-season tournament that lasted most of August while MLS paused its regular season isn't supposed to be considered in the voting process).

Acosta's MVP candidacy underscores the historic nature of FC Cincinnati's season. Just as Acosta has largely driven FCC to this point in its history, the team's success is boosting Acosta's MVP stock.

Here's what FC Cincinnati and Acosta have left in '23

Eight matches, with two longer breaks between games mixed in, will precede the MLS Cup playoffs. As FC Cincinnati looks to close out the Shield race, here's what they'll have to contend with down the stretch.

• Saturday: Orlando City SC (Orlando is 12-6-8, 44 points, third place in east) at TQL Stadium.

• FC Cincinnati won't play a competitive match Sunday through Sept. 16.

• Sept. 16: Philadelphia Union (13-8-4, 43 points, fourth place in east) at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.

• Sept. 20: CF Montreal (11-13-2, 35 points, eighth place in east) at Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec.

• Sept. 23: Charlotte FC (7-9-9, 30 points, 10th place in east) at TQL Stadium.

• Sept. 30: Toronto FC (13-10, 22 points, tied for 14th place in east) at BMO Field in Toronto.

• Oct. 4: New York Red Bulls (7-11-8, 29 points, 12th in the east) at TQL Stadium.

• Oct. 7: Inter Miami CF (6-14-4, 22 points, tied for 14th place in east) at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

• FC Cincinnati won't play Oct. 8 though Oct. 21.

• Oct. 21: MLS Decision Day vs. Atlanta United (11-8-8, 41 points, sixth place in east) at TQL Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati clinches MLS playoffs, Supporters Shield up next