After last weekend saw a good run for the lower-ranked teams, the higher seeds get to host their games and try to salvage their playoff runs. We begin in the west, with...
The Colorado Rapids hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Tim Howard are the goalies, and the Galaxy have a 1-0 advantage in the series. Colorado's Shkelzen Gashi took a yellow card for a thirtieth minute foul. The Rapids opened the scoring and tied the series in the thirty-sixth minute on a Gashi goal, via Sam Cronin. In the fifty-seventh minute, Cronin received a yellow card for a foul. The series remained tied, forcing a penalty kick shootout. Steven Gerrard had the only goal for the Galaxy, and the Rapids went through 3-1 in the shootout and 2-1 overall with goals by Kevin Doyle, Sebastien Le Toux, and Marco Pappa. The man of the match was Gashi for his series-equalizing goal. The Rapids face the winner of the Seattle Sounders v. FC Dallas series in the Western Conference Final.
Next up, we go back-to-back in the east, starting with the New York Red Bulls welcoming the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Luis Robles are gloved men. The Impact have a 1-0 aggregate lead. New York's Felipe took a yellow card for a nineteenth minute foul. Montreal got going with a fifty-first minute Ignacio Piatti goal, via Dominic Oduro. The Impact's keeper Bush took a yellow card for time wasting in the fifty-sixth minute. Laurent Ciman of Montreal had a yellow card for a sixty-third minute foul. Dax McCarty of the Red Bulls received a yellow card for his seventy-fourth minute foul. New York got on the board with a seventy-seventh minute goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, assisted by Daniel Royer and Damien Perrinelle. The Impact shot back with another Piatti goal in the eighty-fifth minute, made possible by Didier Drogba and Oduro. Sacha Kljestan of the Red Bulls received a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. Montreal saw a stoppage time yellow card for Johan Venegas. The game ended 2-1, and the Impact won the series on a 3-1 aggregate score. Piatti was the man of the match this time for his brace. The Impact will face the winner of the next series for the Eastern Conference Final.
Staying in the New York Metro area, New York City FC brings in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Eirik Johansen are the goalies, with Toronto already holding a 2-0 lead. Toronto struck first and added on with a sixth minute Sebastian Giovinco goal, assisted by Jozy Altidore. Toronto extended the lead as Giovinco made a penalty kick goal in the twentieth minute. Toronto padded their lead with an Altidore goal in the thirtieth minute, made possible by Eriq Zavaleta. Toronto kept going in the fiftieth minute with a Jonathan Osorio goal, passed from Will Johnson and Giovinco. Toronto iced the game at 5-0 and the series at 7-0 with a Giovinco goal in stoppage time to complete his hat trick, with the help of Nick Hagglund. Giovinco was the man of the match as Toronto FC heads on to face the Montreal Impact in the Eastern Conference Final, meaning Canada will be represented in MLS Cup. Also, for fans of the CONCACAF Champions League, the winner of the Western Conference Final will earn a bid to the 2017-18 edition of that competition.
Finally, FC Dallas hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Chris Seitz are the goalies, as the Sounders look to make a 3-0 aggregate lead hold up. Dallas was first to score in the twenty-fifth minute on a Tesho Akindele goal, helped along by Atiba Harris and Michael Barrios. In the twenty-seventh minute, Harris of Dallas and Cristian Roldan of Seattle each had yellow cards for foul. The Sounders tied the game in the fifty-fourth minute on a Nicolas Lodeiro goal, assisted by Tyrone Mears. Dallas retook the lead in the game on a Maximiliano Urruti goal in the fifty-sixth minute, coming off of Mauro Rosales and Harris. Seattle keeper Frei took a yellow card for time wasting in the sixty-seventh minute. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Dallas, but the Sounders won the series 4-2. Harris was the man of the match, a small consolation as it will be the Sounders and Rapids for the Western Conference Final.
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