Quest for the Cup Begins This Thursday
| 2
|
Major League Soccer's second season kicks off this Thursday as the MLS Cup Playoffs begin. A thrilling finish by the Chicago Fire's John Thorrington in stoppage time saw the Fire grab the eigth and final playoff spot last Sunday as they defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 at Toyota Park. Here are the Conference Semi-Final matchups for the MLS Cup.
- Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (all times EST):
- Thursday, October 25 First Leg: D.C. United at Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Thursday, November 1 Second Leg: Chicago Fire at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Saturday, October 27 First Leg: New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (FSC)
- Saturday, November 3 Second Leg: New York Red Bulls at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. (FSC)
- Western Conference Semi-Finals:
- Saturday, October 27 First Leg: Chivas USA at Kansas City Wizards, 8:30 p.m. (Regional TV)
- Saturday, November 3 Second Leg: Kansas City Wizards at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (HDNet, Regional TV)
- Saturday, October 27 First Leg: Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas, 8 p.m. (HDNet, Regional TV)
- Friday, November 2 Second Leg: FC Dallas at Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. (Regional TV)
The Conference Semi-Finals are two legged affairs with the winner on aggregate advancing to the Conference Final. Should the two teams remain level at the end of 180 minutes then two 15 minutes periods of extra time will be played. If scores are still level after extra time then a penalty shootout will be held to determine the winner. The Conference Finals are a one off match with the winners advancing to the MLS Cup Final. The Conference Finals will have being played on Thursday, November 8 and the other one on Saturday, November 10. The MLS Cup Final will be played on Sunday, November 18 starting at Noon from RFK Stadium, home of D.C. United. The Final will be broadcast on ABC-TV. The tie-breaking procedure for the Conference Finals and the Cup Final are the same as the Conference Semi-Finals.
The Kansas City Wizards, who played this season in the Eastern Conference, are switched to the West for the playoffs since under the MLS Playoff qualification this season the top eight teams in the overall standings make it into the tournament. Both D.C. United and Chivas USA finished first in their respective conferences so if they win their openning round then they will each host a Conference Final.
With the possibility of playing in the final in front of their home supporters I have to give the edge to D.C. United to go out and bring home the club's 5th MLS Cup.
