Conference Championships are Set
After a wild week of playoff action, the MLS Eastern and Western Conference Championships are set. The home-and-away series action will kick off on November 23, when the New York Red Bulls will host the New England Revolution for the first leg – followed later that day by the Seattle Sounders at L.A. Galaxy.
The Red Bulls find themselves in a conference final for the first time since 2008, after besting their I-95 rivals, D.C. United. New York’s strong 2-0 performance over D.C. in the first leg set the tone for the series and the Red Bulls stepped up on Saturday to find a valuable away goal. Despite losing the second leg 2-1, the Red Bulls were dominant enough to knock first-in-the-East D.C. out of the running.
Meanwhile, the Revolution continued to roll, handily beating Columbus in both legs of their two-game series. Unsurprisingly, MVP contender Lee Nguyen made a key impact and found himself on the score sheet for both matches – and Charlie Davies also rose to the occasion, notching a brace in the first leg and an assist in the second. The Red Bulls vs. the Revolution matchup will be an interesting one – putting RBNY’s recent strong run of form (not to mention a Thierry Henry who is playing like a man with a mission) against the consistency and class of Nguyen, Jermaine Jones and company in New England.
The Western Conference matchup will undoubtedly be no less entertaining. L.A. are coming off of a 5-0 aggregate win against Real Salt Lake and Seattle found a vital away goal to hand them the series win over FC Dallas. While the Galaxy will be looking to regain the MLS Cup title and send off Landon Donovan with a championship, the Sounders will be aiming to double up on hardware this season and walk away with both the Supporter’s Shield and the MLS Cup.
All Eyes on the Away Goal
With the introduction of the away goal rule, playoffs got a little more interesting this season. While some critics bemoan the rule as unfair, proponents argue it is a much more equitable way to break a tie than, say, a penalty shootout at the end of 120 minutes. Either way, MLS has made up its mind (for this season at least) and the rule is a prominent fixture in this season’s playoff picture. New York kept D.C. goalless at Red Bull Arena in the first leg of their two-game series, which provided them with some extra breathing room going into a heated face-off at RFK the following week. And Seattle managed just one goal against FC Dallas in their series – but it was that single away goal that was the difference maker.
With the quality and intensity of teams so evenly matched (two Eastern teams on a tear with plenty to prove and two Western giants gunning to end stellar seasons on top), it is fair to say the away goal rule will come into play even more during these final series. L.A. and Seattle have formidable home atmospheres and RBNY’s South Ward is nothing to laugh at. The Revolution may still play in Gillette Stadium but their supporter’s have no doubt been reinvigorated by a team that has been sailing towards the conference championships in convincing fashion. Away goals will not be easy to come by for any of these teams – but they could very well be the ticket to the MLS Cup final, and possibly a staple of the league in future.
(image courtesy of Jake Roth/USA Today Sports)
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