Seattle
Sounders FC will look to advance to the Western Conference Final for
the first time in club history on Thursday night in the second leg of
the semifinal series with Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
PT at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The
match will be the second of the two-game aggregate goal series. The
sides finished level at 0-0 on Friday night at CenturyLink Field, so
Seattle must win on Thursday to advance. If the aggregate score is tied
after 90 minutes, the teams will play a 30-minute overtime period
followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
If you are looking to bet on this game, check out CarbonSports.ag for betting lines for Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake.
In
the Eastern Conference, fifth-seeded Houston Dynamo downed Sporting
Kansas City at home, 2-0, while New York and D.C. United both conceded
an own goal in a 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The
series with RSL kicked off on Friday night at CenturyLink Field as the
teams battled to their third straight scoreless draw. The strong
attacking play from both sides was thwarted by great goalkeeping by
Michael Gspurning and Nick Rimando, who each made highlight-reel saves
to preserve the shutout.
The
scene now shifts to Sandy, Utah, where Sounders FC has the league's
longest unbeaten streak (1-0-2), holding Salt Lake scoreless in the last
visit on July 4. Seattle hopes to learn from last postseason where the
Rave Green were stunned, 3-nil, by RSL in the away leg.
With
three consecutive scoreless draws, and just one goal scored in the past
four meetings, both the Seattle and Salt Lake attack will likely push
for goals in the final 90 minutes of the series. And, fortunately for
the Seattle faithful, leading scorer Eddie Johnson will return to the
fold on Thursday to provide a spark to an already potent Rave Green
attack.
The
three other Conference Semifinal matchups will be played on Wednesday.
New York hosts D.C. United at 5 p.m. PT. The Houston Dynamo visit
Sporting Kansas City at 6 p.m. PT, and the San Jose Earthquakes host the
LA Galaxy at 8 p.m. PT.
The
Conference Finals begin on Saturday, November 10 and will conclude on
Sunday, November 18. MLS Cup will be played on December 1 at the home
site of the higher seed.
