The Eastern and Western Conference Championships are now set, both for Sunday, but unfortunately with only one accessible to much of soccer-loving Americans.
For whatever reason, ESPN has only secured the rights to one of two of these semi-final match ups, so those without Fox Soccer Channel (damn you, RCN) will miss the 5:30p EST Eastern Conference Championship match up between Sporting Kansas City (#5) and Houston Dynamo (#6). Dynamo are unbeaten in their last eight consecutive games (6-0-2), their last loss coming in September to--you guessed it--Sporting KC. Sporting is in equally good form over the same period (6-1-3), having only dropped a one-goal loss to Real Salt Lake in the week following their drubbing of Houston.
The Dynamo are 2-1 in Conference Championships, though this is their first in the East (having been a Western team until this season, with the addition of expansion teams Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers). Sporting KC is 2-5 in Conference Championships, and 0-1 in Eastern Conference Championships since their 2005 shift from the West.
You have to love playoffs.
The rest of us will be sad for missing the opening act, but still quite pleased with a class of the titans as L.A. Galaxy (#1) hosts rivals Real Salt Lake (#3) at 9p EST, on ESPN (ONE!)/ESPND/ESPN3.com/TSN2 (for you Canadians), at the Home Depot Center. Everything went right for the Galaxy last night: despite losing an early, 4th minute goal on poor defending by the entire back four (special shout out to Omar Gonzales who was sloppy all night), the NY Red Bulls suffered a huge blow when Finnish international and key midfielder Teemu Tainio went out in the 14th minute on a hamstring injury. The momentum swung sharply, and though the Red Bulls showed flashes again a few more times, they never did regain their stride, with only 3 shots on goal the whole match (compared to Galaxy's 6). Playoff hero Mike Magee has a perfect header off of a perfect, Beckham-like service from Beckham-like midfielder David Beckham for the equalizer and lead on aggregate in the 42nd minute. A wonderful breakaway by David Beckham in the 75th resulted in a foul within the box, and Landon "I-never-miss-a-PK-unless-the-World-Cup-is-on-the-line" Donovan predictably scored on the penalty to seal the deal.
Clearly, the man of the match was David Beckham. Both scores last night ran through his efforts, and he's been having a hell of a season (his last on contract with the Galaxy), playing his heart out even after taking a nasty beating early on. The Galaxy will look to him again, though they'll need Donovan and Irish MNT captain and forward Robbie Keane to step up and carry their share of the load on the offensive side.
Since the 2011 MLS Cup Championship will be played at HDC, the Galaxy have been spared post-season travel (a huge blessing for the beleaguered USMNT star Landon Donovan) have nothing to do now but focus on winning. Galaxy are 1-1-0 against Real SL this year, destroyed in the early season away test at Rio Tinto Stadium (1-4), and besting Salt Lake at home last month (2-1). The last time Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy met in the playoffs was when Salt Lake denied the Galaxy the 2009 MLS Cup in a shoot out. The Galaxy are 6-4 all-time in Western Conference Championships. They are seeking their 3rd MLS Cup, Landon Donovan's fourth, and David Beckham's first. Real Salt Lake is 1-1 in Western Conference Championships.
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