Galaxy and Dynamo advance to Western Conference Final
The two remaining MLS Conference Semifinal series were decided today, with the Houston Dynamo and the L.A. Galaxy earning their places in the Western Conference Final. The teams booked their tickets to the final -- which will be played next Friday at the Home Depot Center -- courtesy of two 1-0 victories.
Houston was the first of the two teams to move onto the second round, as they got a goal from forward Brian Ching in the first period of extra time to defeat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on aggregate.
The appearance in the Conference Final is the third in four years for the two-time MLS Champion Dynamo.
L.A. joined Houston in the Western Final with their 1-0 win over the fourth seeded Chivas USA. Landon Donovan scored the game winner for the Galaxy in the 73rd minute of play, when he slotted a penalty kick past former-Fire keeper Zach Thornton to give the Galaxy the 3-2 lead on aggregate. L.A. -- who had the best regular season record in the Western Conference -- is making their first Conference final appearance since 2005, when they won the MLS Cup.
The Dynamo and L.A. met twice in the regular season, with L.A. holding a 1-0-1 advantage against the Dynamo. I'll have more on this series as the week goes along, but I'll go ahead and make my prediction now. My guess? The Galaxy will move onto MLS Cup 2009 in Seattle.
I'll be back late Monday morning with more coverage of the Fire so be sure to check back for that.
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