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MLS Cup Finalists Determined This Weekend - This Week In MLS

November 18, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


It all comes down to 90 minutes to determine which two teams will be competing in MLS Cup 2013 as the second legs of the Eastern and Western Conference Championships will be played this weekend.

On Saturday, Sporting Kansas City host the Houston Dynamo (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN; UDN; TSN2/RDS2), with the series tied 0-0 on aggregate. Houston is looking to make a third straight trip to MLS Cup, having lost to LA Galaxy the past two years. Sporting KC was last in a final back in 2004 when they were still known as the Wizards. Houston won back-to-back MLS titles in 2006-07, while Kansas City's lone championship came in 2000.

Sunday, all eyes will be on Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, where Portland host Real Salt Lake (9 p.m. ET, ESPN; Deportes) and will be looking to come back from a 4-2 aggregate deficit. The Timbers, who will have their usual sell-out crowd standing behind them as they look for early goals, are attempting to make a final in just their third MLS season. Real Salt Lake won MLS Cup in 2009.

Quotables

"From the first day I saw Vermes you just knew he was a student of the game...For him to make that transition from being a center forward for the national team in 1990 to a decade later being Defender of the Year in MLS, you don't do that on instincts and intuition and luck. There was a constant curiosity about him in terms of why we were doing what."

Former USMNT coach Bob Gansler on Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes

"This team has the resiliency that the 2009 team had...it's super talented, it's deep and it's a good team that way. I'm very happy about the construction of the group; so many times this year we've had guys go down and we've had guys step up."

Real Salt Lake GM Garth Lagerway on team performance

"It's incredible. The goals are coming from everywhere...Everybody that's coming on the field, everyone is scoring and that's what we need. We need goals from everywhere, so teams won't think about just one player or another player, just mark our best players -- they have to think about all of us on the field."

Real Salt Lake midfielder Sebastian Velasquez on their scoring surge

"We're going to be focused on trying to score goals and absolutely throwing the kitchen sink at this team...Until that whistle blows at the end of that game, this team will give everything they have and they believe that we're going to pull this off."

Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter on his team's plans to come out attacking

Sweet Tweets

‏@al_saborio - November 18 - Álvaro Saborío, Real Salt Lake

Thanks to everyone who supported me is an honor to be the Latino of the Year @MLS @futbolMLS

@RealDanGargan - November 18 - Daniel Gargan, San Jose Earthquakes

Front row seats for the Beach Sunset pick-up. #TheBeautifulGame is worldwide. #Thailand pic.twitter.com/4GWKbnYgiU

@Seitzy1 - November 18 - Chris Seitz, FC Dallas

Big Ups to my @MarylandMSoccer family on yet another ACC championship and Leaving the acc on top as usual... Where ya at @alecko11

@Rmguy12 - November 18 - Ryan Guy, New England Revolution

Trying to change the face of men's health in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. #stacheprestigeworldwide http://mobro.co/ryanguy pic.twitter.com/3fB58xCpEh

@AJD_20 - November 17 - AJ DeLaGarza, LA Galaxy

So this happened while roaming the streets here in Cambodia... #LAGalaxy http://instagram.com/p/g01MtwLVO8/

@jonnysteele22 - November 16 - Jonny Steele, New York Red Bulls

What a feeling to represent your country! Make ur friends and family proud! & get ur 1st cap! Dnt let any1 tell u, U CANT! #nevergiveup

Chris Wingert ‏@wingert17 - November 14 - Chris Wingert, Real Salt Lake

Happy Birthday to the best youngster in MLS @luisitogil21! How old are you now, 17??

MLS Cup Playoffs: Conference Championships Previews

Eastern Conference Championship - Second Leg

Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo - Sat., Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC SN; UDN; TSN2/RDS2)

- The teams have played to consecutive scoreless draws. The first leg of the Eastern Conference Championship ended 0-0, as the final regular season meeting between the teams, Oct. 9 in Houston.

- Kansas City has won just once in the last five meetings between the teams at Sporting Park - the 1-0 victory in the second leg of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals (Houston won the first leg 2-0).

- Both teams will be facing injury concerns in the second leg. For the Dynamo, theirs are more serious - Ricardo Clark was forced out of the first leg in the first half with a leg injury, while 9-goal scorer Will Bruin suffered a left foot injury during the game. Sporting are hoping to have midfielders Peterson Joseph and Lawrence Olum (who suffered a fractured fibula in the East semifinals) both available.

- Three of Sporting's four goals scored in this year's MLS Cup Playoffs have come from defenders (Aurelien Collin 2, Seth Sinovic 1). Four of Sporting's last five postseason goals have come from defenders.

- In the 46 all-time two-leg series in MLS history, the teams that have hosted the second leg have advanced 25 times. And the home team in that return match has gone 28-8-10 all-time. Teams winning the first leg have won 20 series while teams losing the first leg have advanced 13 times.

Western Conference Championship - Second Leg

Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake- Sun., Nov. 24, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN; Deportes)

- Real Salt Lake have a nine-game undefeated streak in all competitions alive vs. Portland. Since the Timbers won the first meeting ever between the teams, a 1-0 triumph April 30, 2011, RSL has four of seven league meetings (with three draws), as well as an Open Cup match this year and the first leg of the conference championship.

- The last time a two-goal deficit was overturned in the second leg of a two-game series in MLS came in 2004, when the then-Kansas City Wizards lost the first leg to the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0, but came back to win the series 3-2 on aggregate. It's happened just twice in MLS history (also, 2003 West semifinals, San Jose vs. Los Angeles, 5-4 on aggregate after a 0-2 first leg).

- The Timbers have allowed three or more goals on just five occasions in 2013 - and three of those have come against RSL. Real have scored 13 goals in the five meetings in all competitions between the teams this season.

- Portland has not lost at Jeld-Wen Field since the second game of the season, a 2-1 loss to the Montréal Impact on March 9. Over all competitions, the Timbers are 14-1-5 on their home ground this year.

- RSL's Robbie Findley scored a goal and added an assist in the first leg win vs. Portland - his first goal since Aug. 17. Chris Schuler scored a goal for a second consecutive match, one of four players in the MLS Cup Playoffs this year with goals in back-to-back games (also, Aurelien Collin [KC], Omar Cummings [HOU], Will Johnson [POR]).

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