Sounders FC to Face Real Salt Lake in West Semifinals

First Leg at RSL on Saturday; Seattle Hosts Second Leg on Wednesday, November 2

RENTON, WASH. - Seattle Sounders FC will face Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Saturday, October 29. FOX Soccer will televise it live at 7 p.m. PT.

Sounders FC, the second seed with a record of 18-7-9 and 63 points, host the second leg of series on Wednesday, November 2. The time of the first kick and television coverage will be announced later.

Tickets for Seattle’s home match go on sale to the public on Monday at 10 a.m. PT by visiting www.SoundersFC.com or calling 800-745-3000.

"When you get into the playoffs it's always a difficult journey," said Sigi Schmid, Sounders FC Head Coach. “Obviously Salt Lake is a quality team but we are happy that we have the higher seed so we get the second game at home."

Seattle and Real Salt Lake (15-11-8, 53 points) split the season series with each team winning 2-1 on the road. In the last visit to Rio Tinto Stadium on May 28, Sounders FC snapped an MLS-record 29-match home unbeaten streak for RSL. The Rave Green finished with the best road record (9-3-5) in MLS.

Conference semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format. The team that scores the most goals in the series advances to the single elimination Western Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty spot, if necessary

The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game on November 5 or 6.

MLS Cup 2011 will be on November 20 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.