Sounders FC and FC Dallas will meet in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year beginning Sunday, when the two teams open their Western Conference Semifinals series at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
The teams learned their postseason fate Thursday night, when the Portland Timbers advanced via penalty kicks after ending in a 2-2 draw after extra time against Sporting Kansas City in the Western Conference Knockout Round, setting up a group of four that features a distinct color of Cascadia.
Sunday's match will be televised nationally on FS1 and can be heard locally on KIRO 97.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM. It kicks off locally at 6:30 p.m. PT. The second leg will be played on Nov. 8 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The fourth-seeded Sounders are the lowest seeded team remaining in the West after their 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy in the Knockout Round on Wednesday night, while FC Dallas earned the top seed by posting the conference’s best record during the regular season. The two teams met twice during the regular season, with the Sounders grabbing a 3-0 win on June 13 in Seattle after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Texas on March 28.
They also met last year in the Western Conference Semifinals, and played to a 1-1 aggregate scoreline over two games. Seattle advanced due to the away goals rule after they scored a goal on the road in Frisco and then shut out Dallas in a scoreless draw the next week at CenturyLink Field.
The Sounders are 9-3-7 all-time against Dallas in the regular season and playoffs.
The other side of the Western Conference bracket will feature the third-seeded Timbers and second-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps FC meeting in the postseason for the first time. The series will open on Sunday at Providence Park in Portland, and the second leg will be played Nov. 8 at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C.
This marks the first time all three Cascadia teams have reached the conference semifinals since Portland and Vancouver joined MLS in 2011.
