The dates for the Sounders first round MLS Cup playoff series with Real Salt Lake are set.
RENTON, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC will face Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the first leg on Friday, November 2 at CenturyLink Field. The kickoff time will be announced tomorrow.
Sounders FC, the third seed in the Western Conference with a record of 15-8-11 and 56 points, will travel to Sandy, Utah for the second leg of series on Thursday, November 8.
Tickets for Seattle's home match go on sale to the public on Monday, October 29 at 9 a.m. PT by visiting www.SoundersFC.com or by calling 800-745-3000. All playoff tickets will be distributed via Ticketmaster's TicketFast print at home service. The Sounders FC Western Conference Semifinals are presented by Samsung Mobile.
Seattle and Real Salt Lake (17-11-6, 57 points) played to a scoreless draw in two of three regular season meetings. Salt Lake captured the only victory of the season series, winning 1-nil in Seattle on May 12.
In the 2011 West Semifinals, Sounders FC was eliminated by RSL, 3-2 on aggregate. After falling 3-0 in the first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium, Seattle pulled two goals back in the home leg but were unable to advance.
The four Conference Semifinals will be decided by two-game aggregate series, with the lower seed hosting the first leg and the higher seed hosting the second leg. If the aggregate score is tied after 180 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
The two Conference Championships will be decided by a two-game aggregate series, with the lower seed hosting the first leg and the higher seed hosting the second leg. If the aggregate score is tied after 180 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
MLS Cup will be a single championship match hosted by the higher seed. The finalist with the most regular season points will host MLS Cup. If the two finalists have the same number of regular season points, the tiebreakers for playoff qualification will be applied to determine the host team.
