The Major League Soccer playoffs are all set and the first game of the postseason will be between the Seattle Sounders and the Timbers and the matchup will go live on television at 10:30 pm on the NBC Sports Network.
The next matchup will be between the Houston Dynamo and the Montreal Impact and the winners of these two matchups will face off against the New York Red Bulls in the East and the Sounders will try and advance to play the Portland Timbers in the Western conference semifinals on Saturday night. Seattle comes in after putting up 52 points this season with 15 wins and now it will come down to this for the team as they try to advance to the next round in the playoffs. Clint Dempsey will get his first look at the playoffs in the matchup and the game will be at CenturyLink Field and the Sounders made it in as the fourth seed after putting up a draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy and now they will face off against the Rapids.
Check here for the NBC Sports coverage for the Sounders and the Rapids.
The Rapids lost their final game of the season against the Vancouver Whitecaps that enabled them to make the MLS playoffs and they also witnessed a player for their team score to get the Golden Boot this season. The Portland atmosphere is very tough and that will be a challenge for whoever wins and now Seattle comes into the playoffs without winning any of their last five games, getting outplayed badly in a couple of those matchups. Dempsey scored a goal to help seal the draw in that final matchup and that could be a sign of things to come in the playoffs. Eddie Johnson led the team in scoring this season and now the club will try and advance in the playoffs.
The first leg will have the New England Revolution taking on Sporting Kansas City at 8 pm on the NBC Sports Network on Saturday and the Red Bulls will host the match second if the Montreal Impact win and the other matchups in the playoffs are Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy, as well as the winner of this matchup taking on the Timbers. The conference finals will be the following Saturday for the Eastern conference for the first leg and the Western conference will start up on Sunday. The second legs will be the following Saturday and Sunday, while the final MLS Cup match will be on Saturday, December 7 and the team will the best record in the matchup will host it.
The last time these two teams played was back in October and Colorado dominated, with the Rapids scoring five goals, but that was before the team added Clint Dempsey. The Sounders come in without winning in their last seven and now they will have to turn things around once the playoffs start up. Obafemi Martins may not be in the lineup and Dempsey could end up being subject to some transfer moves once again when the January window opens up. The match on Wednesday will be at 10:30 pm and will have the Seattle Sounders hosting the Rapids.
