Gonna fly now-all the way to the Eastern Conference Final. RSL squeaked out of SKC with a win to keep their Cinderella run alive, while SKC lost it all in front of their home fans. Meram went on a run in the 90th minute and put in a perfect cross to another attacking sub for Salt Lake, Bobby Wood, who was able to hit the ball first time to beat Tim Melia. Julio scored the equalizing goal in the 72nd minute and it seemed like the game kept tipping RSL’s way. They flipped the game on its head in the 57th minute, and RSL took control of the match.

In the second half, Real Salt Lake brought on substitutes Anderson Julio and Justin Meram. While they had the advantage, RSL was never out of the match, and they made one important tweak that helped them squeak by SKC. SKC captain Johnny Russell converted a penalty shot in the 24th minute to give the hosts the lead. They were able to do this for the first 25 minutes and had a lead after that point. To start the match, it was clear Sporting was going to dictate the tempo by any means possible. Could they do the same thing in the playoffs? RSL beat SKC in Kansas City on decision day to make it into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Now they looked to do the same thing to a Real Salt Lake side that is a hard team to beat. Sporting Kansas City had already ended one cinderella run in round one of the playoffs beating Vancouver. It was a heartbreaking way for Colorado to lose, but credit to Portland for grinding for all 90 minutes to secure their spot in MLS’ final four!

Portland centerback used his frame to box out Colorado defender Keegan Rosenberry the Portland defender then stretched to hit the ball and it made its way into the net. The ball bounced twice and was anyone for the taking. Neither team looked like they were scoring in regulation, that is until Portland won a corner in the 90th minute.ĭiego Chara tried to play a ball in the box, but it was deflected by Colorado. Portland was okay to sit back a bit and defend first, then counter. The Rapids passed the ball around a lot, but they were lacking when it came to finishing off their passing sequences. In this match, Colorado had the slight edge in possession, but they failed to do too much with it. While Colorado had the “advantage” of more rest they met a Portland team that was flying high after beating Minnesota United in round one. The Rapids won the 1-seed in the western conference on MLS’ Decision Day, meaning they’d get a bye to the conference semifinals and have home-field advantage should they win in the playoffs. On Thanksgiving day, Colorado opened their MLS Cup Playoffs with a home game against the Portland Timbers.

Blake outlast 2