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    You are at:Home»More»Soccer»MLS Cup Playoffs Update: Conference Championships

    MLS Cup Playoffs Update: Conference Championships

    Henry JohnBy Henry JohnNovember 29, 2018Updated:October 3, 2020No Comments4 Mins Read Soccer
    Atlanta United Red Bulls
    Credit: Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports
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    Atlanta Sitting Pretty, West Still up for Grabs

    We are getting tantalizingly close to crowning the MLS Cup champion of 2018. But first, the second legs of the Eastern and Western Conference Championships must be played. Sunday’s first leg action set up drastically different scenarios in each conference for the second leg matches this Thursday (11/29).

    Eastern Conference Championship

    (1) New York Red Bulls vs. (2) Atlanta United (Atlanta United leads aggregate 3-0)

    First Leg: Atlanta United 3, Red Bulls 0
    Second Leg: at Red Bulls

    Of all the teams in this year’s MLS Cup Playoffs, Atlanta United has certainly been the most impressive thus far. After winning both legs to cruise past New York City FC in the Conference Semifinals, the Five Stripes carried their winning ways into their Conference Championship first leg match against the Red Bulls. A dominant 3-0 triumph left the Supporters’ Shield winners with a massive hill to climb in the second leg.

    Josef Martinez got the party started in Sunday’s first leg with a goal in the 32nd minute. Apart from that tally however, the first half was tightly contested, and New York was very much in the game at the break. A would-be equalizer from Bradley Wright-Phillips, just after halftime, was waved off due to Alex Muyl screening goalkeeper Brad Guzan while offsides. Atlanta notched their second tally in the 71st minute when Franco Escobar blasted an errant cutback pass past keeper Luis Robles. Second half substitute Hector Villalba scored in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time to complete the onslaught.

    As a result of the first leg blowout, the Red Bulls find themselves backed against the wall. Their only options are to notch a 3-0 shutout of their own and force penalties or win by 4 or more goals. Winning by 3 in a non-shutout fashion won’t matter as Atlanta would advance on the away goals tiebreaker. In just their second year of play, Atlanta United is all but a miracle away from reaching the MLS Cup Final. The second leg will air Thursday at 7 p.m. E.T. on FS1.

    Western Conference Championship

    (1) Sporting Kansas City vs. (5) Portland Timbers (Aggregate tied 0-0)

    First Leg: Timbers 0, Sporting Kansas City 0
    Second Leg: at Sporting Kansas City

    After upsetting the two-seeded Seattle Sounders in the Conference Semifinals, the Timbers got the honor of hosting top seed Sporting Kansas City in Sunday’s first leg. While they succeeded in not allowing SKC an away goal, they failed to gain the upper hand in the aggregate themselves and left the Western Conference Championship wide open heading into the second leg.

    While the Timbers ultimately failed to tally a goal, it wasn’t due to a lack of trying. Jorge Villafana nearly scored in the early stages of the match as a clearance ball fell right to him. He shot it past the Sporting defense and keeper, Tim Melia, but instead of going into the net, the shot clanged off the post. Then in the 70th minute, Portland thought they had taken the lead when David Guzman sent a rebound into the net. After review however, he was correctly ruled to be offsides. Kansas City was on their heels for most of the match. Perhaps their best chance at scoring was on a second half shot by Johnny Russell that sailed over the crossbar.

    The scoreless first leg draw sets Sporting Kansas City up with just needing to win at home to advance. Portland can also obviously advance with a victory, and any non-scoreless draw would also allow them to advance on the away goals tiebreaker. Another scoreless draw would send the Western Conference Championship to penalty kicks. The second leg is slated for Thursday at 9:30 p.m. E.T. It can be seen on ESPN.

    Atlanta United MLS MLS Cup Playoffs New York Red Bulls Portland Timbers Soccer Sporting Kansas City
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    Henry John
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    Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball and NASCAR. He counts the NFL, the WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.

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