Galaxy host New York in Game Two of Conference Semifinals on Thursday night;
Could host Western Conference Championship on Sunday
CARSON, Calif. (Monday, October 31, 2011) – Following Sunday’s 1-0 win over New York at Red Bull Arena, the LA Galaxy are now on the verge of advancing to and hosting a third straight Western Conference Championship. With a win or a draw in the second leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series with the Red Bulls on Thursday night, the Galaxy would move one step closer to a return to MLS Cup.
Undefeated at home in all competitions this season, the Galaxy have only lost three home playoff games in their history and are 13-1-1 at home in the opening round of the postseason. In 2010, the Galaxy won the first leg of their Conference Semifinal Series 1-0 over Seattle on the road before returning to claim a 2-1 win and advance to the Conference Championship.
Tickets for Thursday’s game, which is presented by Pechanga Resort & Casino, are on sale now starting at $30. That game kicks off at 8 p.m. and can be seen live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes as well as online at ESPN3.com.
If the Galaxy advance past the Red Bulls, they will face the winner of the series between Seattle Sounders FC and RealSaltLake in the Western Conference Championship. RealSaltLake won the first leg of that series 3-0 at home on Saturday and will now look to advance to the next round of the playoffs if they can maintain their advantage in Wednesday’s second leg in Seattle.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS ON THE ROAD: Since MLS adopted the current postseason format in 2003, the Galaxy have reached the playoffs six times and are now 4-1-1 in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinal Series. Sunday’s 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena was the fourth time that they have played the first leg of their series on the road, going 2-1-1 in those four games. In 2004, the Galaxy lost at Colorado before going on to win the second leg and the series at home, while in 2009, the Galaxy played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their series on the road against Chivas USA before winning the second leg at home 1-0 to take the series 3-2 on aggregate. Last year, the Galaxy beat Seattle 1-0 at Qwest Field en route to a 3-1 series win on aggregate.
Since the start of the 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs, 28 teams have won the first game of their Conference Semifinal Series, including four teams this year. Of the first 24, 13 advanced to the Conference Championship. Additionally, coming into this season, just seven teams had won the first leg of their series on the road and of those seven, five advanced to their Conference Championship, including the Galaxy last season.
In addition to the Galaxy, Houston and Sporting Kansas City also won the first game of their Conference Semifinal Series on the road on Sunday.
