Leg 1 of the Western Conference Championship between Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo ended in a 2-0 win for Seattle on the road at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday. The teams will match up again on Thursday, Nov. 30 (7:30 p.m. PT; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) for the decisive second leg at CenturyLink Field. Below is a grid showing the scoreline that each team needs to advance to MLS Cup.
How to read the grid: if the Dynamo are leading 3-1 at the end of regulation time in the second leg on Nov. 30 (Leg 2), the aggregate score of the series will be 3-3. Houston will advance to MLS Cup on away goals and the series will end without playing extra time (see below for more information on the away goals rule).
The away goals rule: The away goals rule is a tiebreaking method that is used to determine the winner of a two-legged series, such as the MLS Conference Semifinals and Conference Championships. If two teams are tied on aggregate at the end of regulation time of the second leg, the away goals rule is applied as the first tiebreaker. The winner is the team with the most goals scored away from home.