2011 MLS Cup Playoffs

Last updated

2011 MLS Cup Playoffs
2011 MLS Cup Playoffs logo.jpg
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
Canada
Teams10
Final positions
Champions Los Angeles Galaxy (3rd title)
Runner-up Houston Dynamo
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Goals scored27 (2.08 per match)
Attendance258,582 (19,891 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Flag of the United States.svg Landon Donovan
Flag of the United States.svg Mike Magee
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Álvaro Saborío
(3 goals each)
←  2010
2012  →

The 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs was the sixteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 26 with the play-in round and concluded on November 20 with the championship match. It was the first playoff series to include ten clubs, two more than the traditional eight. Six of the ten teams earned a direct bye into the conference semifinals, while the four wildcard teams played a single-elimination match to earn a berth into the conference semis. These eight clubs played in a single-elimination tournament en route to playoffs championship MLS Cup 2011, which doubles as the league championship for the 2011 MLS season altogether.

Contents

The defending MLS Cup champions were the Colorado Rapids, who beat FC Dallas 2–1 in the 2010 championship.

As the preliminary round was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League, both finalists directly entered 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage, along with the Supporters' Shield winner for the regular season and the 2011 U.S. Open Cup champion. However, none of these berths were available to the league's two Canadian teams, which instead participated in the Canadian Championship for that country's single berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Format

The format for the tournament was announced on February 23, 2011. [1] The top three clubs in each of the league's two conferences will earn the six automatic spots in the quarterfinals. [1] The wild-card entrants, seeded seventh through tenth, will enter based upon their overall position in a single table of the league standings. [1] The new format is assembled so that the weakest seed to qualify out of the wild-card rounds will have to play the Supporters' Shield winner. [1] The other entrant will play the conference champion that did not win the Shield. [1]

The playoffs will begin with the Play-in round, which will contain the wildcard seeds. The first and second-placed wildcard seeds (seventh and eight place, respectively) will host the third and fourth-placed wildcard seeds (ninth and tenth place, respectively). The winners of each play-in proper will earn a berth into the conference semifinals, or the quarterfinals, of the playoffs.

Following the play-in round, will be the conference semifinals, where the two play-in round winners will join the six clubs that earned a direct bye into this round. The conference semifinals, will be a two-legged, aggregate series, in which each team plays their opponent twice: once at home, and once away. The team with the most goals accumulated over the two-match series will win the series and qualify for the conference championship. In this round, the lowest seeded wildcard team to advance will play against the MLS Supporters' Shield winner (regular season champion). The other wildcard seed will play against either the Eastern or Western Conference regular season champion, depending on which conference champion wins the Supporters' Shield. Also in the conference semifinals, feature the conference runners-up and third-place finishes from both the Eastern and Western Conference. [1]

The semifinal round, or the conference championship, will feature the winners from the conference semifinals. This round will be a one-legged affair, in which the higher seeded club will host the lower seed. The winner of these matches earn two berths (one from each conference) into the 2011 MLS Cup championship and a guaranteed berth in the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.

The Eastern Conference and Western Conference bracket winners will meet in the MLS Cup final, which will be held at the pre-determined neutral venue. This year, the final will be held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. [1] The MLS Cup winner will be crowned league champion for the 2011 MLS season. [1]

Qualification

The top three clubs from each conference, based on final point totals, will qualify for the playoffs. From among the remaining clubs, the top 4 qualify as wild cards, entering the play-in round to narrow the field to 8. The Los Angeles Galaxy were the first MLS club to qualify for the playoffs, qualifying with a 1–0 win over Colorado Rapids on September 9. [2]

Conference standings

Eastern table

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Sporting Kansas City 34139125040+1051 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Houston Dynamo 34129134541+449
3 Philadelphia Union 34118154436+848
4 Columbus Crew 34131384344−147 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 New York Red Bulls 34108165044+646
6 Chicago Fire 3499164645+143
7 D.C. United 34913124952−339
8 Toronto FC 34613153659−2333
9 New England Revolution 3451613380+3828
Source: MLS

Western table

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy 34195104828+2067 MLS Cup Conference Semifinals
2 Seattle Sounders FC 3418795637+1963
3 Real Salt Lake 34151184436+853
4 FC Dallas 34151274239+352 MLS Cup Play-In Round
5 Colorado Rapids 34129134642+449
6 Portland Timbers 34111494048−842
7 San Jose Earthquakes 34812144045−538
8 Chivas USA 34814124143−236
9 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 34618103555−2028
Source: MLS

Overall standings

PosTeam
PldWLTGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 LA Galaxy (S, C)34195104828+2067 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Seattle Sounders FC 3418795637+1963
3 Real Salt Lake 34151184436+853
4 FC Dallas 3415127420+4252
5 Sporting Kansas City 34139125040+1051
6 Houston Dynamo 34129134541+449 CONCACAF Champions League
7 Colorado Rapids 34129134441+349
8 Philadelphia Union 34118154436+848
9 Columbus Crew 34131384344−147
10 New York Red Bulls 34108165044+646
11 Chicago Fire 3499164645+143
12 Portland Timbers 34111494048−842
13 D.C. United 34913124952−339
14 San Jose Earthquakes 3481214400+4038
15 Chivas USA 34814124143−236
16 Toronto FC 34613153659−2333 CONCACAF Champions League [lower-alpha 1]
17 New England Revolution 34516133858−2028
18 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 34618103555−2028
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:
  1. ↑ As winners of the 2012 Canadian Championship

Tiebreakers

  1. Head-to-Head (Points-per-match average)
  2. Overall Goal Differential
  3. Overall Total Goals Scored
  4. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches on the road
  5. Tiebreakers 1–3 applied only to matches at home
  6. Fewest team disciplinary points in the League Fair Play table
  7. Coin toss

If more than two clubs are tied, once a club advances through any step, the process reverts to Tiebreaker 1 among the remaining tied clubs recursively until all ties are resolved. [3]

Bracket

Play-in Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals MLS Cup 2011
E1 Sporting Kansas City 22
8 Colorado Rapids 1WC Colorado Rapids 0 0
9 Columbus Crew 0 Eastern Conference E1 Sporting Kansas City 0
E2 Houston Dynamo 2
E2 Houston Dynamo 21
E3 Philadelphia Union 1 0
E2 Houston Dynamo 0
W1 LA Galaxy 1
W2 Seattle Sounders FC 0 2
7 FC Dallas 0 W3 Real Salt Lake 30
10 New York Red Bulls 2 Western Conference W3 Real Salt Lake 1
W1 LA Galaxy 3
W1 LA Galaxy 12
WC New York Red Bulls 0 1

Note: The LA Galaxy, as MLS Supporters Shield winners, were assured of playing the lower seeded Wild Card series winner (New York Red Bulls) in the Conference Semifinals, while Sporting Kansas City would play the higher seeded Wild Card series winner (Colorado Rapids).

Schedule

Major League Soccer released the schedule for its playoffs on August 9, 2011. [4]

Key

Play-in round

FC Dallas 0–2 New York Red Bulls
Report Lindpere Soccerball shade.svg61'
Henry Soccerball shade.svg90+8'
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
Attendance: 10,017
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Colorado Rapids 1–0 Columbus Crew
Cummings Soccerball shade.svg45+1' Report
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO
Attendance: 7,803
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference

Colorado Rapids 0–2 Sporting Kansas City
Report Bunbury Soccerball shade.svg49', 59' (pen.)
Attendance: 8,601
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Sporting Kansas City 2–0 Colorado Rapids
Collin Soccerball shade.svg28'
Sapong Soccerball shade.svg76'		 Report
Attendance: 18,565
Referee: Kevin Stott

Sporting advances 4–0 on aggregate.

Philadelphia Union 1–2 Houston Dynamo
Le Toux Soccerball shade.svg7' Report Hainault Soccerball shade.svg6'
Carr Soccerball shade.svg30'
Attendance: 18,539 (SO)
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Houston Dynamo 1–0 Philadelphia Union
Ching Soccerball shade.svg45+3' Report
Attendance: 24,749
Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Houston advances 3–1 on aggregate.

Western Conference

New York Red Bulls 0–1 Los Angeles Galaxy
Report Magee Soccerball shade.svg15'
Attendance: 22,663
Referee: Alex Prus
Los Angeles Galaxy 2–1 New York Red Bulls
Magee Soccerball shade.svg42'
Donovan Soccerball shade.svg75' (pen.)		 Report Rodgers Soccerball shade.svg4'
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Hilario Grajeda

Los Angeles advances 3–1 on aggregate.

Real Salt Lake 3–0 Seattle Sounders FC
Saborío Soccerball shade.svg41', 53'
Grabavoy Soccerball shade.svg88'		 Report
Attendance: 17,067
Referee: Mark Geiger
Seattle Sounders FC 2–0 Real Salt Lake
Alonso Soccerball shade.svg56' (pen.)
Neagle Soccerball shade.svg61'		 Report
Attendance: 36,021
Referee: Jair Marrufo

Real Salt Lake advances 3–2 on aggregate.

Conference Finals

Host will depend on the higher seeded team. Single elimination match. [4]

Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 Real Salt Lake
Donovan Soccerball shade.svg23' (pen.)
Magee Soccerball shade.svg58'
Keane Soccerball shade.svg68'		 Report Saborío Soccerball shade.svg25'
The Home Depot Center, Carson, California
Attendance: 23,437
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez
Sporting Kansas City 0–2 Houston Dynamo
Report Hainault Soccerball shade.svg53'
Costly Soccerball shade.svg87'
Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas
Attendance: 20,839
Referee: Mark Geiger

Final

Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0 Houston Dynamo
Donovan Soccerball shade.svg72' Report
The Home Depot Center, Carson, California
Attendance: 30,281
Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Post-season statistical leaders

Note: Statistics only for post-season games. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "MLS Releases Format for 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  2. ↑ Bueno, Luis (September 10, 2011). "Recap: Galaxy dominant in 1-0 home win over Colorado". Major League Soccer. MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Playoff Standings: Complete table (UPDATED)". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "League announces fixture dates for 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs". MLS Communications. MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "2011 MLS Cup Playoffs". Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
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