Commerce City, Colo. – Following their 4-0 victory over Chivas USA tonight, the Vancouver Whitecaps join FC Dallas as the lone teams fighting for the fifth and final Western Conference playoff berth.
With just three games remaining for each team, the Rapids ( 31 pts), Portland Timbers (30 pts), and Chivas USA (28 pts) all are unable to overtake Vancouver’s current 42 points. Therefore, the three Western Conference teams have been eliminated for 2012 MLS Cup playoff contention. FC Dallas (37 pts), trails Vancouver by five points with one game in hand.
The San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake, LA Galaxy, and Seattle Sounders had previously secured the first four Western Confernce berths for the upcoming playoffs.
The Rapids failed to qualify for the postseason for the sixth time in their 17 year history.
Already secure in their playoff positions are:
Western Conference
San Jose Earthquakes
Real Salt Lake
LA Galaxy
Seattle Sounders FC
Eastern Conference
Sporting Kansas City
ABOUT THE 2012 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS
The top five teams in points from each conference at the end of the regular season (10 total) will qualify for the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The fourth and fifth place teams in each conference will play a single knockout game, the winner of which will advance to the Conference Semifinals and face the first place team in the conference.
The four Conference Semifinals will be decided by two-game aggregate series, with the lower seed hosting the first leg and the higher seed hosting the second leg. If the aggregate score is tied after 180 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
The two Conference Championships will be decided by a two-game aggregate series, with the lower seed hosting the first leg and the higher seed hosting the second leg. If the aggregate score is tied after 180 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
MLS Cup will be a single championship match hosted by the higher seed. If the score is tied after 90 minutes of play, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by penalty kicks, if necessary.
