Union

Explaining the MLS Cup Playoffs Bracket

By Kyle Scott

Published: Oct 30th, 2011 · 11:04 AM EDT

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Here's a primer to help blow apart your soccer hymen. They do things a bit differently in the MLS…

The Union will face the Houston Dynamo today in the first game of a best-of-two series (sort of). After two games, the team with the most goals advances.

Well, Kyle, what if they're tied after two games? I thought you'd never ask. Here are the official MLS tiebreaker rules:

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 single games hosted by the higher seed. MLS Cup will again be a single championship match hosted at a predetermined site to be announced at a later date.

Those overtime periods are not sudden death, they are two full 15-minute periods. If there is no winner, there will be penalty kicks. The conference championship is one game, played on November 6, and the MLS Cup championship is also one game, which will take place on November 20 in Los Angeles. That's it. Different, but simple.

Today's game is at 5 PM on ESPN 2, perfect timing to roll you right into the Eagles game. DOOP.