FC Dallas will host in-state rival Houston Dynamo in the first-leg of the Western Conference Semifinal Series of the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Pizza Hut Park (7 p.m. CT). The return-leg is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2 at Houston's Robertson Stadium (7:30 p.m. CT). With the start of the playoffs, FC Dallas launches Mission 360, the team's playoff campaign referring to the four playoffs games that would include the 2007 MLS Cup Championship game.
Chivas USA, which finished first in the Western Conference, will play their home-and-away Conference Semifinal Series versus the Kansas City Wizards. Click here for the final MLS standings. The winner of both Conference Semifinal Series' will meet each other in a one-game final, with the winner representing the West in the MLS Cup Championship game, which will be played on Nov. 18 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
FC Dallas season ticket holders should use the "Home Playoff Game # 1" ticket for the Western Conference Semifinal home playoff game versus Houston. Individual tickets for this game are priced at $16, $24, $28, and $45. Tickets are currently available through Ticketmaster, by calling the FC Dallas office at 1-888-FCD-GOAL, or by visiting www.fcdallas.com.
Mission 360 Playoff 4-Packs are also available, allowing fans to receive four (4) tickets in any section at a discounted price over individual tickets and four Mission 360 playoff t-shirts (while supplies last).
Fans that arrive early are welcome to "Party on the Stage" from 5:30-7 p.m., enjoying $1 beers. Parking at Pizza Hut Park for playoff games is free.
ABOUT THE MLS CUP PLAYOFFS:
At the end of the regular season, eight MLS teams qualify for the playoffs. The top two teams in each conference qualify and are seeded 1 & 2 in their respective four-team playoff conference brackets. The four MLS teams with the next most points, regardless of conference, receive "wildcard" berths. The four wildcard teams will be seeded according to conference first. If more than four teams qualify from one conference, those finishing lower than fourth in their conference will shift over to the other conference bracket. A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.
Conference Semifinal series are conducted under a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format, with single-game Conference Championships determining the MLS Cup Finalists. For each Conference, the 1st seed plays the 4th seed, and the 2nd seed faces the 3rd seed in the Conference Semifinal series, with the lower seeded team hosting the first game.
The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-away series advances to the single elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by a penalty-kick shootout, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game.
In the case of ties after regulation in the Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by a penalty-kick shootout, if necessary, to determine the winners.
