MLS playoffs: How the West stacks up after Game 2

Vancouver and LAFC aren’t just advancing to the conference semifinals; they’re advancing to face each other. Their one-off semifinal duel at Vancouver’s BC Place in late November should be one of the marquee games of the next round.

Eliminated: Dallas, Austin

It was a rough round for Texas clubs, with both Dallas and Austin getting bounced by their Western Conference peers. For Dallas, this season will go down as a sign that the franchise can pivot when it needs to. Its year began with the failed signing of Lucho Acosta; it ended with an effective crew of lesser-known players banishing Acosta’s malaise and saving the team’s season.

For Austin, this was a year of "almosts." It almost won the U.S. Open Cup in front of a home crowd but fell in the final to Nashville; it almost rode its famous defense to a series upset over LAFC but lost focus in a crucial moment.

Moving on to Game 3: San Diego and Portland, Minnesota and Seattle

San Diego’s path to the conference semifinals was supposed to be simple. All it had to do was beat Portland — a team it hammered 4-0 on the final day of the regular season — in two successive matches, and it was in. 

Things started brilliantly with an easy 2-1 win in Game 1, but Portland fought back to secure a late 2-2 draw (and an impressive penalty win) in Game 2. San Diego missed three straight penalties in that shootout to hand Portland the crucial win; that fact will haunt it as it moves toward the business end of the playoffs.

Minnesota and Seattle, on the other hand, knew their draw was difficult. Minnesota took Game 1 with a tight penalty win off a 0-0 draw, but Seattle stormed to victory in Game 2 with a 4-2 win. Minnesota enters the final match as the higher seed, but Seattle enters with all the momentum. It should be a close one.