MLS Cup Playoffs
This was the first time since 1996 that both MLS Cup finalists lost their opening game in the playoffs and recovered to claim a spot in the title game. That year, D.C. United lost in a shootout in the opening game of the playoffs before recovering to win the inaugural championship match; their opponents, the Los Angeles Galaxy, lost to the San Jose Earthquakes in their first postseason game.
In the first round of the 2006 playoffs, the biggest upset came in the Western Conference, where the Colorado Rapids upset top-seeded FC Dallas on the road for the second straight year, again winning in a shootout. In the other Western Conference semifinal, Houston trailed Chivas USA 2-0 in the first leg but recovered to lose 2-1, despite missing a penalty kick, and win 2-0 at home to advance.
In the Eastern Conference, D.C. United needed a late goal to escape with a 1-1 home draw in the second leg against New York Red Bulls, winning 2-1 on aggregate. New England rallied from a 2-0 aggregate deficit in the second leg to force penalty kicks against Chicago, winning the shootout to advance.
In the conference finals, New England used an early Taylor Twellman goal to knock off the MLS Supporters' Shield winners and qualify for its third title game in five years. Houston recovered from an early penalty kick behind two goals from Paul Dalglish for a 3-1 win over Colorado, reaching the championship in its first year in Houston.
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | MLS Cup Final | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | D.C. United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New England Revolution | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Chicago Fire (AET, PSO) | 1 | 1 | 2(2) | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | New England Revolution | 0 | 2 | 2(4) | |||||||||||||||
| E | New England Revolution | 1(3) | |||||||||||||||||
| W | Houston Dynamo (AET, PSO) | 1(4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | FC Dallas (AET, PSO) | 2 | 2 | 4(4) | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 3 | 4(5) | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Chivas USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: MLS Cup 2006
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