MLS Team of the Week: Giovinco, Piatti Power Clubs into Conference Finals

Three of the four Major League Soccer clubs that took an advantage into the second leg of the conference semi-final round on Sunday moved on to the conference final stage of the postseason. Montreal, Toronto and Seattle all put together strong performances on the road to knock off three of the best teams from the regular season. The Colorado Rapids were the lone home team to make it through to the next round. Since the other three top seeds were bounced on Sunday, the Rapids are currently in line to host MLS Cup on December 10 if they move past Seattle in the Western Conference final.  The standout individual from Sunday's play was Sebastian Giovinco. The Atomic Ant unleashed a hat-trick in Toronto's demolishing of New York City FC. Continue reading to see who joined Giovinco in our best XI from the conference semi-final second legs. Begin Slideshow

Previewing the 2nd Legs of the MLS Conference Semifinals

The home teams had their way during the first legs of the Major League Soccer conference semifinals, but that may not be the case during the quartet of second-leg showdowns on Sunday.  The L.A. Galaxy, Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders head into their Sunday road trips with key advantages in their respective series, and most importantly, none of the leading sides conceded away goals.  Colorado, FC Dallas and both New York clubs, City and the Red Bulls, have certain things they need to fix in order to secure a berth in the conference final round, especially FC Dallas, who enter Sunday with the largest deficit. Below is an in-depth look at each of Sunday's second-leg matches.        LA Galaxy at Colorado Rapids (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)  The Galaxy benefited from a fortuitous bounce on a Giovani dos Santos shot to pull ahead of the Rapids in the No. 3 vs. No. 2 matchup in the Western Conference.  Robbie Keane is still working his way back to full fitness, which means the hot combination of Alan Gordon and Dos Santos should start at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.  Gordon's physical presence up top will once again be needed to combat the height and strength of the ...

MLS Player Rankings: Mancosu, Altidore Lead After 1st Weekend of Postseason

A number of unexpected heroes appeared during the first week of the Major League Soccer playoffs.  The L.A. Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and Montreal Impact received significant contributions from a few players who were dormant in front of the net for long stretches of the regular season.  In addition to the unlikely stars of the week, a few of the league's big names continued their impressive seasons with strong performances for their respective sides.  Our postseason player rankings take into account showings from both the knockout round and Sunday's first legs of the conference semifinal round. We also trimmed our list to 10 for the postseason due to the smaller sample size we have to choose from. Continue reading to see who topped the first MLS Player Rankings of the postseason. Begin Slideshow