By Ridge Mahoney
Houston 2, Chivas USA 0. (agg: 3-2)
Houston, featuring many of the same players who as the Earthquakes beat Los Angeles and Kansas City in the 2003 playoffs with remarkable comebacks, scored twice after forward Francisco Palencia was sent off by referee Michael Kennedy for two quickly incurred cards in a frenzied, fiercely fought match.
Palencia went into the book for a harsh midfield foul on Brian Ching and during a subsequent melee was sent off with a straight red card for hitting an opponent in the face. His absence drained Chivas USA of its ability to keep possession and a team already lacking an injured Ante Razov struggled to stem HoustonÆs momentum.
The Dynamo, which had pinned Chivas USA in its own third for much of the game, increased its pressure. Brad Davis tied the game in the 64th minute on a penalty kick called when defender Tim Regan elbowed Dwyane DeRosario in the back as they went for a cross.
Chivas USA roused its slumbering attack but couldnÆt seriously test Houston keeper Pat Onstad. The scrambling Dynamo defense blocked a shot by Jonathan Bornstein and kept Francisco Mendoza contained.
Davis set up the winner by bending a cross around Jesse Marsch to the far post, where Eddie Robinson headed it back into the middle and Ching outjumped several players, including a late-arriving Brad Guzan, to nod the ball over the line from three yards out to trigger a racous celebration. Players and coaches from both teams jostled and wrestled after the final whistle.
FC Dallas 2, Colorado 3 (agg, 4-4. Rapids win 5-4 on penalties)
After Colorado eliminated his team in last yearÆs conference semifinals and deprived it of the chance to play in MLS Cup as host, Dallas GM Michael Hitchcock lobbied club management to repeat as host as 2006. He and his team will be spectators once again.
For the second straight year, FC Dallas has squandered a higher seed and home-field advantage. This time it squandered a 2-1 edge compiled on the road, and simply couldnÆt keep the game safe despite taking a 3-1 aggregate lead on a Carlos Ruiz goal and leading 4-3 early in overtime through a Clarence Goodson header.
Midfield turnovers and soft defending in the air were punished ruthlessly by the Rapids, for which Nicolas Hernandez scored twice from close range and Clint Mathis blasted home a 25-yarder with six minutes left in overtime that is one of the most dramatic, and most spectacular, playoff goals in league history.
FC Dallas coach Colin Clarke, whose team was playing a man down from the 29th minute on because of Chris Gbandi's reckless foul, had substituted forwards Abe Thompson and Kenny Cooper in regulation and they werenÆt available to take penalties. After each team had made its first three kicks, Greg Vanney hit the inside of the goalpost.
That miss was matched when Dario Sala saved from Aitor Karanka, but û with the teams going into sudden-death tied, 4-4, Sala himself took the next FC Dallas kick. Joe Cannon read it all the way and dived to his right to save comfortably. Pablo Mastroeni drilled his shot past Sala seconds later to once again crush the competitive, and marketing, dreams of the MLS Cup host.
New England 2, Chicago 1 (agg, 2-2. Revs win 4-2 on penalties)
Taylor Twellman is a brave, talented man, and along with his 80 regular-season and playoff goals, has the bruises, scrapes and facial fractures to prove it.
Yet Twellman is even more resilient mentally, as he showed once again by scoring just before halftime to cut ChicagoÆs aggregate lead in half. Nate Jaqua had put a away a near-post cross from Justin Mapp in the 18th minute for a 2-0 Fire aggregate lead. Three minutes later, a Jay Heaps cross dropped perfectly for Twellman, who had all the time and space he needed to line up his header. It missed. HeÆd missed a similar chance in the first leg, too.
Twellman plugged away, forcing a turnover that led to a chance and then in the final minute of the first half, nailing home a low ball Joey Franchino had centered from the byline. Two minutes into the second half, Franchino found him again but this time Twellman hit the post. He persisted. The winner came 12 minutes later, when Twellman headed a Heaps cross into the goalmouth and Steve Ralston laid it off for Franchino; he shot, Chris Armas blocked it, and Pat Noonan û who had come on as a sub in his first appearance since Sept. 9 û stabbed it into the net.
Once the game went to penalties, Matt Reis had to be given the nod over a heroic Matt Pickens. Once Reis had snuffed ThiagoÆs opener, the die was cast. Reis scored one himself and also saved from Ivan Guerrero. Twellman put away the RevsÆ fourth kick to cap a great comeback by the Revs and a Fire capitulation that wonÆt please GM John Guppy.
D.C. United 1, New York Red Bulls 1. (agg: 2-1).
The Red Bulls pressed and harassed the shaky United back three and overran its midfield for much the match while outshooting D.C., 13-6. But after tying the aggregate, 1-1, they suffered a disastrous defensive lapse that set the stage once again for match-winner Christian Gomez.
Quality crossing had been at a premium in the first match yet the Red Bulls' productive service finally provided results when Amado GuevaraÆs cross was smartly snapped into the net via the head of Josimer Altidore in the 76th minute. Altidore had hit the post earlier from a Marvell Wynne feed, and minutes later a sharp D.C. attack set up Alecko Eskandarian for a rising right-footer that rattled the crossbar.
Gomez struck the winner after Josh Gros, out on the right flank, used his left foot to curl the ball back post, where Bobby Boswell threw himself to the ground to let it reach the unmarked Argentine. GomezÆs shot from a sharp angle caromed off keeper Jon ConwayÆs glove and between him and the near post.
UnitedÆs expected win in the seriesû it finished 16 points ahead of New York in the Eastern Conference standings û was anything but routine.
SEMIFINALS
D.C. United vs. New England (Sunday, 4 pm ET, ESPN2).
Houston vs. Colorado (Sunday, 6 pm ET).