Mls Cup

Colorado Rapids vs. Sporting Kansas City Eastern Conference semifinal two game aggregate series At stake: The winner of this series will face the winner of the two-game, aggregate-goal Dynamo-Union series in a single-elimination Eastern Conference final. As the top seed, Sporting Kansas City would host any conference final if they win. Games: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. in Commerce City, Col.; Wednesday, 8 p.m. in Kansas City, Kan. Regular-season records: Colorado (12-9-13, 49 points, fifth place in the Western Conference)

MIKE MAGEE scored the go-ahead goal on a pass from David Beckham in the 58th minute, and Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane also scored as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated Real Salt Lake, 3-1 in the MLS Western Conference final in Carson, Calif., last night. The Galaxy will play the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup on Nov. 20 in Carson. Houston beat host Sporting Kansas City, 2-0, for the Eastern Conference title yesterday. This is the LA' seventh trip to the title game, the most of any team in the league.

CARSON, Calif. - Landon Donovan scored in the 72d minute on passes from Robbie Keane and David Beckham, and the Los Angeles Galaxy's three superstars won their first MLS Cup together with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night. Beckham won his first MLS title in the final game of his groundbreaking, five-year deal with the Galaxy, who rolled to the franchise's third league crown after finishing with the best regular-season record. Beckham punctuated a solid performance with an alert header to Keane, the Irish striker who joined Los Angeles in midseason from Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.

The Union admitted that it wasn't the ideal way to move into the postseason, but getting there was always the first goal. And if it took a tie against the team that entered the day having allowed the most goals in Major League Soccer, so be it. In their second season, the Union will be making their first MLS Cup playoffs appearance, following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Toronto before a record crowd of 19,178 at PPL Park in Chester. The tie secured one of the league's 10 playoff berths.

Taylor Twellman, the reigning Major League Soccer MVP, scored in the fourth minute to lead the New England Revolution to a 1-0 victory over D.C. United yesterday in the Eastern Conference final in Washington. Matt Reis made eight saves for the winners. The triumph earned New England a second consecutive appearance in the MLS championship game. The Houston Dynamo captured the Western Conference title by beating the visiting Colorado Rapids, 3-1. Paul Dalglish scored two goals for the Dynamo to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

Landon Donovan scored the tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, and David Beckham left Major League Soccer as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy's 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final in Carson, Calif., on Saturday. Omar Gonzalez , the game's MVP, tied it in the 61st minute with a header, and Robbie Keane added another goal on a penalty kick in added time for the Galaxy, who defended their title and won a fourth MLS Cup, tying D.C. United.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto assisted on all three Columbus Crew goals yesterday in a 3-1 MLS Cup victory over the New York Red Bulls in Carson, Calif. The 35-year-old Argentinian received the game's MVP award to go with the regular-season MVP trophy he picked up earlier in the week. Columbus coach Sigi Schmid hoisted the Cup in the home stadium of the Los Angeles Galaxy, a team that fired him in 2004. Columbus and New York were original members of the MLS when it began in 1996, and both were playing in the league championship for the first time.

There are different theories on whether it means very much to have momentum going into the MLS Cup playoffs, but at least in the Union's case we're about to find out. That's because when the Union open the first of a two-game, aggregate-goal Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday at PPL Park in Chester against the Houston Dynamo, the two teams are coming from different directions. The Union had played well in the final weeks of the season, but then were not at the top of their game in their final two regular-season matches.

HOUSTON - It was a simple statement, nothing that will appear on bulletin boards, but it helps explain why the Union's long season has ended and the Houston Dynamo will be in Kansas City, Kan., on Sunday to play Sporting in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference final. After his team's 1-0 win over the Union on Thursday night at Robertson Stadium, which gave Houston a 3-1 edge in the two-game aggregate-goal Eastern Conference semifinal series, Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis explained why his team is still are playing soccer and the Union's long and successful second season is history.

The Union opened their second Major League Soccer season by playing Houston in March, and they will begin their first MLS Cup playoff run on Sunday against the Dynamo. With Houston's 3-1 win on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy in the final game of the MLS regular season, the Union settled into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and will meet No. 2 seed Houston in the two-game conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs. Both teams received a bye from the four-team wild-card round.

A day before facing the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Union traded midfielder-defender Gabriel Farfan on Tuesday to Chivas USA for allocation money and a 2014 Major League Soccer SuperDraft first-round pick. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Farfan had started three games and appeared in six this season. He played the entire game at outside back in Saturday's 1-0 victory over the host Chicago Fire, filling in for Sheanon Williams, who missed the game due to suspension. The twin brother of Union midfielder Michael Farfan, the 24-year-old signed with the club in 2011 and appeared in 51 games, making 43 starts in three seasons, scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Barcelona at Real Madrid   9:55 a.m. Saturday (beIN Sport) After knocking Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, Madrid hosts its fierce rival in a league game. Real's Cristiano Ronaldo has finally emerged from the shadow of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, whose place as the world's best player came at Ronaldo's expense.   D.C. United at Houston Dynamo 8 p.m. Saturday (NBC Sports Network)   Last year's Eastern Conference finalists meet again.

In the west end of PPL Park, a banner runs beneath the length of the scoreboard, asking in bold letters, "What Do You Stand For?" The Union will begin forming their own answer to that question Saturday afternoon when they open their fourth MLS season at PPL Park against Sporting K.C. After an offseason reshaping the roster, and with manager John Hackworth entering his first full season, the Union's identity is more clear than it had been for...

IT WAS a nice try, and I give Union manager John Hackworth credit for doing what virtually every coach at the beginning of a season does - hedge the bet on expectations. No coach likes to say his team is a flat-out title contender, is going to make the playoffs or win a certain number of games. That just puts a tangible target on your head for later on down the road if things aren't going as expected. Asked what he expected this season, Hackworth said, "Right off the bat, it's to be consistent.

The United States advanced to the quarterfinals of the world junior hockey championships Monday with a 9-3 rout of Slovakia in Ufa, Russia. The Americans' prospects of reaching the knockout round had looked uncertain after a loss to Canada a day earlier, but they dominated the Slovaks. In Group A, the Czech Republic beat Switzerland, 4-3, in overtime. Canada stayed in first place in Group B by downing Russia, 4-1. BASEBALL: Former American League MVP Miguel Tejada said he has reached a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

CARSON, Calif. - David Beckham stood on the podium with his three sons, an oversized Union Jack knotted around his Los Angeles Galaxy jersey. With a practiced lift and a broad smile, he raised the sparkling silver cup over his head to a raucous ovation amid a confetti blizzard. Now that's a Hollywood ending worthy of a star. Beckham wrapped up his MLS career as a two-time champion Saturday, with Landon Donovan's tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute propelling the Galaxy to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup. Omar Gonzalez tied it in the 61st minute with a long header for the Galaxy, who defended their title in a rematch of last season's championship game.

Landon Donovan scored the tiebreaking goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, and David Beckham left Major League Soccer as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy's 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final in Carson, Calif., on Saturday. Omar Gonzalez , the game's MVP, tied it in the 61st minute with a header, and Robbie Keane added another goal on a penalty kick in added time for the Galaxy, who defended their title and won a fourth MLS Cup, tying D.C. United.

The Miami Marlins are planning on having Juan Pierre take a physical on Monday, amid reports that they have agreed on a $1.6 million, one-year deal that would reunite them with the 35-year-old who played with the Phils last season. Pierre stole 37 bases last season, tied for fifth in the National League. Pete Rose's copy of the 1990 agreement in which he accepted a lifetime ban from baseball failed to sell at auction because no bid met the minimum. Goldin Auctions said Sunday the highest bid was $236,000, a price that would have been raised to $258,600, including the auctioneer's 10 percent fee. NCAA: The University of Maryland's board of regents is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the school's possibly leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference to join the Big Ten. If Maryland approves the move and applies for admission, Rutgers is expected to follow suit and leave the Big East.

Oscar Boniek Garcia and Brad Davis scored in the second half as the Houston Dynamo beat the visiting Union, 3-1, Saturday night to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. The Union's Jack McInerney scored in the 19th minute off a Sheanon Williams cross. McInerney's goal was his fourth in as many games, breaking Sebastien Le Toux's team record for consecutive scoring games, according to a Union tweet. The Dynamo are into the postseason for the sixth time in seven years. The Union had their two-game winning streak ended.