2015 MLS Cup playoffs

2015 MLS Cup Playoffs
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
Canada
Teams12
Defending championsLA Galaxy
Final positions
ChampionsPortland Timbers (1st title)
Runners-upColumbus Crew SC
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Matches played17
Goals scored46 (2.71 per match)
Attendance388,289 (22,841 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Sierra Leone Kei Kamara
(4 goals)

The 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs (officially the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 20th post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began on October 28 with D.C. United defeating New England Revolution and culminated on December 6, 2015, with MLS Cup 2015, the twentieth league championship match for MLS.

Twelve teams[2] (top 6 per conference) competed, up from 10 the last 3 seasons. The first round of each conference had the third-seeded team hosting the sixth seed, while the fourth-seed hosts the fifth, in a single match to determine who advances to the Conference Semifinals. In the Conference Semifinals, the top seed plays the lowest remaining seed while the second seed plays the next-lowest. The winners advanced to the Conference Finals.

Both the Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals are played as two-legged aggregate series, with the higher-ranked team hosting the second leg. If teams are level at the end of the second leg, the away goals rule will be used in attempt to determine a winner. If the away goals rule does not resolve the deadlock, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, but the away goals rule will not be applied after extra time. If scores are still level following extra time, a penalty shootout will be conducted.

The winners advance to the MLS Cup final, a single match hosted by the participant with the better regular season record.[3]

The winner of MLS Cup 2015, Portland Timbers qualified for the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League. If a Canadian team were to win the MLS Cup, the next-best team from the United States will take their place.[4]

On March 6, 2015, Audi was announced as the official sponsor of the playoffs starting in 2015.[1]

The Portland Timbers won the MLS Cup by defeating the Columbus Crew SC by a score of 2–1. The Timbers' Diego Valeri scored the fastest goal in MLS Cup history at 27 seconds after Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark, made a fundamental error after he miscontrolled his defender's back-pass; allowing Valeri to strike at the opportunity.[5]

2015 MLS Conference standings

The top 6 teams from each conference advance to the MLS Cup playoffs. Green background denotes also qualified for 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League.

Bracket

Knockout roundConference semifinalsConference finalsMLS Cup
October 29 – Stade SaputoE3Montreal Impact213
E6Toronto FC0E2Columbus Crew (a.e.t.)134
E2Columbus Crew202
E3Montreal Impact3
Eastern Conference
E1New York Red Bulls011
October 28 – RFK StadiumE4D.C. United000
December 6 – Mapfre Stadium
E5New England Revolution1E1New York Red Bulls112
E2Columbus Crew1
E4D.C. United2
W3Portland Timbers2
October 29 – Providence ParkW3Portland Timbers022
W6Sporting Kansas City2 (6)W2Vancouver Whitecaps FC000
W3Portland Timbers325
W3Portland Timbers (p)2 (7)
Western Conference
W1FC Dallas123
October 28 – CenturyLink FieldW4Seattle Sounders FC213 (2)
W5LA Galaxy2W1FC Dallas (p)123 (4)
W4Seattle Sounders FC3

Source: [6]

Schedule

Knockout round

Eastern Conference

D.C. United2–1New England Revolution
Pontius 45'
Rolfe 83'		ReportAgudelo 15'
Attendance: 11,554
Referee: Mark Geiger
Montreal Impact3–0Toronto FC
Bernier 18'
Piatti 33'
Drogba 39'		Report
Attendance: 18,069

Western Conference

Seattle Sounders FC3–2LA Galaxy
Dempsey 5'
Valdez 12'
Friberg 77'		ReportLletget 6'
Zardes 22'
Attendance: 39,537
Referee: Jair Marrufo
Portland Timbers2–2 (a.e.t.)Sporting Kansas City
Wallace 57'
Urruti 118'		ReportEllis 87'
Németh 96'
Penalties
Valeri soccer ball with red X
Borchers soccer ball with check mark
Ridgewell soccer ball with check mark
Jewsbury soccer ball with red X
Urruti soccer ball with check mark
Villafaña soccer ball with red X
Asprilla soccer ball with check mark
Nagbe soccer ball with check mark
Powell soccer ball with red X
Fochive soccer ball with check mark
Kwarasey soccer ball with check mark		7–6soccer ball with check mark Feilhaber
soccer ball with red X Dwyer
soccer ball with check mark Zusi
soccer ball with red X Besler
soccer ball with check mark Nagamura
soccer ball with red X Ellis
soccer ball with check mark Mustivar
soccer ball with check mark Peterson
soccer ball with red X Abdul-Salaam
soccer ball with check mark Dia
soccer ball with red X Kempin
Attendance: 21,144

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

D.C. United0–1New York Red Bulls
ReportMcCarty 72'
Attendance: 19,525
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
New York Red Bulls1–0D.C. United
Wright-Phillips 90+2'Report
Attendance: 25,219
Referee: Ted Unkel

New York Red Bulls win 2–0 on aggregate

Montreal Impact2–1Columbus Crew SC
Bernier 37'
Venegas 77'		ReportHiguaín 33'
Attendance: 17,655
Referee: Chris Penso
Columbus Crew SC3–1 (a.e.t.)Montreal Impact
Kamara 4', 111'
Finlay 77'		ReportDuka 40'
Attendance: 19,026

Columbus Crew wins 4–3 on aggregate

Western Conference

Portland Timbers0–0Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Report
Attendance: 21,144
Referee: Allen Chapman
Vancouver Whitecaps FC0–2Portland Timbers
ReportAdi 31'
Chara 90+4'
Attendance: 27,837
Referee: Ismail Elfath

Portland Timbers win 2–0 on aggregate

Seattle Sounders FC2–1FC Dallas
Ivanschitz 67'
Dempsey 86'		ReportCastillo 18'
Attendance: 39,599
Referee: Kevin Stott
FC Dallas2–1 (a.e.t.)Seattle Sounders FC
Akindele 84'
Zimmerman 90+1'		ReportMarshall 90'
Penalties
Diaz soccer ball with check mark
Hollingshead soccer ball with check mark
Akindele soccer ball with check mark
Zimmerman soccer ball with check mark		4–2soccer ball with check mark Dempsey
soccer ball with red X Ivanschitz
soccer ball with red X Barrett
soccer ball with check mark Rose
Attendance: 17,287

FC Dallas wins 4–2 on penalties after 3–3 draw on aggregate

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Columbus Crew SC2–0New York Red Bulls
Meram 1'
Kamara 85'		Report
Attendance: 21,617
Referee: Allen Chapman
New York Red Bulls1–0Columbus Crew SC
Abang 90+3'Report
Attendance: 25,219

Columbus Crew wins 2–1 on aggregate

Western Conference

Portland Timbers3–1FC Dallas
Ridgewell 23'
Asprilla 53'
Borchers 90+1'		ReportTexeira 62'
Attendance: 21,144
Referee: Ted Unkel
FC Dallas2–2Portland Timbers
Hollingshead 68'
Pérez 73'		ReportAdi 54'
Melano 90+5'
Attendance: 20,966
Referee: Ismail Elfath

Portland Timbers win 5–3 on aggregate

MLS Cup

Columbus Crew SC1–2Portland Timbers
Kamara 18'ReportValeri 1'
Wallace 7'
Attendance: 21,747
Referee: Jair Marrufo

Goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals [7]
1Sierra Leone Kei KamaraColumbus Crew SC4
2Nigeria Fanendo AdiPortland Timbers2
Canada Patrice BernierMontreal Impact
United States Clint DempseySeattle Sounders FC
Costa Rica Rodney WallacePortland Timbers
6Cameroon Anatole AbangNew York Red Bulls1
United States Juan AgudeloNew England Revolution
Canada Tesho AkindeleFC Dallas
Colombia Dairon AsprillaPortland Timbers
United States Nat BorchersPortland Timbers
Colombia Fabian CastilloFC Dallas
Colombia Diego CharáPortland Timbers
Ivory Coast Didier DrogbaMontreal Impact
United States Dilly DukaMontreal Impact
United States Kevin EllisSporting Kansas City
United States Ethan FinlayColumbus Crew SC
Sweden Erik FribergSeattle Sounders FC
Argentina Federico HiguaínColumbus Crew SC
United States Ryan HollingsheadFC Dallas
Austria Andreas IvanschitzSeattle Sounders FC
United States Sebastian LletgetLA Galaxy
United States Chad MarshallSeattle Sounders FC
Argentina Lucas MelanoPortland Timbers
United States Dax McCartyNew York Red Bulls
Iraq Justin MeramColumbus Crew SC
Hungary Krisztián NémethSporting Kansas City
Panama Blas PérezFC Dallas
Argentina Ignacio PiattiMontreal Impact
United States Chris PontiusD.C. United
England Liam RidgewellPortland Timbers
United States Chris RolfeD.C. United
Uruguay David TexeiraFC Dallas
Argentina Maximiliano UrrutiPortland Timbers
Paraguay Nelson ValdezSeattle Sounders FC
Argentina Diego ValeriPortland Timbers
Costa Rica Johan VenegasMontreal Impact
England Bradley Wright-PhillipsNew York Red Bulls
United States Gyasi ZardesLA Galaxy
United States Walker ZimmermanFC Dallas

References

  1. ^ a b "MLS announces partnership with Audi, including presenting sponsorship of MLS Cup Playoffs". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Armchair Analyst: Ranking the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoff teams, 1-through-12". MLSsoccer.com.
  3. ^ "Audi MLS Cup Playoffs 101: Everything you need to know about the postseason". MLSsoccer.com.
  4. ^ Kingston, Gary (August 25, 2015). "Whitecaps face fine balancing act in settling on Voyageurs Cup lineup". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri Scores Fastest Goal In MLS Cup History (Video)". NESN. December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  6. ^ "MLS Playoff Bracket". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  7. ^ "Schedule". MLSsoccer.com.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2015_MLS_Cup_playoffs&oldid=1319941043"