COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Thursday, October 27, 2011) – With the 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Thursday night, the Colorado Rapids have advanced to face Sporting Kansas City in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The first leg of the home-and-home aggregate goal series is this Sunday, October 30 at 5:30 p.m. MT at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.



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The second leg of the series will take place on Wednesday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. MT at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas. The team with the most total goals over the two matches will advance to the Conference Final. If score is tied after both games, a 30-minute extra time period will be added, and if still tied the series will be decided on penalty kicks. Both matches in the series will be broadcast live on FOX Soccer.

The Rapids and Sporting KC tied both meetings in 2011 with identical 1-1 scores. On May 28 in Commerce City, Conor Casey gave the Rapids the lead in the 13th minute but Sporting's Ryan Smith equalized in the 75th minute. It was déjà vu on July 8 at Livestrong Park, when Casey scored in the 32nd only to have KC's Graham Zuzi tie the match in the 62nd.

The teams will be meeting in the postseason for the fourth time ever.

On their way to the 1997 MLS Cup, the Rapids defeated Kansas City in the Conference Semifinal by winning both matches: 3-0 at Kansas City and 3-2 in Denver.

They met again in the 2000 Quarterfinals, where the first team to reach five points advanced (3 points for a win, 1 for a tie). The Rapids lost at KC 1-0 and drew 0-0 in Denver four days later. Needing a win to send the series to sudden death, the Rapids fell 3-2 at Arrowhead Stadium. KC went on to win the 2000 MLS Cup.

The last time Colorado and Kansas City met was in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, where KC won 3-2 on aggregate after tying 1-1 in Colorado and winning 2-0 in Kansas City.



