The Seattle Sounders probably would have liked to register a win Monday night, but their scoreless draw with Dallas FC sends them to the Major League Soccer (MLS) Western Conference final.
Clint Dempsey and co. will meet Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy for a two-match series on Sunday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 30. Donovan will retire from the sport whenever the Galaxy are done playing and now he will meet Team USA's new captain.
While Donovan was left off the 2014 World Cup roster, Dempsey was not and he led the Americans to a surprise trip to the Round of 16. Four years earlier, it was Donovan who did the same thing, endearing themselves to the country's soccer fans.
Donovan is coming off a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Real Salt Lake, a game which would have been the end of his career had the Galaxy lost. Dempsey was not quite as successful offensively, but they will need to convert on their opportunities against the Galaxy.
"I had two really good looks at goal," Dempsey said in a news conference after the draw. "I should have scored at least one of those, so I'm frustrated by that. But I thought we looked good. We didn't just sit back and try to not concede. We tried to go out and score one or two goals and try to take the game to them."
According to the Galaxy's official website, no coaches have better MLS Playoff Cup wins than the two meeting for the Western Conference final. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena is 28-9-5 whereas Sounders Sigi Schmid is 23-14-8.
The later will have to figure out how to stop Donovan and Robbie Keane, who were seemingly unstoppable against RSL. Schmid said the series with the Galaxy will be different than the one they just finished.
"We know that we can play them, and if we're down we can come back," he said after the draw. "With LA, there's going to be more opportunities for Clint and [Obafemi Martins] just because of the way they play. It's going to be a great series."
