The 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs was the postseason tournament subsequent to Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

's 2010 season

2010 Major League Soccer season

The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...

. The Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids

The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...

 defeated FC Dallas

FC Dallas

FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...

 2–1 at BMO Field

BMO Field

BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...

 in Toronto, Ontario.

The playoffs began on Oct. 30, with the Los Angeles Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy

The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...

 defeating the Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...

 in the quarterfinal-round. Three weeks later, the Rapids defeated Dallas 2-1 in the Cup final

MLS Cup 2010

The MLS Cup 2010 was the fifteenth edition of the MLS Cup championship game and the final match of the 2010 MLS season. The championship was played at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sunday, November 21, 2010...

. It was both teams' first trip to the cup final; evidently meaning Colorado's first title.

Of the eight MLS

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 clubs to earn qualification into the tournament, only four of them qualified the season beforehand; Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...

, Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders FC, and the defending-champions, Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...

. The San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....

 were making their first playoff appearance since 2005, Dallas' since 2007. It was Colorado's and New York Red Bulls's first time since 2008.

Format

At the 2010 season's end, the top two teams of each conference will make the playoffs; in addition the clubs with the next six highest point totals, regardless of conference, will be added to the playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate (total) goals over two matches will determine the winners; the Conference Championships will be one match each, with the winner of each conference advancing to MLS Cup

MLS Cup

The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...

. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method will be two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule

Away goals rule

The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...

 is not used.

Conference standings

Conference Semifinals

San Jose Earthquakes advance 3–2 on aggregate
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Colorado Rapids advance 5–4 on penalties
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FC Dallas advance 3–2 on aggregate
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Los Angeles Galaxy advance 3–1 on aggregate

Conference Finals

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MLS Cup 2010

MLS Cup 2010

The MLS Cup 2010 was the fifteenth edition of the MLS Cup championship game and the final match of the 2010 MLS season. The championship was played at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sunday, November 21, 2010...