Home-field form vital for Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs pacing: Round 1 News & Notes

MLS MEDIA RESOURCES: ROUND 1 NEWS & NOTES

News and notes and statistical trends from around Major League Soccer

HOME-FIELD FORM VITAL FOR AUDI 2019 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS PLACING

Over 34 matches in the 2019 Major League Soccer season, teams have battled for the right to play host to games in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs by gaining as high a seed as possible. Now the time has come to parlay that advantage into a possible trip to MLS Cup.
Of the eight teams that are guaranteed of hosting games in Round 1 and the Conference Semifinals (the two regular season conference winners, and the second-place through fourth-place finishers in each conference), seven appear in the best home-field records over the course of the 2019 season.
Four teams – top seeds Los Angeles Football Club and New York City FC, along with Minnesota United FC and FC Dallas – have lost just one game on their home grounds this season. The four teams with just a single home loss matches the most in a season in MLS history (also occurring in 2017). Five teams in league history have gone through a home campaign undefeated; there have now been 31 teams in 24 seasons in MLS history to go through the home season with just a single loss. All-time, teams that have qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs have posted a .692 winning percentage on their home fields during the regular season.
HOME RECORDS, 2019 REGULAR SEASON (top eight)

Bold:
Home teams in Round One
Italic: First-round bye (home in conference semifinals)

PLAYOFF TEAMS CARRY RICH VEINS OF FORM INTO ROUND 1 MATCHUPS

Each matchup in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs will be decided by just a single game for the first time in league history. Will the previous matchups between the clubs be a barometer for what’s to come in the weekend ahead, or will past form be overturned?
Two teams have never lost to their Round 1 playoff foes (Atlanta United and the LA Galaxy), while two other clubs will carry differing undefeated streaks into their opening-round matchups (Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers). Two series also see visiting clubs which have seen their share of success in the stadiums they’ll be visiting in the first round:
Here’s a series form guide for Round 1 in the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs:
E#2 ATLANTA UNITED vs. E#7 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
FORM: Atlanta United undefeated in 6 meetings all-time (4-0-2)
AT ATLANTA: Atlanta United 3 wins in 3 meetings
W#2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC vs. W#7 FC DALLAS
FORM: Over the last three seasons: Sounders FC 2 wins, FCD 2 wins, 2 draws (both 2-0-1 at home)
AT SEATTLE: Sounders FC undefeated in last 9 league meetings (8-0-1), and last 12 including playoffs
E#4 TORONTO FC vs. E#5 D.C. UNITED
FORM: Draws in four of the last five meetings overall
AT TORONTO: 2 consecutive draws at BMO Field; last 7 meetings: 2 wins each and 3 draws
W#3 REAL SALT LAKE vs. W#6 PORTLAND TIMBERS
FORM: Timbers won both meetings in 2019
AT SALT LAKE: Timbers are 5-1-1 in their last 7 league visits to Rio Tinto Stadium
E#3 PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. E#6 NEW YORK RED BULLS
FORM: Red Bulls have won 5 of the last 6 meetings, with 2 draws
AT UNION: Red Bulls are 4-2-2 in last 8 league visits to Talen Energy Stadium
W#4 MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. W#5 LA GALAXY
FORM: Galaxy undefeated in 6 meetings all-time (4-0-2)
AT MINNESOTA: Galaxy have 2 wins in 3 visits to Minnesota, with 1 draw

ARENA MOVES TO HEAD OF PLAYOFFS EXPERIENCE RANKING

Already the winningest coach in MLS Cup Playoffs history, Bruce Arena will also become the most experienced postseason coach when his New England Revolution take on Atlanta United in Round 1 of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The game will be the 50th in charge for Arena in the MLS Cup Playoffs, equaling Sigi Schmid for the most of any coach in league history. Arena has seen his teams win 32 of the first 49 games at the helm, already the most of any coach.
Of the top 10 winningest coaches in MLS Cup Playoffs history, four have led their teams to the postseason this year. Bob Bradley of Los Angeles Football Club has a chance to move into the top three in playoff wins all-time if he can lead his Supporters’ Shield-winning side to MLS Cup.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER POSTSEASON COACHING RECORDS

Italic: Coaching in Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs

MINNESOTA UNITED TAKE HISTORIC TURNAROUND TO FIRST PLAYOFF BERTH

In one of the most offensively charged seasons in league history, Minnesota United FC made their drive to the first postseason appearance in the club’s MLS tenure on the strength of an historic defensive turnaround.
MNUFC allowed just 43 goals in the 2019 season, the fifth-fewest in MLS this year, after conceding 71 over the 2018 campaign. The 28-goal turnaround in defensive performance ranks as the third-best all-time in MLS history, and the best defensive turnaround in more than a decade.
The 2019 MLS season saw an average of 3.04 goals scored per game, the seventh-highest average in a season in the league’s 24 years. It was the eighth time the league averaged better than 3 goals per game, the second-highest seasonal average since 2002.
FEWEST GOALS ALLOWED, ONE SEASON TO NEXT

Credit: Elias Sports Bureau

AUDI 2019 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS ROUND 1 – LOOK AHEAD

E#2 ATLANTA UNITED vs. E#7 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
1 p.m. ET (Univision / TUDN; TSN 4, TVA Sports)
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. AR1 (bench): Eric Weisbrod; AR2 (opposite): Philippe Briere; 4th: Fotis Bazakos; VAR: Geoff Gamble; AVAR: Robert Schaap
MLS Career: 351 games; FC/gm: 24.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 82; pens: 95
MLS Cup Playoffs: 36 games; FC/gm: 29.1; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 4; pens: 4
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: ATLUTD 4 wins, 15 goals … Revolution 0 wins, 3 goals … Ties 2
AT ATLANTA: ATLUTD 3 wins, 12 goals … Revolution 0 wins, 2 goals … Ties 0
2019 (MLS):
4/13: NE 0, ATL 2 (Barco 29, 49)
10/6: ATL 3, NE 1 (Nagbe 3; J. Martinez 49; Gressel 57 -- Penilla 8)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: First meeting.

• The teams met twice during the regular season, and Atlanta United won both. Ezequiel Barco scored goals on either side of halftime, leading Atlanta United to a 2-0 win on April 13 at Gillette Stadium. Then on MLS Decision Day presented by AT&T, Julian Gressel scored one goal and set up two – including the 27th goal of the season from Josef Martínez – as ATLUTD cruised to a 3-1 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
  
• Atlanta United have never lost to the Revolution in their history, with four victories and two draws all-time. ATLUTD has won all three previous meetings at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with a 2-1 win last Oct. 6, and a 7-0 victory on Sept. 13, 2017, in a match that equaled the all-time MLS margin of victory, the most goals ever scored in a single game by an expansion team.
  
• The teams have never before met outside of MLS regular season play.
  
• Atlanta United begin defense of their 2018 MLS Cup championship, won in the club’s second season of existence. ATLUTD won four of five games in the postseason last year, culminating with a 2-0 win vs. the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
  
• The Revolution have returned to the postseason for the first time since 2015, when they fell in the Knockout Round in a 2-1 loss at D.C. United. They are aiming to reach MLS Cup for a sixth time in the club’s history, the last coming in 2014.
  
• Atlanta United concluded the 2019 regular season with wins in their last two matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including the season-finale victory against the Revolution. The Revs are winless in their last six away matches, a four-game undefeated run overall put to an end in the Decision Day defeat in Atlanta.
  

ATLUTD:
Josef Martínez
recorded two assists on Decision Day – the second multiple-assist game of his MLS career (also: 2 assists 5/18/19 v TOR). It was the fourth time in his three MLS seasons he had a goal and an assist in the same game. … Martinez scored a goal in 17 of his last 19 league matches, with 23 goals in that span. …
Julian Gressel
scored a goal and added an assist in the same game for the fifth time in his MLS career. He equaled his career-high in being involved in three goals in the same game. …
Ezequiel Barco
contributed his third assist of the season; he has had 4 goals and 3 assists in both of his MLS campaigns.
REVOLUTION:
Cristian Penilla
scored the Revolution goal in the season finale; he ended the season with a goal or an assist in his final three games, with a goal and two assists in that span. …
Carles Gil
finished the season with 10 goals and 14 assists, one of four players in MLS this season with double figures in both goals and assists.
W#2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC vs. W#7 FC DALLAS
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
12:30 p.m. PT (FS1/2 / FOX Deportes; TSN.ca, TVA Sports)
REFEREE: Nima Saghafi. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Baldomero Toledo; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Cameron Blanchard
MLS Career: 61 games; FC/gm: 26.8; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 9; pens: 21
MLS Cup Playoffs: 1 game; FC/gm: 22.0; Y/gm: 2.0; R: 0; pens: 0
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sounders FC 12 wins, 42 goals … FC Dallas 7 wins, 28 goals … Ties 7
AT SEATTLE: Sounders FC 9 wins, 29 goals … FC Dallas 1 win, 8 goals … Ties 2
2019 (MLS):
6/1: DAL 2, SEA 1 (own goal 33, 38 -- Ruidiaz 65)
9/18: SEA 0, DAL 0
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: Sounders FC 2 wins, 8 goals … FC Dallas 2 wins, 6 goals … Ties 2

• The teams met twice during the regular season. FC Dallas benefited from a pair of own goals five minutes apart late in the first half, taking a 2-1 win on June 1 at Toyota Stadium; the teams then reached a goalless draw on Sept. 18 at CenturyLink Field.
  
• Sounders FC are undefeated in the last nine league meetings between the teams in Seattle, and have won nine of the 12 meetings there all-time. The only FCD win at CenturyLink Field came in 2011, a 1-0 victory on May 25.
  
• Sounders FC have reached the postseason in each year of the club’s MLS existence, now an MLS-record 11 consecutive seasons in the MLS Cup Playoffs. A year ago, they saw their run ended in the conference semifinals by the Portland Timbers, falling in a penalty shootout, after reaching MLS Cup in back-to-back seasons, winning in 2017.
  
• FC Dallas are in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year, falling in Knockout Round a year ago in a 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers at Toyota Stadium.
  
• This is the fourth time the clubs have met in the postseason, facing each other in three consecutive seasons from 2014-16. Sounders FC advanced on two of the three occasions, in 2014 and 2016, with FCD going through after penalty kicks in 2015. Sounders FC have won two of the three postseason meetings in Seattle, with one draw.
  
• Over the past five seasons, Sounders FC have outscored FC Dallas 14-1 in four regular season meetings at CenturyLink Field. The FCD goal there last year ended a 460-minute goalless string over all competitions in Seattle.
  
• Sounders FC come into the postseason after back-to-back wins in their final two regular season matches, both by 1-0 scorelines, including a win against Minnesota United FC at CenturyLink Field on Decision Day with a goal from Roman Torres. Sounders FC have a five-game undefeated streak alive at home.
  
• FC Dallas put an end to a four-game winless streak in impressive fashion on Decision Day, with a 6-0 win against Sporting Kansas City at Toyota Stadium, led by a pair of goals from Zdenek Ondrasek. FC Dallas last won on the road on July 20, six away games ago.
  

SOUNDERS FC:
Roman Torres
scored his first goal of the season in the Decision Day finale, the first of his MLS league career in his fifth season. …
Stefan Frei
was credited with one save in recording his 10th shutout of the season, the third time in his MLS career he’s reached double digits in shutouts, tied for his second-most in his 11 seasons (he had 13 in 2017).
FCD:
Michael Barrios
had a goal and two assists in the Decision Day finale, the third time in his MLS career he’s had at least a goal and an assist in the same game, the second time this season (also: Aug. 25 vs. HOU). … Barrios ended the season with 15 assists, tying the FCD single-season record, set in 1999 by Jason Kreis. …
Santiago Mosquera
scored a goal and added an assist, the first time in his MLS career he’s had a goal and an assist in the same game. …
Jesse González
was credited with two saves in recording his eighth shutout, his second-most in a season in his seven MLS seasons (he had 9 in 2017). …
Jesús Ferreira
scored a goal and added an assist, the second time in his MLS career he’s had a goal and an assist in the same game. …
Brandon Servania
recorded his third career MLS assist (he had 2 on June 26 vs VAN). …
Bryan Acosta
collected his first career MLS assist.
E#4 TORONTO FC vs. E#5 D.C. UNITED
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, BMO Field, Toronto, Ont.
6 p.m. ET (TUDN; TSN 4, TVA Sports 2)
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Brian Dunn; 4th: Tim Ford; VAR: Alan Kelly; AVAR: Peter Balciunas
MLS Career: 161 games; FC/gm: 22.0; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 41; pens: 71
MLS Cup Playoffs: 8 games; FC/gm: 22.9; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 0; pens: 1
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Toronto FC 10 wins, 43 goals … D.C. United 14 wins, 51 goals … Ties 8
AT BMO FIELD: Toronto FC 6 wins, 21 goals … D.C. United 8 wins, 20 goals … Ties 3
2019 (MLS):
5/15: TOR 0, DC 0
6/29: DC 1, TOR 1 (Rooney 92+ -- DeLeon 19)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: First meeting.

• The teams met twice during the regular season. TFC took 36 total attempts toward goal – tied for the second-most in a single game in MLS history, and the most ever from a team without scoring a goal – as the teams reached a goalless draw May 15 at BMO Field. Then on June 29 at Audi Field, Nick DeLeon gave TFC an early lead, but Wayne Rooney converted a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time, leaving the teams in a 1-1 draw.
  
• United have come away with points on five of their last seven trips to BMO Field, over the past five seasons, including two victories. The last two meetings in Toronto have both been draws.
  
• The teams have never before met outside of MLS regular season play.
  
• Toronto FC are back in the postseason after a one-year absence, their last match in the MLS Cup Playoffs a 2-0 win in 2017 MLS Cup at BMO Field. TFC have been in the postseason now four times in all, reaching three consecutive years from 2016-18.
  
• D.C. United have reached the playoffs for a second consecutive year, last year going out on penalty kicks to Columbus Crew SC after a goalless draw in a Knockout Round meeting at Audi Field.
  
• Toronto FC extended their undefeated streak to 10 games to close out the regular season, defeating Columbus Crew SC at BMO Field on Decision Day, Alejandro Pozuelo netted the game’s only goal directly from a free kick. The 10-game streak is one shy of the club record, set in 2017. TFC also has a five-game undefeated streak at home.
  
• D.C. United ran their season-ending undefeated streak to five games on Decision Day, reaching a goalless draw with FC Cincinnati at Audi Field. Bill Hamid recorded a shutout for a fifth consecutive game, the United shutout streak now at 504 minutes, the longest in the club’s 24-year history. United have two wins and a draw from their last three away matches.
  

TFC:
Quentin Westberg
was credited with two saves in recording his fourth shutout on the season on Decision Day. … The goal was the second of the season for
Alejandro Pozuelo
directly from a free kick (also: May 11 vs. PHI).
UNITED:
Bill Hamid
ended the season with 14 shutouts, tied for the MLS league lead (with Brad Guzan of ATL). The 14 shutouts are a single-season career-high in his 10 MLS seasons; the total is tied for the third-most in a single season in MLS history.
W#3 REAL SALT LAKE vs. W#6 PORTLAND TIMBERS
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah
8 p.m. MT (ESPNews / ESPN Deportes; TSN 4, TVA Sports)
REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Corey Parker; AR2 (opposite): Kyle Atkins; 4th: Ramy Touchan; VAR: David Gantar; AVAR: Jeff Muschik
MLS Career: 144 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 41; pens: 45
MLS Career: 8 games; FC/gm: 28.6; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 2; pens: 1
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Real 7 wins, 30 goals … Timbers 9 wins, 32 goals … Ties 7
AT SALT LAKE: Real 5 wins, 18 goals … Timbers 5 wins, 18 goals … Ties 2
2019 (MLS):
5/4: RSL 1, POR 2 (Johnson 62 -- Blanco 34; Valeri 68)
8/31: POR 1, RSL 0 (Valeri 16)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: Real 2 wins, 5 goals … Timbers 0 wins, 2 goals … Ties 0

• The teams met twice during the regular season, and the Timbers won both. Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri scored on either side of halftime to lead the Timbers to a 2-1 win on May 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium, then Valeri scored the game’s only goal as the Timbers came away with the win Aug. 31 at Providence Park.
  
• The Timbers have won each of the past four meetings between the clubs, over the last two seasons. The Timbers have come away with points on six of their last seven league visits to Rio Tinto Stadium, dating back to 2014, with five wins and a draw in that span.
  
• Real Salt Lake have advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year. A year ago, they defeated Los Angeles FC in the Knockout Round at Banc of California Stadium, before falling to Sporting Kansas City 5-3 on aggregate in the Western Conference Semifinals.
  
• The Timbers have reached the postseason for a third consecutive year, after reaching MLS Cup for a second time year, falling 2-0 to Atlanta United in the final. The Timbers won the club’s first MLS title in 2015, at Columbus Crew SC.
  
• The teams met once previously in the MLS Cup Playoffs, in the Western Conference Championship in 2013. RSL advanced 5-2 on aggregate, winning 4-2 in Sandy, then taking a 1-0 win in Portland. RSL has also won two meetings in the U.S. Open Cup, both at home.
  
• Real won a second consecutive match to conclude the regular season, Damir Kreilach netting the game’s only goal for the victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. RSL won their last home match, a 2-1 triumph vs. the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 29.
  
• The Timbers ran their undefeated streak to four games to close out the league season, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 at Providence Park on Decision Day, behind goals from Larrys Mabiala, Dairon Asprilla and Sebastian Blanco. The Timbers have not won in their last two away matches, since a 2-1 win at Seattle on July 21.
  

REAL:
Nick Rimando
was credited with five saves in recording his 10th shutout of the season – the fifth time in his 20 MLS campaigns he’s reached double figures in shutouts. He will end his career as the all-time leader shutouts (154), goalkeeper wins (223), saves (1701), games played (514), games started (514) and minutes played (46336). …
Corey Baird
recorded his fourth assist of the season; he ended the year with a goal and an assist in the final two games. …
Kyle Beckerman
collected his fifth assist of the season, his most in an MLS campaign since 2013.
TIMBERS:
Dairon Asprilla
netted his second goal of the season, a second consecutive game with a goal. Asprilla also collected his first assist of the season. …
Sebastian Blanco
scored a goal for a second consecutive game, ending the season with 6 goals for the year. It was his first goal scored directly from a free kick in his MLS career. …
Jorge Villafaña
collected his fifth assist of the season, his second in the last three games. The five assists equal his single-season career-high in his 11th MLS season, also set in 2015 with the Timbers.
E#3 PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. E#6 NEW YORK RED BULLS
Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, Pa.
3 p.m. ET (FS1 / FOX Deportes; TSN 4, TVA Sports 2)
REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Eric Boria; 4th: Joseph Dickerson; VAR: Robert Sibiga; AVAR: Craig Lowry
MLS Career: 168 games; FC/gm: 23.7; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 51; pens: 65
MLS Cup Playoffs: 5 games; FC/gm: 23.4; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 3; pens: 2
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: Union 7 wins, 30 goals … Red Bulls 14 wins, 40 goals … Ties 5
AT UNION: Union 6 wins, 22 goals … Red Bulls 6 wins, 22 goals … Ties 2
2019 (MLS):
6/8: PHI 3, NYR 2 (Monteiro 60; Ilsinho 61, 72 -- Kaku 29; White 42)
9/22: NYR 2, PHI 0 (Barlow 32; Royer 96+)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: First meeting.

• The teams met twice during the regular season, each winning at home. Ilsinho set up a goal from Jamiro Monteiro, then netted a brace himself, all three goals coming in a 12-minute blitz, as the Union claimed a 3-2 win on June 8 at Talen Energy Stadium. Then on Sept. 22 at Red Bull Arena, Tommy Barlow scored in the first half and Daniel Royer in the second, as the Red Bulls claimed the 2-0 win.
  
• The Union win in the first meeting ended a two-game Red Bulls winning streak at Talen Energy Stadium. It was the Union’s second win in the past eight meetings in Chester, dating back to 2014 (2-4-2 in that span).
  
• The Union are in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year, the third time in the last four seasons. They are still seeking a first win in the postseason, last year falling 3-1 to New York City FC in the Knockout Round at Yankee Stadium.
  
• The Red Bulls are playing in the MLS Cup Playoffs for a 10th consecutive year, now equaling the second-longest such streak in league history. A year ago, the Red Bulls advanced past Columbus Crew SC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, before falling to eventual champions Atlanta United in the conference championship.
  
• While the teams are meeting for the first time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, they have met five times in the U.S. Open Cup, including four consecutive years from 2015-18. The Union won both meetings in Chester, both 2-1 wins in the fifth round, in 2016 and 2018.
  
• The Union concluded the 2019 regular season with a loss, falling 2-1 to New York City FC at Talen Energy Stadium. Marco Fabian converted a late penalty kick for the lone Union goal. The loss put an end to an eight-game undefeated streak in Chester for the Union, which started on May 29.
  
• The Red Bulls saw a three-game undefeated run put to an end in the regular season finale, falling 3-0 to the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo. The game also ended a streak of three consecutive defensive shutouts.
  

UNION:
The Union’s eight-game home undefeated streak was the fourth-longest in the club’s history, the longest since the record-tying 10-game undefeated run over the end of the 2015 season and start of 2016.
RED BULLS:
The Red Bulls had their defensive shutout streak put to an end after 292 minutes in the Montréal match.
W#4 MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. W#5 LA GALAXY
Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, Allianz Field, St. Paul, Minn.
7:30 p.m. CT (ESPN / ESPN Deportes; TSN 4, TVA Sports)
REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Kieso; 4th: Rubiel Vazquez; VAR: Alex Chilowicz; AVAR: Jozef Batko
MLS Career: 96 games; FC/gm: 23.4; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 32; pens: 53
MLS Cup Playoffs: 3 games; FC/gm: 24.7; Y/gm: 2.3; R: 0; pens: 0
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: MNUFC 0 wins, 6 goals … Galaxy 4 wins, 13 goals … Ties 2
AT MINNESOTA: MNUFC 0 wins, 2 goals … Galaxy 2 wins, 5 goals … Ties 1
2019 (MLS):
3/16: LA 3, MIN 2 (dos Santos 36; Pontius 41; Lletget 81 -- Gregus 75; Rodriguez 87)
4/24: MIN 0, LA 0
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: First meeting.

• The teams met twice during the regular season. Jonathan dos Santos and Chris Pontius netted goals five minutes apart in the first half and Sebastian Lletget added a late one as the Galaxy held out for a 3-2 win on March 16 at Dignity Health Sports Park. The clubs then reached a goalless draw April 24 at Allianz Field.
  
• The Galaxy have never lost to Minnesota United FC, now in six meetings between the teams all-time. Last year, the teams reached a 2-2 draw on Aug. 11 in Carson, Calif. – the first point taken in the series by MNUFC. The Galaxy then claimed a 3-1 win on Oct. 21 in Minneapolis. The Galaxy won both meetings in Minnesota United’s inaugural season – a 2-1 win at TCF Bank Stadium, and a 3-0 win in southern California.
  
• The Galaxy have returned to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in three seasons, their last appearance coming in 2016, when they fell in a penalty-kick shootout to the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Galaxy won the last of their league-record five MLS Cup titles in 2014, having reached the championship match on nine occasions.
  
• The teams have never before met outside of MLS regular season play.
  
• MNUFC had a four-game undefeated streak put to an end in their Decision Day finale, falling by the game’s lone goal to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Minnesota United also play their first game in the MLS Cup Playoffs riding a 10-game home undefeated streak, which started on June 29 with a 7-1 win vs. FC Cincinnati.
  
• The Galaxy come into the postseason off consecutive defeats, last a 4-2 loss to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium on Decision Day. Zlatan Ibrahimović netted a goal in a fifth consecutive game, with seven goals in that span, ending the season with 30 goals, the third-most in a season in MLS history.
  

MNUFC:
Minnesota United’s 10-game home undefeated streak to end the regular season equaled the fifth-longest in MLS this season, the second-longest active streak (FC Dallas, 11 games undefeated at home).
GALAXY:
Cristian Pavón
scored his third goal of the season, his second in the last three games. He ended the season with a goal and/or an assist in eight consecutive games, equaling the 14th-longest such streak in MLS history. Pavón did see his streak of seven consecutive games with an assist come to an end, one shy of equaling the all-time league record. …
Uriel Antuna
collected his fifth assist of the season; he had a goal and an assist in the final two games of the year, and three goals and three assists over the final five.