MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced today the dates, times and partial television schedule for the 1999 MLS Conference Semifinals. The MLS Conference Semifinals consist of a best-of-three series,
with the top-seeded team owning home-field advantage and hosting games one and three (if necessary). With seven-points separating the West's first-place Los Angeles Galaxy (19-11, 51 points) and
fourth-place defending MLS Cup Champion Chicago Fire (16-14, 44 points), the race for home-field advantage could go down to the wire with Los Angeles (2), the Colorado Rapids (3), the Dallas Burn (2)
and Chicago (2) averaging slightly more than two games each in their remaining regular-season schedule. The battle for the fourth and final Eastern Conference Playoff berth between the Miami
Fusion (11-19, 23 points) and the New England Revolution (10-20, 22 points) could be decided this weekend. Should Miami defeat the second-place Columbus Crew in regulation on Sunday, October 3 at
Lockhart Stadium (1:00 p.m. ET, Univision), and the Revs fall to the MetroStars on Saturday, October 2, the second-year Fusion will earn its second appearance in the MLS postseason. D.C. United (23-7,
57 points) clinched its third consecutive Eastern Conference season title while the Columbus Crew (19-11, 45 points) has sewn up second place and the Tampa Bay Mutiny (13-17, 29 points) has locked up
the third position. The team seeded first in each conference will play the fourth-place team in the semifinal round and the second-seeded team will play the third-place club. The 1999 MLS
Conference Semifinals schedule, as it currently stands:
Eastern Conference Semifinals
| Date | Matchup
| Kickoff (ET) | Television |
| GAME 1 |
| October 16 | Miami/New England at D.C. United
| 7:30 p.m. | TBD |
| October 17 | Tampa Bay at Columbus | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| GAME
2 |
| October 22 | Columbus at Tampa Bay | 7:00 p.m. | TBD |
| *October 23 | D.C. United at New
England | 4:00 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| **October 24 | D.C. United at Miami | 1:00 p.m. | Univision
|
| GAME 3 (if necessary) |
| October 27 | Miami/New England at D.C. United | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
|
| | ***Tampa Bay at Columbus | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
*If NE qualifies as the East #4 seed. **If MIA
qualifies as the East #4 seed. ***If D.C. sweeps.
Western Conference Semifinals
| Date | Matchup
| Kickoff (ET) | Television |
| GAME 1* |
| October 14 | Los Angeles/Chicago/Dallas at
Colorado | 9:00 p.m. | TBD |
| October 15 | Los Angeles/Colorado/Dallas at Chicago | 8:30 p.m. | TBD
|
| October 16 | Los Angeles/Colorado/Chicago at Dallas | 5:00 p.m. | TBD |
| October 17
| Chicago/Colorado/Dallas at Los Angeles | 7:30 p.m. | TBD |
| GAME 2** |
| October 22 | Los
Angeles/Chicago/Dallas at Colorado | 9:00 p.m. | TBD |
| October 23 | Los Angeles/Colorado/Dallas at Chicago
| 4:00 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| October 24 | Los Angeles/Colorado/Chicago at Dallas | 1:00 p.m. | Univision
|
| | Chicago/Colorado/Dallas at Los Angeles | 7:30 p.m. | TBD |
| GAME 3 -(if necessary)
|
| October 27 | Chicago/Colorado/Dallas at Los Angeles | 10:30 p.m. | TBD |
| | Los
Angeles/Colorado/Dallas at Chicago | 8:00 p.m. | TBD (ESPN)*** |
| | Los Angeles/Chicago/Dallas at Colorado
| 9:00 p.m. | TBD (ESPN)*** |
| | Los Angeles/Colorado/Chicago at Dallas | 8:30 p.m. | TBD (ESPN)***
|
*For Teams that capture #1 and #2 seeds. **For teams that capture #3 and #4 seeds. *** 9:00 p.m. ET broadcast on ESPN only if Eastern Conference teams sweep.
