NEW YORK (AP) - Sebastian Giovinco had the fourth hat trick in MLS playoff history and Toronto FC routed New York City FC 5-0 on Sunday night to reach the Eastern Conference finals.
With a 7-0 aggregate victory, Toronto set an MLS record for the largest margin of victory in a two-legged series since the league started using the playoff format in 2003.
Toronto will face the Montreal Impact in the two-game conference finals, with Game 1 set for Montreal on Tuesday, Nov. 22. They are the first Canadian teams in league history to reach the conference finals.
Giovinco scored twice in the first 20 minutes, and Jozy Altidore added another first-half goal. In the sixth minute, Giovinco settled Altidore’s pass, spun his defender and sent it past a late diving Eirik Johansen. Giovinco had a penalty-kick goal 14 minutes later.
In the 30th, Altidore was the first to Eriq Zavaleta’s chipped pass over the defense and he blasted it past Johansen. Jonathan Osor scored in the 50th, and Giovinco capped the scoring in the 91st with his seventh goal in his last six games.
IMPACT 2, RED BULLS 1
(IMPACT ADVANCES ON 3-1 AGGREGATE)
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) - Ignacio Piatti scored his second goal of the game in the 85th minute and Montreal beat New York to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time.
Montreal won the two-game, total-goals series 3-1 after taking the opener 1-0 at home last week.
Piatti opened the scoring in the 51st minute, powering a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Luis Robles.
Eight minutes after New York tied it, Piatti iced it with his right foot. Dominic Oduro raced down the left sideline on a breakaway and waited for help. Didier Drogba trailed up the middle, drew two defenders and found an open Piatti for a close-range shot.
Bradley Wright-Phillips, who won his second MLS Golden Boot in the last three seasons with 24 regular-season goals, scored on a deflected shot in the 78th minute.
RAPIDS 1, GALAXY 0 (1-1 AGGREGATE, RAPIDS WIN 3-1 ON PENALTY KICKS)
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) - Tim Howard made two saves in the penalty shootout and Colorado beat Los Angeles 3-1 on penalties to advance to the Western Conference finals.
Colorado won the regulation game 1-0, tying the two-game, total-goals series 1-1 and forcing the tiebreaker. Los Angeles won 1-0 at home last Sunday.
Colorado will face the Seattle Sounders in the Rapids’ first conference finals appearance since winning the MLS Cup in 2010. The two-game series will open in Seattle on Sunday, Nov. 20.
Shkelzen Gashi scored in the 36th minute.
In the shootout, Steven Gerrard put Los Angeles in front, but the Galaxy missed their next three attempts. Dos Santos sent it over the crossbar, Howard denied Ashley Cole after a slow approach and Howard sealed it by diving to his right to block Jeff Larentowicz’s roller. Kevin Doyle, Sebastien Le Toux and Marco Pappa converted PKs for Colorado.
FC DALLAS 2, SOUNDERS 1 (SOUNDERS ADVANCE ON 4-2 AGGREGATE)
FRISCO, Texas (AP) - Seattle advanced to the Western Conference finals, winning the two-leg series 4-2 after falling 2-1 in the second game.
Dallas, the Supporters Shield winner, was just the third team in MLS history to face a three-goal deficit after the first game in a two-leg series - and no team has come back.
Seattle sat back in the defensive end for much of the first half but gave up a goal in the 25th minute. Dallas defender Atiba Harris hooked a cross into the area and Tesho Akindele headed it off the crossbar for his third career playoff goal.
Seattle got a much needed away goal in the 54th minute from midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro to tie it a 1. Tyrone Mears stole it from Walker Zimmerman deep in Dallas territory and played it across goal for a sliding Lodeiro.
Two minutes later, Maximiliano Urruti gave Dallas a 2-1 lead but it still needed three more goals to move on.
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