A pair of highly-entertaining Conference Finals matches set the stage for MLS Cup 2011, with a plucky underdog side looking to add the biggest names in the league to their growing list of recently-claimed scalps.
In the East final, Houston travelled to Kansas and blanked one of the best attacking teams in the league en route to booking their trip to the championship match.
On the West Coast, Salt Lake and Los Angeles fought an epic battle that saw the cream rise to the top as the Galaxy's highest paid stars earned their paycheques in lifting LA to the season finale.
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Sporting Kansas City 0-2 Houston Dynamo
(Houston advance to the MLS Cup final)
Despite losing talismanic midfielder (and MLS MVP candidate) Brad Davis early into the match, Houston found enough in the tank to put two goals past Kansas City on the road in one of the most imhospitable buildings in the league.
An over-sold Livestrong Sporting Park watched a game played at a frenetic pace as Sporting looked to rely on their athleticism and the three-headed attack that had carried them to rarified heights during the regular season and opening stages of the playoffs.
Instead, it was Houston grinding out a victory after seeing their best offensive weapon felled by a quad injury just over a half hour into the contest. With Davis out, the Dynamo needed to find other ways to get on to the scoreboard, and they did just that through Canadian defender André Hainault, who tapped in a loose ball from inside the six yard box following a set piece in the 53rd minute.
The scoreline forced Kansas to open up, and they threw every attacking option forward in search of the tying goal. The available space allowed Honduran forward Carlo Costly to run on to a through ball late in the game and seal the Houston victory with a well-placed shot past KC 'keeper Jimmy Nielsen.
Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 Real Salt Lake
(Los Angeles advance to the MLS Cup final)
The Western Conference Final featured two of MLS' heavyweights in recent years, and they didn't disappoint as the sides traded blows in an instant classic.
A rematch of the 2009 MLS Cup Final (won by a then-unfancied RSL side), Sunday's tilt wasted no time in kicking into high gear, with both teams going for the throat early and piling up several near-misses in the opening moments.
It would be LA who drew first blood, with Landon Donovan converting a 23rd-minute penalty kick following a rather soft foul called in the Salt Lake area against Andy Williams.
RSL responded to the controversial opening marker in the best way possible -- with a nearly immediate goal of their own. In the 25th minute, the Utah side earned a corner kick, and -- through a combination of a beautifully-executed set play and some remarkably lax Los Angeles defending -- Alvaro Saborio nodded home the equalizer.
It was "game on" in Carson as both teams looked to take control of the match, but neither side could break through for the rest of the half.
After the halftime break, it became apparent that the toll of three playoff games in a week was weighing heavily on both teams, although LA seemed to be coping better with the fatigue. Nearly 15 minutes into the second half, a quick breakout orchestrated by Galaxy striker Robbie Keane -- who was lively all game long -- led to a vintage David Beckham cross that met the head of a diving Mike Magee, who made no mistake from five yards in putting LA up 2-1.
For Magee, it was his third goal in three playoff matches so far in 2011 -- all three of them coming from Beckham's service.
The match was put out of reach ten minutes later when a long pass from Donovan found an onrushing Keane, who brought the ball into the RSL area and smartly cut around defender Jamison Olave before blasting a low shot past Nick Rimando and inside the far post.
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MLS Playoff Wrap appears after each playoff round is completed.
Rudi Schuller contributes Toronto FC, MLS, and Canadian national team content to the 24th Minute. He is MLSsoccer.com's beat writer for all things concerning Canada's men's national teams, and has contributed to Goal.com and other soccer media. Follow Rudi on Twitter, @RudiSchuller.