MLS / Liga MX Report: Landon Donovan & LA Galaxy Take Lead in Western Conference Finals

By Edwin Molina Nov 24 2014, 21:18 PM EST

MAJOR LEAGUR SOCCER (MLS)

The LA Galaxy have drawn first blood in the Western Conference Finals, beating the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday in the first leg of their series, as Landon Donovan looks to win his sixth MLS Cup, fourth in Los Angeles.

Galaxy keeper Jaime Penedo notched his third straight shutout while A.J. DeLaGarza found Marcelo Sarvas open, who blasted a shot past Seattle keeper Stefan Frei for the only goal of the game. Los Angeles heads to Seattle next Sunday with a goal advantage going into the second leg of the playoff series against the Sounders.

"It puts us in a good position," said Galaxy forward Robbie Keane about their first-leg result victory. "I think the most important thing today was not to concede a goal, and we did that. And we managed to get one. So overall, not a bad day."

The New England Revolution have put the New York Red Bulls in a bind after beating them 2-1 on the road at Red Bull Arena. Jermaine Jones and Teal Bunbury had a huge game for the Revolution in the first-leg match. Jones notched the assist after feeding the ball to Bunbury who rocketed a shot from outside the box in the 17th minute to put the team up 1-0.

New York Redbulls vs New England Revolution

Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, the league's leading scorer with 27 goals, nailed a header to tie the game in the 27th minute to tie the game 1-1, but Bunbury returned the favor to Jones in the 85th minute to break the tie, giving Jones the assist, Jones finishing a fast- break with a goal to bury the Red Bulls 2-1 going into the next Saturday's second leg game.

"This ain't over. No chance. Not with the style we play, the belief we have in the team,'' said Red Bulls forward Tim Cahill. "It's weird. The game was like robbery, because I truly believe we had the majority of the game, more chances. You've got to give them credit.''

LIGA MX

The 2014 Liga MX Liguilla is set after a weekend of action that saw eight teams -- Chiapas, Monterrey, León, Pachuca, Santos Laguna, Queretaro, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Cruz Azul -- scrambling for four spots.

The Tigres of UNAM beat Monterrey 4-2 on Sunday to punch their ticket into the playoffs with Eduardo Herrera Aguirre leading the way with two goals in the match. Aguirre, David Cabrera and Dante López scored goals in a nine-minute stretch to give UNAM the lead and take the eighth seed in the Liguilla. UNAM will face top-seeded Club America on Wednesday.

Monterrey still qualifies into the postseason, having gone 11 weeks with only two losses but also having lost four of their last six games, including the match against UNAM. Monterrey will play third-seeded Atlas on Thursday.

Pachuca defeated fourth-seed Toluca 1-0 on Friday to take the seventh seed thanks to Aviles Hurtado's late-game heroics, heading Abraham Carreño corner kick three minutes into the second half stoppage time to get "Los Tuzos" into the postseason. Pachuca will play second-seeded Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) on Wednesday.

Chiapas defeated Queretaro to hold on to the fourth Liguilla playoff spot. Queretaro signed former Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho to help push them into the playoffs, but scored only three goals since signing in September. Horacio Cervantes and Emiliano Armenteros scored goals in the first half for "Los Jaguares" to give them the 2-0 lead. Queretaro's Camilo Sanvezzo tied León's Mauro Boselli for the Liga MX scorers title with 12 goals, getting the assist from Ronaldinho. Sanvezzo broke down the defense after the Brazilian found him open on a long lob pass, getting the shot past Queretaro Victor Hugo Hernandez in the 89th minute.

After earning the fifth-seed for the 2014 Liguilla on Saturday, Chiapas will play Toluca on Thursday, while Queretaro faces the possibility of losing Ronaldinho to MLS club LA Galaxy, who will be looking to replace the retiring Landon Donovan.