MLS Capsules

SEATTLE (AP) — Nicolas Lodeiro scored on a penalty kick in the 61st minute and the Seattle Sounders beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 on Tuesday night in the first-leg of the MLS Western Conference finals.

Seattle will take an important one-goal advantage into the second match of the two-game series on Sunday in Colorado. But the Rapids picked up an important road goal which could serve as the tiebreaker if the aggregate-goal series finishes tied. A win or a tie by Seattle on Sunday would put the Sounders in the MLS Cup final for the first time.

Lodeiro caused issues all over the field for Colorado before drawing the penalty 15 minutes into the second half. A deflected ball rolled to Lodeiro in the penalty area and he was taken down by Marc Burch. Lodeiro sent goalkeeper Zac MacMuth the wrong direction and scored his fourth goal of the playoffs.

IMPACT 3, TORONTO FC 2

MONTREAL (AP) — Dominic Oduro scored the first of three straight Montreal goals and the Impact held on for a 3-2 victory over Toronto FC in a wild opening game to their Eastern Conference final.

The match was delayed 30 minutes by a groundskeeping error, but then Oduro, Matteo Mancosu and Ambroise Oyongo put Montreal in front in the opening 53 minutes. Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley answered back before a roaring sellout crowd of 61,004 at Olympic Stadium.

While Montreal will take a lead into the second leg of the two-game, total goals series, Toronto picked up two all-important away goals that can serve as the tiebreaker. A 1-0 or 2-1 TFC win in the second leg at home would win Toronto the series.

Montreal looked well on its way to crushing TFC in a playoff match for a second year in a row, having beaten their closest rival 3-0 in the single-game knockout round in October 2015 — a result Toronto players vowed to avenge.