Recap: Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake

By Sports Network

Carson, CA (Sports Network) - Real Salt Lake advanced to Major League Soccer's Western Conference final with a 3-2 victory over Chivas USA in the home-and- home, total goals semifinal series. A 2-2 draw at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night was enough after earning a 1-0 victory at Rio Tino Stadium in the first leg last weekend.

Javier Morales scored a goal and an assist on Saturday to lead his side to the next round in its first ever appearance in the MLS Cup playoffs.

The Goats (0-1-1) fail to advance past the Western Conference semifinals for the third straight season, the past two as favorites.

Chivas USA got the game's first goal at the half-hour mark when Sacha Kljestan converted a penalty kick drawn by Ante Razov. The goal tied the series at one, but the deadlock was short-lived.

RSL tied the game and went back up in the series less than 10 minutes later when Dema Kovalenko scored his first goal of the playoffs. RSL defender Robbie Russell played a ball to Morales in the right corner of the Chivas USA side of the field before the Argentinean took a touch and fired a cross into the penalty area. Kovalenko got his head on the ball and nodded it into the far post side-netting.

That was how the score stayed until Morales put RSL up 2-1 in the game, giving it a two-goal aggregate advantage in the series, in the 77th minute.

Second-half substitute Robbie Findley collected the ball in the Chivas USA penalty area and cut to the left before playing a pass back to Morales on the left side. Morales then cut around Goats' midfielder Sacha Kljestan before firing a shot through the legs of a defender and into the net, past goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

Chivas USA's Justin Braun pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute, but that was as close as the home side could get as RSL withstood a furious rally to hang on.

RSL (1-0-1) will play the winner of the New York/Houston series - to be decided on Sunday - in the Western final next weekend. If New York wins, RSL will host the game at Rio Tino Stadium. If top-seeded Houston wins, RSL will travel to Robertson Stadium for the match.