Naturally, the top two defensive teams in the MLS fought to a scoreless tie for 90 minutes with their seasons on the line.

Brian Ching broke the deadlock with what he called one of the greatest shots of his career.

Ching scored six minutes into overtime and the Houston Dynamo advanced to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

The Dynamo advances to the single-game West final to face Los Angeles. Houston improved to 5-1 at home in the playoffs and 9-1-6 at home this season.

Houston won the MLS championships in 2006 and '07, and Ching said the team drew on that experience as Sunday's game wore on.

"We've put expectations on ourselves," said Ching, the franchise's all-time leader in playoff goals (6). "Every year, we're one of those teams that realistically feels like we're one of those teams that can win the MLS Cup. The proof is in our results."

Galaxy 1, Chivas USA 0 » Landon Donovan sent the Los Angeles Galaxy to the Western Conference finals by burying a 73rd-minute penalty. Donovan tied an MLS record with his 16th postseason goal and put the Galaxy through 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 tie last week.