two saves from Presthus to allow Agoos to score the winning penalty in the fifth round. The Eastern Conference Final paired D.C. United against the Columbus Crew, who had defeated the MetroStars to set up a rematch of the previous year's conference final. United hosted the Crew in the first leg and won 2–0 with a pair of second-half goals from Sanneh and Etcheverry to complement a strong defensive performance that shut out league scoring leaders Stern John and Brian McBride. The second leg marked the end of D.C.'s 13-match playoff winning streak after the team lost 4–2 to the home side on the narrow pitch at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The result was blamed on a poor defending that allowed the Crew to build a 3–0 lead in under 50 minutes that was later cut to one goal by Sanneh and Lassiter before a final goal for Columbus in the 81st minute. United clinched its third consecutive MLS Cup appearance through a 3–0 in the third leg, played again at home in Washington, D.C. The home team dominated possession and struck first with an Agoos goal in the 11th minute and followed up with a brace by Lassiter that culminated in converting an intercepted backpass in the 79th minute. Summary of results Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). Playoffs were in best-of-three format with penalty shootout if scores were tied. Broadcasting The MLS Cup final was broadcast in the United States on ABC with English commentary and Spanish via secondary audio programming. For the third consecutive year, the ABC broadcast was led by play-by-play announcer Phil Schoen and color commentator Ty Keough, who were joined by field reporters Seamus Malin and Bill McDermott. The quartet had worked together on the network's World Cup broadcasts. The television broadcast drew a 1.2 national rating and reached an estimated 1 million households, a 33 percent decrease from previous finals. The match was also broadcast by local radio affiliates in multiple languages. In Chicago, WZCH carried the English broadcast, WRZA carried Spanish commentary, and WKTA had the match in Polish. The Spanish broadcast was aired on WACA in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area. Match Summary The MLS Cup final was played on a warm and sunny afternoon at the Rose Bowl, unlike the rainy weather in the first two cups, in