A quartet of dramatic MLS conference semi-finals resulted in upsets, outstanding individual performances and possibly the end for some of footballs most iconic names.Colorado Rapids have reached their second ever MLS Conference final where they will face Seattle Sounders, who will make their third appearance at this stage. In the Eastern Conference, Canada rules as Toronto FC and Montreal Impact face off against each other for the first time ever in a post-season with neither side reaching this phase of the competition before.Ahead of the season-defining games, live on Sky Sports, we dissect some of the subplots to have come out of the play-off semi-finals, with a look ahead to what seems set to be one of the most exciting climaxes to an MLS campaign in its 20-year history. Highlights as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard suffer defeats in the MLS semi-finals with their contracts up at the end of the season Is Steven Gerrards playing career over?Gerrard has hinted that he might end his playing career at LA Galaxy, with his contract at the club expiring at the end of the season. Media reports have linked the 36-year-old with a return to Liverpool to take up a coaching role under Jurgen Klopp.Should Gerrard retire or opt to leave Galaxy, he will depart America without an MLS Cup to his name.Considering the Galaxy are the most decorated club in American soccer history, the 1-1 aggregate defeat on penalties at the conference semi-final stage was as a real upset. Ashley Cole was among the players to miss a penalty as LA Galaxy crashed out of the MLS playoffs against Tim Howards Colorado Rapids side Will Didier Drogba start in MLS again?Montreals 3-1 aggregate victory over New York Red Bulls would have been an important statement to Didier Drogba. The 38-year-old is no longer the clubs star, Ignacio Piatti is.The former Chelsea striker refused to feature for the Impact last month after learning he would not be starting. He has not played since with reports of an apparent back problem, missing Impacts final regular season game and then their first two play-off matches.Drogba came off the bench for the final ten minutes on Sunday with Montreal already 2-1 up on aggregate, playing a cameo role reminiscent of his second spell at Chelsea. Piattis double in the second leg against the Red Bulls means he has three goals and an assist in the play-offs after three matches, while Drogbas striker replacement Matteo Mancosu has also scored three.If a fully fit Drogba does not start against Toronto on November 27, the end of his MLS career may be in sight.Sebastian Giovinco shiningToronto will have thought they would be up against it when they were drawn to face a New York City team consisting of Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa, but Sebastian Giovinco had other plans. Sebastian Giovinco scored a hat-trick to help Toronto through Having already dispatched Philadelphia Union 3-1 in a one-game knockout round, the first leg of their Eastern Conference semi-final clash with NYC came just four days later. That did not faze coach Greg Vanneys side, though. Jozy Altidore and Tosaint Ricketts gave the Reds a two-goal cushion going into the away leg before Giovinco scored a hat-trick at Yankee Stadium in the 5-0 victory. The tie finished 7-0 to Toronto on aggregate, the largest play-off scoreline in league history.In their first MLS season, New York City were competing in their first ever play-off. An achievement in itself, but questions will now be raised over the longevity of Pirlo, 37, and Lampard, 38, in Major League Soccer. Resurgence in SeattleThe majority of Seattles season had been difficult, only winning six league matches in the first five months of the season. But the tough decision to replace long-standing coach Sigi Schmid for his assistant Brian Schmetzer looks to have paid off. How the MLS play-offs work Our guide to the MLS post-season Seattle have won their last ten home matches in a row and has been greatly spurred on by Osvaldo Alonso and forwards Jordan Morris and Nicolas Lodeiro.So despite Clint Dempsey being ruled out for the season in August with health issues relating to an irregular heartbeat, the Sounders have stayed strong.FC Dallas were on the hunt for the treble this season having already won the Supporters Shield and U.S Open Cup, but Seattle have ended any chance of further success earlier than expected with a 3-0 win in the first leg carrying them over the line in the end as they lost 2-1 in the return fixture.The Sounders have never gone past the conference championship final, but they have also never lost at home in the penultimate round before MLS Cup so plenty of reason to suggest theyre a significant threat. LA Galaxy were knocked out of the MLS Cup after a penalty shoot-out defeat to the Colorado Rapids on Sunday Underdogs Colorado out for second MLS CupThe only team out of the four to have lifted an MLS Cup, Colorado Rapids have been this seasons MLS surprise packages.Last year, the Rapids finished bottom of the West on 37 points and have now gone on to reach the Conference finals after seeing off a star-studded LA Galaxy team on penalties.A 40-yard strike from former Basel forward Shkelzen Gashi to send the tie to extra-time will go down as one of the great goals in MLS play-off history while Tim Howard pulled off the necessary heroics with two saves in the shoot-out.The resilience seen in the Rapids post-season campaign so far could see the Rapids lift their first MLS Cup since 2010. Colorado have not reached the same stage of the play-offs in the last six years, and would surely make for one of the leagues great success stories should they overcome an expensively assembled Seattle side.What are the dates and times? MLS play-offs schedule Date Knockout round Time October 27 Toronto 3-1 Philadelphia LA Galaxy 3-1 Real Salt Lake October 28 DC United 2-4 Montreal Seattle 1-0 Kansas Conference semi-finals First leg October 30 East: Toronto 2-0 NYC (2) West: LA Galaxy 1-0 Colorado (2) East: Montreal 1-0 NY Red Bulls October 31 West: Seattle 3-0 Dallas (1) Second leg November 6 East: NY Red Bulls (1) 1-2 Montreal West: Colorado (2) p1-0 LA Galaxy November 7 East: NYC (2) 0-5 Toronto West: Dallas (1) 2-1 Seattle Conference finals November 21 Seattle v Colorado Midnight November 23 Montreal v Toronto Midnight November 27 Colorado v Seattle 8pm November 30 Toronto v Montreal 11pm MLS Cup Final December 10 West winner v East winner Midnight Also See:Toronto and Impact advanceWATCH: Gerrards final kick?Vapormax Shoes Sale . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Nike Tns Wholesale Australia . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.vapormaxaustraliashoes.com/air-vapormax-plus-australia.html . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Nike Vapormax Wholesale China . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Nike Tn Mens Sale .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup.There are a handful of stadiums in Major League Baseballs modern era that were used for fewer seasons than Atlantas Turner Field, which has been home of the Braves since 1997.ONE SEASONSicks Stadium, Seattle (1969) -- A minor-league park that opened in 1938, it hosted the only season of the expansion Seattle Pilots, who moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and became the Brewers. Merely intended as a temporary home until a new domed stadium was built, Sicks Stadium was expanded to hold around 25,000 for the Pilots.Wrigley Field, Los Angeles (1961) -- Far less famous than its namesake stadium in Chicago, this was another minor-league park that was temporary home for the expansion Los Angeles Angels their first season. The Angels moved to Dodger Stadium the following year as tenants to the citys other major league team until Anaheim Stadium opened in 1966.TWO SEASONSMile High Stadium, Denver (1993-94) -- While this stadium became known mostly as home of the NFLs Denver Broncos, it did include a huge movable stand to accommodate baseball. It was used for the expansion Colorado Rockies first two seasons while Coors Field was under construction.Seals Stadium, San Francisco (1958-59) -- A longtime minor-league park that opened in 1931, it was pressed into service as stopgap home of the Giants after they moved from New York to the West Coast along with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was expanded to about 23,000 seats and used until Candlestick Park opened in 1960.THREE SEASONSColt Stadium, Houston (1962-64) -- A hastily constructed, temporary facility for Houstons expansion team, originally known as the Colt .45s, while the worlds first domed stadium was constructed nearby. Known for its blistering heat and swarms of mosquitoes, it was demolished after the renamed Astros moved to the Astrodome.FOUR SEASONSLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1958-61) -- A football and athletics stadium that is still in use today, it was the temporary home of the Dodgers after their move from Brooklyn. It featured a left-field screen that was only 251 feet from home plate and hosted record crowds of more than 92,000 during the 1959 World Series.EIGHT SEASONSJarry Park Stadium, Montreal (1969-76) -- Another temporary facility that served as the first home of the Montreal Expos, who moved to Olympic Stadium the season after thee 1976 Summer Games.dddddddddddd A tiny baseball field in a public park was expanded to seat 28,000 and most notably had a swimming pool beyond the right-field wall.12-PLUS SEASONSExhibition Stadium, Toronto (1977-89) -- Originally built for the Canadian National Exhibition in 1948, the stadium was home of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League from 1959-1988. An awkward expansion converted it to baseball when the Blue Jays arrived, but thousands of seats were far from home plate and faced away from the infield, and the weather could be downright brutal. The team moved to the nearby SkyDome during the 1989 season.13 SEASONSRFK Memorial Stadium, Washington (1962-71, 2005-07) -- The first of the circular, cookie-cutter stadiums designed as a multi-sport facility for both football and baseball. The second incarnation of the Washington Senators played there for 10 seasons before moving to Texas, and the Washington Nationals used it for three seasons after moving from Montreal until their new, baseball-only park was constructed. Best known as home of the NFLs Washington Redskins from 1961-96 and still host to an MLS soccer team, D.C. United.17 SEASONSMunicipal Stadium, Kansas City (1955-67, 1969-72) -- The only baseball-specific stadium to serve a shorter major league tenure than Turner Field, the Athletics played there from 1955-67 after leaving Philadelphia. When the As moved on to Oakland, the expansion Royals took their place after a one-year absence and stayed four seasons until Royals Stadium opened in 1973. A much longer baseball history overall than the Ted, it opened in 1923 as a minor-league park and also hosted a famed Negro League team, the Kansas City Monarchs. The AFL/NFLs Kansas City Chiefs called it home, as well, from 1963-71.19 SEASONSHard Rock Stadium, Miami (1993-2011) -- Known originally as Joe Robbie Stadium and built mainly for the NFLs Miami Dolphins, it was designed so minimal renovations would be needed for a conversion to baseball. The Marlins started in 1993, but the mammoth stadium proved to be a poor fit for baseball. The Marlins pressed for years to get a new park until a retractable-roof stadium opened in 2012. ' ' '