In the Western Conference Final, the Houston Dynamo hosted the Colorado Rapids, who had defeated conference-leading Dallas as the fourth seed and were appearing in their second consecutive conference final. Colorado took an early lead on a fourth-minute penalty kick scored by Jovan Kirovski that was awarded after a handball by defender Adrian Serioux in the box. The Dynamo responded with two goals in quick succession by Paul Dalglish: a shot in the 10th minute and a 21st-minute header on a cross by Brian Mullan. Mullan added a third goal for Houston in the 71st minute to clinch a 3–1 victory and an MLS Cup appearance for the team in their inaugural season.