Well, it took a little while to get going, but this turned out to be quite the eventful evening in Utah. Real Salt Lake were deserving winners, dominating the game overall and especially from about the hour-mark onwards. I remain of the opinion that they should have won this game much sooner, that Morales’s remarkable 40-yard free-kick towards the end of regulation should not have been disallowed. I’m still a little sad for him, to be honest – it was a moment that deserved to be remembered, rather than just becoming a footnote as it now surely will. But I’m sure he won’t mind too much as his team moves on to the Conference final.

Anyway, that’s it from me. Thanks for reading, and for all your emails and tweets. If you are feeling so inclined, you can follow tonight’s other conference semi-final, Portland against Seattle, with my colleague Graham Parker by following this link. Otherwise, good night!

Franklin, LA’s goalscorer from the first leg, has a golden chance to tie up the aggregate scores, diving to meet a header on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But his header goes wide of the far post!

Landon Donovan’s corner from the right is only half-cleared, falling to Zardes in the middle of the area. He strikes the bouncing ball and it goes … over the bar.

There will be two minutes of stoppage time.

Sixty seconds plus stoppage time left to play. Every Galaxy player except Penedo is now in the RSL half.

Nick Rimando saves with his face! Wow. Just wow. Another game-defining save from Rimando, and I have no idea how much he knew about it. Juninho let rip unexpectedly with a drive from 20 yards that swooped and swerved in the wind, bouncing in front of the goalkeeper and then rearing up into the keeper’s face. Was that a great piece of reaction from him to get whatever part of his body he could in front of the ball, or was it just sheer luck? Either way, the ball stays out, and RSL stay 2-0 up on the night.

Being reported that Saborio has a right hip flexor strain – an injury that he has been carrying for a little while, but presumably aggravated.

Saborio has had to leave the game injured, but RSL have no subs left to replace him with. The home side are going to have to play out these last few minutes on 10 men.

LA doing what they can, pushing men forwards now with abandon. Robbie Keane can’t quite get a clean connection on a cross at the back post.

Ooh, what a header that was from Donovan, diving down low to divert a chipped ball over the defence onto Rimando’s right-hand upright. But before anyone can go after the loose ball, Toledo’s whistle blows. I’m not sure what that call was about either, to be honest. Certainly no one was offside, so perhaps Donovan was being accused of pushing his marker – but it’s certainly not clear.

Apparently Bruce Arena went to have a word with the referee during the interval just now. Not sure what he would be unhappy about … from an officiating standpoint, at any rate.

Caution-to-the-wind time for LA, who use their second substitution to replace the centre-back Kofi Opare with the forward Jose Villarreal.

And now, having set up that goal, Morales leaves the game, walking off to an ovation from the fans at Rio Tinto Stadium after apparently picking up some kind of injury. Cole Grossman comes on to replace him.

Play finally resumes with Donovan twirling a fine free-kick out towards the far post, where Zardes is rushing in to meet it. But he cannot put his header on target, instead thudding it wide of the goal from close range.

Khari Stephenson, who came on to replace Velasquez just before the end of regulation, picks up a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Marcelo in the middle of the park.

A subdued start to extra-time, but RSL win a free-kick now in an almost identical spot to the one from which Morales scored his disallowed goal. This time he decides not to shoot but to float the ball in towards his team-mates, but none can win a clean header in the box.

More on that disallowed goal …

So, can RSL sustain that momentum they had at the end of regulation? Or will these extra 30 minutes give LA time to find a way back into this game?

Hmm, further evidence from ESPN now suggests that the linesman’s flag never went up. The decision was taken by the referee, Toledo. In which case, one has to assume it was for a foul in the box – and yet from the replays I have seen, there was none.

A goalmouth scramble for RSL, who have done all the running here over the last 25 mins, but nobody can quite force the ball in. Three minutes of stoppage time coming up.

Ugh. That is brutal, just brutal. That strike would have gone down in MLS playoff lore. It deserved to go down in MLS playoff lore. Instead, it will wind up as a lost footnote. What a shame for Morales. A once-in-a-career moment taken away.

Hmm, OK, so we’ve just seen a replay, which showed that the decision was not taken by the referee but the linesman, as one of RSL’s players was in an offside position at the time when the free-kick came in. But was he interfering with play? Certainly nobody touched the ball between it leaving Morales’s boot and finding the corner of the net.

No. No. You have to be joking. Absolutely scandalous stuff here, as Javier Morales scores what should be the game-winning goal with a sensational free-kick - struck from a good 40 yards out towards the far post and catching the wind at just the right moment to beat Penedo – only to have it disallowed for simply no reason. The referee has given LA a free-kick in their own penalty area, presumably for pushing or pulling of some kind, but none is obvious from the replay. Unbelievable. The fans at Rio Tinto Stadium are furious, and with good reason.

This is all one-way traffic at the moment. Now Beltran comes chuntering forward down the right for Real Salt Lake, picking out Velasquez in the middle with his cross. The latter controls the ball and turns sharply but can only push his shot wide of the left-hand upright.

And now Real Salt Lake hit the post! It’s Saborio once again, this time with a low strike across goal. And once again, Penedo was beaten.

First substitution of the game for each team. LA send on Rafael Garcia to replace Robbie Rogers; meanwhile, Olmes Garcia comes on for Robbie Findley.

RSL hit the crossbar! A corner on the left picks out Saborio, and he crashes a header right off the middle of the bar. Penedo had no chance.

Just can’t wait for Portland vs Seattle? The game doesn’t kick off for another 25 mins or so, but the live blog is up and running with Graham Parker right here.

Robbie Findley finds some space to work with on the left, cutting inside the full-back before driving a low shot in towards the near post. Penedo, though, is equal to his effort.

Rimando love arriving in my inbox. Here’s Daniel Strauss:

If Nick Rimando doesn't win goalkeeper of the year, there is no justice in the world. And I say that as a Seattle fan. The guy is simply unreal.

The first yellow card of the night goes to Saborio, for a clumsy challenge near midfield.

Hmm, still no replay. RSL launched straight into a (failed) counter after Rimando’s save, so I guess the TV producers never got a chance. Shame – one of the defining moments of this game so far.

Nick Rimando! In the space of one second, the RSL goalkeeper makes one of the biggest mistakes of this game, and then remedies it with the best save of this game. After needlessly spilling a tame shot straight to the feet of Landon Donovan on the cusp of his six-yard box, Rimando then showed absolutely phenomenal reactions to block the LA forward’s close-range attempt. I genuinely don’t know how he got up in time. Replay, please!

I take back what I said earlier about the two teams looking slicker in this half. Things have got real scrappy again in the last 10 minutes or so.

Wow. That was a terrible, and really quite bizarre, one-handed punch by Nick Rimando to clear an LA Galaxy corner. Eschewing the conventional two-handed mode, he instead came out with one fist like a drunkard windmilling at a rival in an alley. Nothing bad came of it, but that was more through luck than design.

Keane really has not been much of a factor in this game, and he’s catching some flak from our TV commentators here, but what do you do in Bruce Arena’s shoes? Keane might not have been very present in this game, but he has still probably set up both of his team’s two best chance – each of which fell to Robbie Rogers.

And speaking of Beckerman, what does it say about the state of these two teams’ grooming that his hair has barely even got a look in?

Kyle Beckerman is putting in a real shift for hosts out there tonight, snatching the ball away now from Keane, and then earning a free-kick when the latter comes back and fouls him.

And here's Graham again. As mentioned, he's live blogging Portland vs Seattle later tonight:

And speaking of those windy conditions … oh my! A free-kick 30 or more yards out on the left for RSL is swept in towards the middle of the area, but the wind carries it goalward and Penedo is obliged to scramble across his goal and throw himself down to push it around the post at full-stretch.

Not much incident of note so far in this half, but the passing and movement do look a fair bit sharper on both sides than they did at the start of the game. Which is understandable, really. It’s a blustery old night at Rio Tinto Stadium, so it makes sense that players might need some time to adjust to the conditions.

An email from my colleague Graham Parker:

Robbie didn't have the best game against RSL at the weekend, but he was quiet right up to half way through the first half of last year's second leg against San Jose, when he suddenly hit his stride with two goals to turn the tie around.

Graham did a cracking interview with Robbie recently, which I can highly recommend. You can find part one right here.

Bruce Arena was not happy about “anyone or anything” in that first-half, according to ESPN’s sideline reporter. Which is understandable, really, since his team managed to blow their advantage against a team who were supposed to never score in the postseason.

Hey, we’re off again!

I realised belatedly that I had misread Steve’s tweet about Zardes’s haircut just now, thinking he was referencing Velasquez. I’ve amended the previous entry so that it now makes sense.

I’m also receiving correspondence now about the moustache presently being sported by Alexi Lalas on ESPN. I assume that’s a Movember charity deal, no? Either way, I’m not knocking it. #HesRonBurgundy?

There are some solid theories out there right now about some of those haircuts. Here's one:

Meanwhile, I have seen a Velasquez theory floated on Twitter involving a character from the movie Hook...

We will have one additional minute of stoppage time.

A couple more corners for the Galaxy, who do seem to have woken up after that goal, but Donovan’s deliveries just aren’t quite right at the moment. Finally, after the last set-piece is half-cleared, the ball gets worked back to Gyasi Zardes on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, but he wallops his effort wide of the near post.

... which comes to nothing. And oh yes, the hair conversation has begun:

LA win a corner, but RSL knock it behind for another ...

Well, that really came out of nowhere. And on the subject of hairstyles, what is happening on Velasquez's head right now?

Rogers, who seems to be at the centre of everything right now for LA (even though technically he's stationed on the right), pings another effort over the crossbar from outside the box.

LA seem to have woken up, and another ball goes fizzing across the six-yard box without anyone being able to get a toe on it. And I have more correspondence on Twitter:

And now another chance for Rogers, and once again Keane is the man who teed it up. This one was nothing clever – just a long throw-in from the left which the Irishman flicked on with his head, and which fell to Rogers near the penalty area. With a defender in close attendance, Rogers screwed his shot wide.

Now that was a little better at the other end! Taking a pass with his back to goal, Robbie Keane sends a devilish little flick over the home defence, judging it perfectly to meet the run of Robbie Rogers, who was steaming down the right into the penalty area. He flashes a shot across the face of goal and just wide of the far post. It would have been a very nice goal had it gone in.

Sebastian Velasquez motors down the right for RSL - which he's done a few times today. But after driving into a useful position, he's's unable to make anything happen. Metaphor for the game so far, really.

Stat attack:

That about sums it up, really. RSL doing more, but both teams struggling to put passes together. A slightly frustrating game to watch as a consequence.

Another save for Penedo, falling to his left to keep out an effort from Nat Borchers. He's been called into action several times already, but I'm not sure you could say he's really been troubled at any point.

Bruce Arena suddenly forgets where he is, and reaches a foot out onto the pitch to control a ball that is coming down in his vicinity. Perhaps he thought the wind was going to take it out, but that was very strange. I'm honestly not sure I can remember the last time I saw a manager randomly intervene in play like that. We're going to have to have a drop ball now to sort this out.

Now Galaxy win a corner at the other end. Donovan sends a dangerous-looking cross over the area, but everyone forgets to do anything about it, and the ball runs away on the far side.

Saborio seeks to redeem himself with a spot of helpful cheating, completely failing to take his distance at a Galaxy free-kick and somehow getting away with it - blocking the set piece near half-way and launching an RSL counter that concludes with Kyle Beckerman thundering a shot towards goal from the edge of the box. Penedo is down well to save.

Galaxy wait, cat-like, for their moment to pounce. Meanwhile, Lars, watching in Europe writes:

First corner of the game goes to RSL, and the ball is whipped in venomously towards Alvaro Saborio in the middle of the penalty area. Omar Gonzalez beats him to the header, but Beckerman seizes the loose ball and clips it back in towards his team-mate. Saborio is unmarked this time, but directs his header wide of the near post from seven yards. He holds his head in his hands. From the look in Beckerman's eyes, I'd say he's about ready to lop that head off.

Juninho stands over a Galaxy free-kick for what feels like a lifetime just outside the D, before fizzing it a few inches over the bar.

Two or three times tonight already RSL have tried to play Robbie Findley in with a direct ball down the right channel, trying to slip him around the outside of Dunivant. So far it hasn't worked.

Not quite the tempo I was expecting from RSL so far. I think I had anticipated the sort of frenetic, head-long charge that we got from SKC last night,whereas this has been a little more measured. That might be in part because LA are doing a pretty good job of keeping the ball away from them.

Landon Donovan whisks a lazy effort some way over the bar for the Galaxy. Moments later, Beckerman pelts one on target from 20-odd yards, but it's an easy enough save for Penedo.

A scrappy first few minutes to the game, with neither team imposing themselves just yet. RSL stroke the ball around in their half for a few seconds trying to remember all those great plans that Kreis told them. Meanwhile, a tweet arrives ...

Agreed. They took their chances last time, and will need to do so even more this time out.

And we're off. There might still be a few empty seats, but someone at least thought to bring a massive yellow streamer and launch it out onto the field near the left sideline.

... confused by people's relaxed attitude to getting in before kickoff:

A little disappointing to see for such a big game, although I don't doubt it will fill up further in the next few minutes. Certainly sharp contrast with the Sporting Kansas City game last night, though, where the Members' Stand was packed long before kickoff and the pregame tifo prepared.

Well, a whole lot of recent history, for a start. Jason Kreis have failed to win all of their last five playoff games, and have only scored once across that time. They need at least one to get through tonight, and more than that if they intend on avoiding penalty kicks. Plus, do we really think this team can keep Keane, Donovan et al off the scoresheet? Personally, I'm not so sure.

Here you go:

After last night's Eastern Conference semi-finals, now we head out west to see what the rest can do. Frankly, the four teams in action this evening will have their work cut out living up to last night's shenanigans, when both games went to extra-time. Houston once again turned things up a notch in the postseason, eliminating the Supporters' Shield champs New York, while Sporting Kansas City eventually pummeled New England into submission - but only after nearly blowing it first.

Tonight's games might look a little different. Both Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy are capable of some finesse, and the visitors might be the most effective counter-attacking team in the league. With the hosts chasing an equaliser, I'm optimistic about our chances of an end-to-end encounter.

Then, later on, at 11pm ET (8pm PT) Seattle travel to Seattle needing to overturn a deficit on the road against their greatest rivals. Passionate, it certainly should be. We'll have a live blog of that game, too, manned by my colleague Graham Parker.

Until then, sit tight while I go to find you some time news. If you're feeling nervous, excited, depressed, curious or any other emotion about the upcoming match, why not drop me a line to tell me about it? I might even include your thoughts in the live blog. You can get me on Twitter @Paolo_Bandini or email at paolo.bandini.freelance@guardian.co.uk