Will David Beckham and Landon Donovan be celebrating on Sunday? (Getty Images)

This is a game I’ve gone back and forth with all week. Two western conference squads meeting in the league final is going to be interesting. Not many had picked both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake to make it this far back at the start of the season. I know some had RSL going far in the playoffs but not the Galaxy. Then again I knew some who had an idea that LA could be good this year as well.

But a RSL-LA matchup was not expected yet I do think the league is welcoming it a bit. It’s not quite a David vs. Goliath type of match but its close to some degree. But these two squads weren’t separated by much in the points column this season. Just eight points was the difference between the top seed in the west from the bottom seed in the east (or eighth seed in this year’s case).

I do see this game going either way though here. In one regard LA looks like they should easily win it but you can’t count out Jason Kreis’ club right now with the way they’ve been playing lately. Both are hot going into this game which should yield a good match.

I have a few points in my preview to go over then I will give you all my score prediction for the final time this season. Hard to believe that this season has blown by so quickly here. Continue Reading…

Tonight starts the conference finals in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. We all know the pairings going into the conference finals and for the most part we know who the league and ESPN are hoping to see in the MLS Cup.

We have our favorites and we certainly have our underdog. These next two games will put either a really high profile match in MLS Cup 2009 or one that sees a couple of western conference clubs battling it out like last year’s two eastern conference teams did in LA.

I’ll start with tonight’s western conference showdown out in LA, followed by tomorrow’s clash at Toyota Park in the Windy City. As always feel free to pipe in your score predictions below. Continue Reading…

Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy against rivals Chivas. (Getty Images)

One more weekend of action and we will be in the conference finals here. One club is already in and three others will move on this weekend. After last weekend’s play the pressure is on a couple home teams to rebound while one just has to keep on doing what they do best in front of their fans.

The eastern conference will finish tomorrow night as Sunday sees the two western conference games. As always feel free to pipe in your score predictions below.

Saturday:

New England – at – Chicago Fire:

Going down 2-1 on the road is never a good way to start a series and against a tough defensive squad like New England it really puts the pressure on the Fire. Chicago hasn’t been the best squad at home this season which may worry home fans even more, now throw in the news that defender Gonzalo Segares is out for this game and you really need to worry. New England just has to keep the defense strong enough for one more game here and they are through to the conference finals. I think the Revs getting over the hump again against Chicago really speaks to how well coached they are by Steve Nicol. Not having a big time offense and getting two goals on the Fire is never easy.

But will it last? The amount of injuries are still a major concern for Nicol’s team but the strong play from Shalrie Joseph last week should carry over on the road. The Revs will also have to rely on two rookies in the back (Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes) and the sometimes suspect Emmanuel Osei. If Chicago can use their wing play and the toughness of Brian McBride to frustrate Osei early they could get back into this series.

I think Chicago will find a way to tie things up in the series and win on penalty kicks at the end. Its a close call but I just see this going to kicks.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 1, New England 0 (Fire advance after PKs)

———————————————————————

Sunday:

Seattle Sounders FC – at – Houston Dynamo:

I think had Seattle got a goal at home against Houston last week they’d win this series but now on the road and it is still a nil-nil draw I really don’t know if the expansion club can get it done in one of the hardest venues in all of Major League Soccer. There is no love between these two sides as well as the fans, expect a sea of Orange on Sunday at Robertson Stadium. Just too bad this one isn’t on ESPN2 again for the national spotlight.

This one comes down to tough defenses and offenses that need to find their way around the net again. Stuart Holden has to control things in the middle of the park and find a way to slow down the likes of Freddie Ljungberg and Fredy Montero. On the flip side a lot of pressure will be on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and James Riley to slow down the Dynamo attack from Brad Davis and Brian Ching.

No doubt this one will remain as physical as the first game was. Expect more cards and more fouls in this one. I think Houston will find a way to grab a goal early in this one and sit on it for the rest of the game. Pressure is mostly on Seattle to score in this one but I just think Houston will be the stronger team at home here.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, Seattle 0 (Houston advances)

———————————————————————-

Chivas USA – at – LA Galaxy:

So both scored two goals in the first game, just throw that out because it doesn’t mean a thing now since the series is still tied. Expect even more for this one as both know what is on the line here.

Chivas has to find a way to slow down Landon Donovan and the Galaxy attack. For once they were able to match the Galaxy goal for goal but you can’t count on that for two games in a row. I’d imagine Chivas will go a little more defensive in this game while the Galaxy offense will be in all out attack mode to get a goal, especially early on in this one.

If LA gets up early then look out, I’d imagine Bruce Arena will get his side to camp on any lead they get. Preki will do the same if the tables turn his way but they have their work cut out for them if they have to trail in this game. I like the Galaxy to advance mainly because of Donovan. I think when you have the best player on the field you are more likely to advance here.This one will remain close but the Galaxy will come out on top in the end.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, Chivas 1

Eric Brunner and Columbus try to slow down Yura Movsisyan and RSL tonight. (Getty Images)

Tonight the second leg of the first round playoff matches kickoff in Columbus as the Crew host Real Salt Lake. RSL holds a slight 1-0 lead in the goals department in this two-legged series thanks to the late goal from Robbie Findley last weekend.

Now is really where the fun begins for each side. Columbus went defensive in the first game by sitting Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno. Each should see plenty of time in this game as the Crew will be gunning for goals to take the advantage back. Most figure RSL will go defensive in this game and bunker down as much as possible.

To come away with a victory on the road won’t be easy as the Crew were one of the best home teams in the league this year while on the flip side RSL was one of the worst road teams. RSL’s lone game at Crew Stadium this year was a 3-1 loss back in July. Going defensive means they will have to rely more on the play of guys like Jamison Olave and Chris Wingert. I’d also imagine we’ll see a little more Clint Mathis in this game as well from Jason Kreis.

RSL has to continue to hope that the Crew stays cold. Its been a few games since the Crew have scored a goal and one has to figure that streak will end at home. The pressure is on the Crew to score but it is also on a very much on the RSL defense to do well in this one. During the regular season RSL gave up 24 goals on the road while the Crew scored a mean 25 goals at home.

I think having a rested Schelotto goes far for the Crew in this one. It was a big gamble sitting him in game one but he sees the field like no one else out there. RSL will rely a lot on the speed of Robbie Findley and Yura Movsisyan up top but with Chad Marshall a little more fit going into this game I just like the Crew at home. Its still very hard to pick RSL on the road anyways. Columbus escapes this series but only by a slim margin.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, RSL 0

Columbus needs a big game from Robbie Rogers at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Getty Images)

While last night’s game in Seattle got the playoffs started with a 0-0 bang, the rest of the playoff clubs get ready to join the Dynamo and Sounders in the fun. One series kicks off tomorrow night while the other two wait it out for Sunday.

For a brief thought about last night’s game here I thought it was one of the most entertaining nil-nil draws I’ve seen in a long time. I know some folks hate a scoreless draw in our sport but last night’s game showed a lot of excitement and I only hope the Dynamo’s fans return the favor to Seattle and cover Robertson Stadium orange in a big time sellout. Boy those two clubs are building one hell of a rivalry too, one that could definitely be good for years to come here.

But speaking of rivalries we have a couple good ones in the playoffs this year both on Sunday believe it or not but tomorrow night’s game will certainly be good too. Continue Reading…

Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

Seattle comes into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams and with the opening game at Qwest you have to believe Sigi Schmid and company will pull out all the stops to make sure the expected large crowd stays happy. Schmid will have to rely heavily on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Leo Gonzalez in the back to slow down the attack from Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

The Dynamo need to find a way to get a goal early and then rely on their strong defense to carry them in this game and in the series. Catching Seattle off guard on corner kicks or free kicks could go a long way for the Dynamo. However the most important thing for Dominic Kinnear’s bunch is staying out of card trouble. These last couple months have been nothing but yellow and red cards for Kinnear’s team. Make no mistake if they get into card trouble it will be another early exit for the Dynamo this year in the playoffs. You can’t beat a club like Seattle with ten men, you just can’t do it.

I think tonight’s game will be physical as Houston will want to use guys like Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell to keep Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg off the boards. Look for Seattle to play the wings a lot in this game and also look for Ljungberg to try to live up to his DP status with the Sounders.

I like the homeside by a slim margin in this one. These two played two exciting games in the regular season and I don’t see anything different here tonight. Goals by Ching for the Dynamo and goals by Montero and Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

Toronto FC needs another win to get into the playoffs for the first time. (Getty Images)

It all comes down to one final weekend in Major League Soccer. I don’t believe the league front office could have even dreamed up this kind of weekend that puts a lot of meaning on the regular season as a whole. Six clubs remain in contention for two playoff spots after Chicago clinched their birth (finally) into the playoffs last night with a win over Chivas. The win also gave the Columbus Crew their second straight Supporter’s Shield trophy.

Before we break down the games we need to break down some key playoff scenarios (below is from the league’s front office) that will come into effect after this weekend. I’ll go team-by-team here. Colorado is sitting the prettiest with 40 points right now while four others sit at 39 points and Real Salt Lake at 37 points.

Colorado Rapids will qualify IF:
Colorado defeats Real Salt Lake on Saturday OR
Colorado ties Real Salt Lake AND
The four teams with 39 points all lose or all tie OR IF
Only one of TFC, NE, DC and FCD win

Note: If Colorado loses to Real Salt Lake, it hopes to do so by less than a two-goal margin and it hopes that less than two teams with 39 points win this week.

Real Salt Lake will qualify IF:
Real Salt Lake need to defeat Colorado on Saturday and hope that no more than one of the teams on 39 points wins. Unless all four teams with 39 points lose, RSL need to defeat Colorado by more than a one-goal margin because a win leaves them tied on points and in head-to-head (1-1-1), so goal differential could decide their fate.

If two or more teams tied on 39 points win, or if two or more tie on 40 points along with RSL (in the case of an RSLwin), there are some concurrent results that will favor them based on tiebreakers. This is a brief overview of what will help each team:

DC United will qualify IF
If DC is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If DC wins and Colorado wins AND New England OR Toronto win, they cannot qualify (unless DAL, DC AND TOR win – decided by goal differential)
In the case of a tie on 40 points (RSL win, DC tie), DC will qualify ONLY if FC Dallas AND DC tie, or if DAL AND DC AND TOR tie

Note: Needless to say DC has a lot of things that need to happen.

FC Dallas will qualify IF:
If FC Dallas is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If FC Dallas wins and Colorado wins, FC Dallas must hope that DC or New England do not win, as this lessens their chances
In the case of a tie on 40 points (RSL win, DAL tie), FC Dallas must hope that DC does not also tie

Note: It’s simple for Dallas win and hope for the best. That’s all they’ve done recently and it’s worked for them.

New England Revolution qualify IF:
If New England is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If New England wins and Colorado wins, New England must hope that Toronto does not also win (unless ONLY DAL and NE win)
If New England wins and Colorado loses or ties, the ONLY way New England will NOT qualify is if DAL AND NE AND TOR (ONLY) WIN
In the case of a multiple tie on 40 points (RSL win, NE tie), New England must hope DC ALSO ties or TOR does not tie (unless all four on 39 tie)

Toronto FC will qualify IF:
If Toronto is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If Toronto wins and Colorado wins, TOR must hope FC Dallas does NOT win – unless ALL four teams on 39 points win (DAL AND DC AND NE AND TOR)
If Toronto wins and Colorado loses or ties, Toronto is all but assured of qualifying
In the case of a multiple tie on 40 points (RSL win, TOR tie), TOR is all but assured of qualifying UNLESS DAL, NE AND TOR all tie

Note: Toronto may have the best shot at things since they currently own tiebreakers with those surrounding them. Just win and they will be fine.

Get all that? Okay, time to get to the previews for the weekend. As always feel free to post your predictions below. Continue Reading…