I’ve been over this a thousand times really this past week or so. Columbus and New York together in the MLS Cup for the first time for each club. Amazing that this will be the first time since the first MLS Cup back in 1996 that both clubs never won a MLS Cup will have the chance to.

Both clubs know one another very well as rivals in the Eastern conference. It is also a weird #1 v. #8, top seed versus the lowest seed in the bracket. Can the Crew continue their run or will the slipper fit the Red Bulls for another day?

We have plenty of good matchups to look forward to in this one as well. Continue Reading…

Can New York shut down Javier Morales and RSL? (Getty Images)

So it comes down to this, the two most unlikely candidates to play for a chance at a MLS Cup birth tomorrow night. If you had pegged New York against Real Salt Lake a conference semifinal this year then you obviously knew something more than anyone else in the MLS world.

Seriously though, at the start of the year no one would have had this matchup as a conference final one. Hell, not too many people even had it going into last weekend. But nevertheless these two clubs defied the odds and made it here with a chance to move on to face Columbus in the 2008 MLS Cup in LA.

This is an interesting matchup though. These two clubs always play a very interesting and entertaining contest when they face one another. I think the new stadium effect will be a good one for RSL too. New York has been typically inconsistent on the road this year but no one can over-look what they did in Houston a week ago.

You have two defenses that I find a tad bit overrated and two midfields that need more credit than what they are getting around the league. In goal I would put RSL over New York based on experience, while Danny Cepero has been great thus far I have to think Nick Rimando has a slight edge over him. Offensively speaking I think New York has the edge over RSL. Juan Pablo Angel along with Dane Richards have been extremely hot over the past month or two. RSL has been here and there as far as the offense goes. They can give thanks to plenty of late goals that have got them to where they are right now.

At the end of the night I think this one will be just as good as far as an entertainment value as the game last night. It should be fairly wild as both teams will be going after one another and will not be holding anything back. I think the offensive edge to New York makes me want to pick them in the slight upset. I do like RSL at home but I think a hot Angel and Richards are too much for RSL to contend with right now.

RSL will get on the board but I like Angel to put it home for the Red Bulls and set up the first ever all Eastern Conference MLS Cup.

WVH Prediction: New York 3, RSL 2

Crew Stadium will be rocking tonight. (Getty Image)

With the game a mere two hours or so away, I put this preview/prediction off long enough. I must admit, I have no idea who I think will win or even who I’d want to win this game between Chicago and Columbus. Part of me thinks Chicago and the other part of me kind of wants Columbus.

That’s what makes this game have some solid hype to it. Its really what should be this year’s MLS Cup. Not to be rude to Salt Lake or New York fans but really this is a better MLS Cup type matchup than anything that is potentially out there for the actual game.

What makes this matchup great is you have so many good storylines and matchups to follow.

• You have Brian McBride returning to his old grounds. Columbus fans must love that.
• The Blanco-Schelotto matchup in the middle seems more than great. Two MVP candidates in one game is what the playoffs should be about.
• Two really good defenses going head to head.
• Crew Stadium and its rowdy fans in the corner near the stage.
• The few hundred Chicago fans that will be at this game.
• Two of the best midfield units in MLS going at it.
• One of the best home side going up against one of the best road sides.

Yeah it truly should be a great game.

I think Chicago has the MLS Cup-type of club right now with the way they are playing but then again Columbus has shown a lot of hear this year. Both games between the clubs this year left us little to go with as they were both 2-2 draws.

In the end it will be close. I think McBride gets the Fire up early but the Crew come back and win it late. But really this game could go either way.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, Chicago 1

You’ve got to love the return leg in a home-and-away series. The home leg is for the higher seed and as we saw last night the higher seed made the most of it as the Chicago Fire dominated the New England Revolution in a 3-0 thrashing. I sort of see the three home seeds doing the same this weekend after each got put into a good position to do so last week in the road leg.

I still don’t like the playoff format with the opening round like this but at least this year I think we will see that it won’t matter that the higher seeds are put on the road first in stead of at home to start the playoffs. There is a reason why the Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo won their conferences, because of the way they play at home.

So three more games will produce our conference finals next week. I believe the Eastern conference final will be on Thursday and the Western conference final on either Saturday or Sunday (depending on TV I assume). But this weekend we get two tomorrow evening and one on Sunday.

If you have any predictions for this weekend, feel free to post them below. Continue Reading…

It’s a bit weird when you are driving into work and you hear something on the radio that makes your head turn. That was today for me on my way into work. Listening, as always, to ESPN Radio I heard a SportsCenter update that actually mentioned a MLS game. I was stunned because usually it never happens as a preview or even in a recap.

Nonetheless, the Chicago Fire host the New England Revolution tonight in the second leg of the opening round of the playoffs. The series is tied up a zero goals each. Its a winner take all kind of game really.

Chicago is trying to avoid the same end to their season that they have endured over the last three years, losing in the playoffs to the Revs. New England has had their number each of the last three years in the post season in some fashion and are looking to make it four in a row. They will have to do so without a couple big time players like Steve Raltson (injured), Taylor Twellman (injured), Adam Cristman (injuried) and Khano Smith (suspension).

The Fire are in a great spot to move on after getting a 0-0 tie on the road last week in a dud of a game in New England. No goals either way ment they were put into a prime postion to move on at home and actually knock out the Revs this year. This should be the year that it happens too as the Fire will pour on the pressure in this one from the start.

I look for the Revs to go extremely defensive in this one. They know their offense is a little bit done for here and will hope they can catch the Fire napping on a counter attack or even just hold out until penalty kicks if they can keep it tied again. That’s the Revs best bet to win this one if they can do one of those two things.

It just won’t happen though. The Fire want this game badly and will get a great crowd tonight for it up in Chicago. I think the Blanco-McBride connection will be too much for the Revs to overcome here and the Fire will move on thanks to the speed on the wings of guys like Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, New England 0

Well last night was a dud. A real ball-buster of a way to start the playoffs for Major League Soccer. Two solid teams go head-to-head in front of maybe 5,000 people in New England. Tough break really, I know it was cold and a mid-week but come on, it’s playoff time baby!

Well the playoffs now move to Saturday as the other three series kickoff. Three matchs with the lower seed hosting in the opening leg of each series. After last night’s game I figure we will see a very defensive style of play this weekend out of some road clubs, while teams like Kansas City and Real Salt Lake will hope to use their home field to their advantage.

Houston Dynamo – at – New York Red Bulls: Everyone’s least favorite match-up of the post season.  Houston hasn’t done well in New York in recent years but you can expect Dominic Kinnear to have a fairly rested club for this game. New York will rely heavily on Juan Pablo Angel. Continue Reading…

It’s just what we’ve been waiting for, playoff soccer. For the next two weeks we get a Thursday night contest with two of the league’s best with Chicgo and New England squaring off in the first round of the playoffs. This rivalry has been one of the best in the past few years as these two have met several times since 2000 in the playoffs.

The Fire were totally dominate in this series between these two clubs. Three games three wins and nine goals to the Revs one. But New England does own history on their side in the playoffs against the Fire. Thing is they will need more than history tonight as they will be without Taylor Twellman (concussion related injury), Gabriel Badilla and Khano Smith (both serving suspensions).

It will be a big task for some young guys from New England to step up tonight. They’ve been virtually cold on the pitch since early August. Not the best time to go cold either as they look for the forth-straight MLS Cup apparence.

I like what I saw out of Chicago last week against New York and I think that will carry over on the road against the Revs. Chicago is one of the few (Columbus probably being the other) clubs that isn’t scared to face the Revs in the post season. I look for Blanco and Chris Rolfe to have big games. Rolfe is Mr. October anyways so look for him to have a good game.

Revs battle to a close one here but the Fire pull away and head home with a nice advantage for next week’s return leg.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, New England 0