The MLS Conference Finals. Or Cup Semifinals. Or Whatever.

By: Laurie | November 13th, 2008

First off, why don’t we just dispense with the absurdity right now and call these games what they are: The MLS Cup Semifinals. That’s as oppposed to their official title, the Conference Finals. Which they’re really not.

MLS altered the rules last year so that the top three (not four) teams from each conference are guaranteed to move on. After that, it’s the next two teams with the best record. This year, those teams were both in the Eastern Conference.

This was not supposed to make a difference. The New York Red Bulls were the #5 team in the East and had a less-than-stellar season, and they played the #1 team in the West, Houston, the two-time MLS Champions. Houston were supposed to whack the Red Bulls back to Jersey. They didn’t. So now we’re facing the very real possiblity of an Eastern Conference team winning the Western Conference Championship on Saturday.

Who wants to bet that this game has a new name next year?

Now about the games. Travis over at MLS Offside has a good writeup on these games, so I just have a few things to add.

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire - Thursday, 11/13, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2
My prediction: Chicago 3-2
Travis’s Prediction: Columbus 2-2 Chicago (Columbus wins on PK 5-3)

My head says Columbus, my heart says Chicago. I went with my heart over my head in Houston-Red Bulls and got it right, so that’s what I’m doing here. But I think I may be wrong.

I don’t know why I haven’t warmed to Columbus this year. They’ve been solid all year, haven’t played overly defensive ball, and have given us interesting and exciting players like Robbie Rogers and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Maybe it’s just that I’m a horrible person and my inner anarchist loves to see the Supporters Shield winner get knocked out before the final. Plus my sentimental side would really like to see Brian McBride go all the way.

But it’s not going to be easy going for Chicago. The Crew are playing at home, where they’ve been huge all season, and it’s going to be hard for the Chicago backline to shut down the Crew’s offense. Only the Galaxy scored more goals this season (55 to Columbus’ 50. The difference was that the Crew allowed 36, where the Galaxy allowed 62. Oops.) But if anybody can do it, it’s the Fire, who had the second-best defense in the league in the regular season, after Houston.

I’m picking Chicago, barely, but I ain’t got a dog in this fight. I’d be happy to see either side win, provided it’s an end-to-end game with a lot of goals scored. May the best team win.

Real Salt Lake v New York Red Bulls - Saturday, 11/15, 9:30 PM, FSC
Travis’s prediction: Real Salt Lake 2-3 New York Red Bull
My prediction: 2-2, with Red Bulls taking it on penalties 4-3

There’s no obvious favorite in this one. Both are scrappy, inconsistent teams who squeaked into the playoffs, and neither was really expected to advance. Yet here they are. Either has the potential to win it, depending on which players show up ready to play.

Success for New York will depend on Juan Pablo Angel, obviously, but also on guys like Dane Richards and new goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who pretty much decided the game against Houston. (If you’re unconvinced about Richards, go back and watch this run one more time.)

Success for RSL will depend on the home crowd (in their brand spankin’ new Soccer Specific Stadium.) And, since they’re not a team built around any superstars, it will depend on the team as a whole stepping up to the plate.

(Oh. Wait. Metaphor for the wrong sport.)

Interesting point from Travis:

One of the turning points for RSL has been Fabian Espindola’s non-goal celebration that turned into a broken ankle. It opened the door for Yura Movsisyan, who has stepped up in the attacking role.

Movsisyan, if you’ll remember, scored the 90th-minute goal against Chivas in the first leg that allowed RSL to advance after the second-leg 2-2 draw.

Trivial fact: The Red Bulls are the only team still standing who had a negative goal differential during the regular season. The others — New England (-3), Kansas City(-2) and Chivas (-1) — have all been knocked out. Yet of these four teams, the Red Bulls’ deficit was the greatest — -6, with 42 goals scored for and 48 against. I’ll leave it to somebody else to figure out what this means.