from the leader, New England Revolution (35 goals allowed), No. 3 D.C. United (38) and the Chicago Fire (41) and New York Red Bulls (41) tied for fifth.
Of course, form sometimes is thrown out the window in the postseason, especially when teams get caught up in the intensity of the action or just get plain desperate with so much on the line.
That's why they play these games to see who's the best.
New England Revolution (12-8-12, 48 points) vs. Chicago Fire (13-11-8, 47 points)
On paper, this series could be a classic. The Fire-Revs confrontation could be the best of all four conference semifinals because these two teams can't be more evenly matched. And they have a history, as well. In fact, they've met in the postseason five times in the past seven years. They're 4-4-0 and after this series, they will have played more playoff games against each other than any other duo in the league's 11-year history (the Kansas City Wizards and defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy have played each other nine times through the years).
So, it was quite appropriate that the race for second place and home-field advantage for the second game (and possible extra time and penalty kick shootout) came down to the final weekend of the season with the Revs besting the Fire by one point, thanks to a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew.
Which stat do you like? The Revs were the hottest Eastern Conference team down the stretch, going 5-0-2 from the beginning of September on. The Fire were a decent 5-3-0 during that span. But Chicago won the regular-season series with a 2-1-1 record.
Regular season series: The Fire edged the Revs in Foxboro, Mass., 2-1 on April 30, played to a 3-3 draw in Chicago on June 11, dropped a 2-1 decision at home on July 8, and won at Gillette Stadium 1-0 on Aug. 20. Chicago also eliminated the Revs in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Toyota Park, 2-1 on Aug. 23.
New England Revolution
The Revs are making one of their patented late-season runs, reminding many observers of 2002 and 2005, when they reached the MLS Cup Final (but failed to win it both times).
Strengths: Team MVP Matt Reis again demonstrated why he is a finalist for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and why he should be in the U.S. national team pool by making big-time saves while being one of the two goalkeepers in the league who played in every minute of every game (Houston's Pat Onstad was the other). When Taylor Twellman is on his game, he can be the most lethal forward in the league. The problem is Twellman wasn't near the top of his game for a good chunk of the season (11 goals in 32 games). Clint Dempsey (eight goals), voted by the media as the best U.S. international of the year for his World Cup performance, can be a game-breaker -- it remains to be seen where he will line up. Shalrie Joseph, one of the top defensive midfielders in the league who missed a month after slashing a finger tendon, is wearing a protective cast on his right hand and is expected to be ready. Since Joseph was sidelined, the Revs completed the season with a five-match unbeaten streak (4-0-1). Midfielder Andy Dorman (six goals, 10 assists) came into his own this year, just 46 minutes short from playing a complete season.
Weaknesses: You can't call Twellman a weakness, but his production certainly fell below expectations and if he isn't dangerous, it can become a weakness. With forward Pat Noonan battling injuries, coach Steve Nicol could never find someone to complement Twellman on a regular basis. He used several players there, including Dempsey. The Revs need Joseph to be at 100 percent against a team like the Fire. Another question mark: Four Revs -- Reis (2,880 minutes), Twellman (2,856), Dorman (2,834) and Jay Heaps (2,790) are among the top eight players in minutes played. Do they continue to thrive or does all that mileage catch up to them sometime?
Probable penalty-kick taker: Steve Ralston (1-for-1) or Joseph (1-for-1).
Interesting statistic: Despite playing only 1,387 minutes (less than half the season), Jose Cancela (no goals, five assists) found himself among the fouls suffered leaders with 67.
Chicago Fire
The Fire experienced a strange season. Forced to play their first nine games on the road while awaiting completion of Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., the Fire went 5-7-5 through July 15. Then Chicago lived up to its nickname, catching fire with an 8-4-3 finish the rest of the way. The Fire, however, dropped two of their final three matches to complete the season. Coached by Dave Sarachan, Chicago also will be looking for the double after moving past New England, D.C. and the Los Angeles Galaxy en route to the Open Cup championship for the fourth time in its history. The Fire have captured MLS Cup once, in 1998, falling in the 2000 and 2004 finals.
Strengths: The midfield. Team captain and veteran defensive midfielder Chris Armas has rebounded from his second major knee injury to become the heart of the team again. Armas is helped with the likes of Honduran international Ivan Guerrero (nine assists), Justin Mapp (eight assists), Thiago and veteran Diego Gutierrez. Crafty striker Andy Herron led the team in goals (nine in only 1,449 minutes over 20 games).
Weaknesses: Despite moving into a new stadium, Toyota Park, the Fire didn't have an overwhelming home-field advantage, posting the eighth-best home mark (8-4-4) in MLS. No one cracked double figures in goals, though MLS all-star Nate Jaqua (eight goals) and Chris Rolfe (seven) did have their moments. While he has performed well since replacing the injured Zach Thornton (1.25 GAA, 8-8-8), goalkeeper Matt Pickens (1.38 GAA, 5-3-0) hasn't endured the pressures of the postseason yet. This is more of a question mark than a weakness.
Probable penalty kick taker: Andy Herron (2-for-2).
Interesting statistic: Herron was tied for second in the league with five game-winning goals.
D.C. United (15-7-10, 55 points) vs. New York Red Bulls (9-11-12, 39 points)
In contrast to the Revs, United are going the other way. D.C. is trying to get its mojo back after a fabulous start to the season. United bolted to an astounding 13-1-5 start by July 8 but have proven to be rather mortal since with a 2-6-5 record. More recent results certainly are cause for great concern since D.C. has but one victory in its past six matches. Moreover, the four-time MLS champions finished the season with three consecutive losses, not exactly what coach Peter Nowak had planned as proper preparation for the playoff run.
The Red Bulls haven't been exactly setting the world on fire, but they are 7-6-4 during United's skid. They also bring a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) into the playoffs, their best surge to close out a season in their 11-year history.
United are 14-6-3 vs. the Red Bulls (and the MetroStars) at RFK Stadium.
Regular season series: United enjoyed a 2-0-2 advantage, including a 3-1 victory in the Open Cup Aug. 23. D.C. kicked off its season with a 2-2 home draw with the Red Bulls on April 2 and defeated New York in its home opener on April 22. The Red Bulls managed a scoreless home tie in coach Bruce Arena's debut Aug. 16, but United bounced back for a 4-3 victory on Sept. 23.
D.C. United
Strengths: That's easy -- the attack in quality and quantity (league-high 52 goals). MVP candidate and midfielder Christian Gomez (14 goals, 11 assists) and veteran forward Jaime Moreno (11 goals, 10 assists) were the deadliest duo in the league as United was the only Eastern club with two goal-scorers in double digits. Gomez's vision, passing and shooting ability and Moreno's guile and experience make this one difficult tandem to stop. Both players also have a history of doing well against the Red Bulls. United is far from a two-man show. They also have weapons elsewhere -- 17-year-old Freddy Adu (eight assists) has begun to come into his own at midfield. Alecko Eskandarian has been in and out of the lineup, but still has seven goals in 1,428 minutes. In his first full season in the nets, Troy Perkins has proven to be reliable (1.13 goals-against average).
Weaknesses: Their defense was solid as a rock early on, with MLS Defender of the Year candidate Bobby Boswell and Bryan Namoff standing out. But lately the United defense has been like a sieve, surrendering a dozen goals in its 1-4-2 slide. D.C. must find its way out of the funk quickly, or become a Supporters' Shield winner that is embarrassingly eliminated in the opening round.
Probable penalty-kick taker: Jaime Moreno (3-for-3).
Interesting statistic: United was the only team to register a winning road record (6-4-6), scoring 20 goals and surrendering 16 (in contrast, the Red Bulls had the 10th worst mark at 1-8-7).
New York Red Bulls
They've had three coaches this season (Mo Johnston, Richie Williams and Bruce Arena) with Arena taking over the reins officially for the scoreless tie vs. United on Aug. 16. Arena has a choice this game. He could go with the midfield configuration he used in the 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards that clinched a playoff berth -- Seth Stammler at defensive midfield, Amado Guevara as the playmaker and Chris Henderson and Dema Kovalenko on the flanks. Or he could drop Kovalenko back to defensive midfielder and have Stammler on the flanks. Kovalenko helped hold Gomez in check Aug. 16.
Strengths: Jon Conway, a career backup, displaced two-time World Cup goalkeeper Tony Meola in the nets with a superb year (league-best 1.00 goals-against average and a 7-2-3 record). The backline's average age is 24, but has showed a lot of grit with central defenders Carlos Mendes -- who captained the team during an Amado Guevara suspension (a telling sign of how highly Arena thinks of him) -- and Jeff Parke. They join rookie right back Marvell Wynne, who just might be the fastest player in the league, and the skillful Todd Dunivant on the left side. When he is at the top of his game, Guevara can be the most dangerous attacking player in the league with his vision, shooting ability and as a supreme penalty-kick taker (15 of 17 conversions over four seasons). Guevara, October's MLS player of the month, has scorched the net for six goals in his past four games.
Weaknesses: The offense. Except for Guevara and 16-year-old wonder rookie Jozy Altidore (three goals in 330 minutes over seven games), no one else has been able to score in the past six weeks. The last time a teammate found the back of the net was John Wolyniec in a 2-1 road loss to the Fire on Sept. 3. Youri Djorkaeff, the 1998 World Cup winner who will be calling it a career after this season, hasn't scored since April 22.
Probable penalty-kick taker: Guevara (4-for-4).
Interesting statistic: Even though the teams have bumped heads five times this season, Conway hasn't faced United at all. And here's a bonus stat: Despite their goal-scoring woes, the Red Bulls have three of the four hat tricks in the league this season (Houston's Brian Ching has the other).
Michael Lewis has covered every MLS Cup Final and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
