In the name of full disclosure, I've got to tell you that my playoff viewing this past weekend was limited to what I could pull up on my laptop, as I traveled back and forth across the U.S. Still, I learned quite a bit from what I saw. Here's a First XI, detailing what the first leg of the playoffs taught us, and what to look for this weekend:
11. Home field matters. So, FC Dallas, Kansas City and Chicago hold serve at home with victories and even the Red Bulls keep a clean sheet to set up a even-up second leg. It can be hard to explain in a league where there's hardly an atmosphere one would describe as intimidating (except maybe in D.C.) why there seems to be such a distinct home-field advantage. There just is, and that's pretty much been the case since the beginning of time in MLS when teams like K.C. have enjoyed spectacular success at home. This weekend, the home-field advantages that have been the most significant historically (D.C., Houston, New England) and recently (Chivas USA) come into play. I expect that history will help out United, Dynamo and the Revolution. Chivas has other issues.
10. Set pieces are big. Davy Arnaud took advantage of a wall that wasn't set up perfectly. Clarence Goodson got on the end of a ridiculous throw-in (I guess I have to call that a set piece, no?), while Houston couldn't cash in on any of its nine corner kicks. These are the plays that win most games, even in the regular season. But in playoff soccer, at the club and international level, set pieces are often the difference. Not just for the team's looking to score, but the teams who have to defend.
9. All goals are pretty. Chris Rolfe's goal for the Fire came off a long, high clearance that caromed into his path. Goodson's goal for FCD came off a scramble. While Rolfe's was certainly a pretty finish, it's hardly a goal that will go on the league highlight reel as a wonder goal. But you know what? Who cares? A playoff goal, no matter how it's scored, is a thing of beauty.
8. Don't expect gifts. Red Bull fans left Giants Stadium feeling they were deserving of a penalty call or two. That's nothing new to fans of that club, but the lesson for all fans in MLS is that you're not getting the borderline penalty call in the MLS Cup Playoffs. If it's not blatant, the whistle is not likely to blow. So don't go begging.
7. You must finish. My tiny computer screen made it tough to see, but I believe it was Jesse Marsch for Chivas USA pinging one off the crossbar from close range in K.C. The Red Bulls had some really nice looks early in their match with New England and D.C. always gets chances. As we move along into the second leg action, as the minutes tick away, all those missed chances will slowly tighten the noose on teams.
6. Chivas USA is depleted. Sure they were brilliant at The Home Depot Center all year, but it didn't take much time on Saturday to see that Chivas USA minus Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov are in trouble. Where's a goal going to come from for this team? You can see Marsch, Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein trying to step up, but it's a tall order. It's a shame they've been stung by injuries so late after such a stellar season.
5. Expect a rumble. The game in Foxborough is going to be the roughest match of them all, I'm afraid. I fully expect one goal to win this series, and I fully expect that goal to come late in the second leg, if not in extra time. I draw this conclusion off of the 90 minutes that have been played so far and the makeup of both teams. It's going to be Taylor Twellman or Juan Pablo Angel and it's going to be scored from inside the six.
4. All playoff teams are created equal. Kansas City and Chicago proved what we already knew. That MLS is not your typical pro soccer league. I do not consider K.C.'s win against Chivas USA or Chicago's win against D.C. as upsets. An upset would've been a two or three-goal margin of victory. We could be looking at a lot of soccer this weekend, folks, as all four matchups have the look and feel of series that will end in extra time.
3. The onus is on the home team. There can be no sitting back this week, except perhaps in Foxborough. D.C., Houston and Chivas have to get to the goal early and hope to level these games so they have sufficient time to win. Ah, but there's a catch. They cannot open themselves up so much as to allow that second goal. It's the fascinating part of two-game aggregate. You never want the gap to open up more than a goal.
2. They want payback. In D.C., I'm sure United fans want to gain revenge for that RFK spanking the Fire gave them back in 2005. In New York, you just know the fans who've made the trek up to New England in the past only to come home heartbroken, are praying this is the year their team gets out of the first round for the first time since 2000. Houston, well, they've got a title to defend and they can't much like the prospect of losing a playoff series to their intrastate rival. And Chivas, they busted their butts all year to earn a home-field advantage ... you know they want two more games in Carson.
1. The format = excitement. It all sets up perfectly. We had no big margins of victory in the first leg. We have goals on the board in three of the four games. In other words, if you're a soccer fan, this is why you love the two-game series. In the years since the league switched to this format, we've seen the league's most dramatic moments. Expect more this weekend. Enjoy the action.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
