Jesse Marsch (concussion), Juan Pablo Garcia (adductor strains) and Paco Palencia (sprained right knee). Ante Razov only made it back to the field last week as well, and is still fighting through his adductor strain. A healthy Razov and Garcia combined for 22 of the team's 45 goals in '06, making their inclusion in this series a must. The biggest loss, however, could be Marsch; it appears he might have to skip the first leg at home this weekend and return on the road in Houston next week. Bradley brought in Marsch for his presence out of the midfield in these big games. If he is not cleared for Game One, expect to see rookie Sacha Kljestan slide into the holding role in the midfield with Francisco Mendoza in front of him.
Houston's athleticism and ability to score on set pieces will trouble Chivas USA. In addition, there are few matchups in the league that pose the problems that Houston striker Brian Ching brings with his ability in the air and goal-scoring prowess in the box. Dominic Kinnear's side also has as strong as a midfield as any team in MLS. Dwayne De Rosario, who was recently named as one of three finalists for the Honda MVP award, gets most of the headlines, and rightly so, but the flank midfielders of Brian Mullan on the right and Brad Davis on the left present matchup problems for most teams. Their strong play on the outside allows Houston to stretch teams out and attack from several different spots on the field.
After an abysmal first season, the fact that Chivas USA is even in the playoffs, nevermind a legitimate threat, has given this franchise a lot of momentum. Bradley is said to be using the Detroit Tigers and their stunning turnaround in 2006 as motivation for his side. He's hoping the veteran leadership he brought in with Razov, Marsch and longtime Mexican national team center back Claudio Suarez will pay off in the postseason.
At the same time, Kinnear's side has been together for several years now. Starting players such as Ching, De Rosario, Mullan, center back Eddie Robinson and goalkeeper Pat Onstad remember what it was like to win an MLS Cup in 2003 and have made up the core of this team ever since. That sort of familiarity and belief will be important should they encounter trouble on the road in the first leg on Sunday.
No. 4 Colorado Rapids vs. No. 1 FC Dallas
At first glance, this should be an easy series to predict. After all, FC Dallas not only ran away with the Western Conference regular-season title this year, but they also dominated Colorado 3-0-1 in the season series, outscoring the Rapids 9-3 in the process. The playoffs bring about an entirely new season, though, and all the Rapids have to do to remind themselves about this is to look back at last year's semifinal series victory over FC Dallas after two hard-fought games that needed penalty kicks to decide it.
FC Dallas is in the same position right now that Supporters' Shield winners D.C. United is also in. Having not had to play a meaningful match in weeks, is Colin Clarke's side ready for an all-or-nothing series with everything on the line?
One would think that would be the case due to the several veterans Clarke has in his lineup. Richard Mulrooney won two titles as the backbone of the San Jose Earthquakes, both on and off the field, in 2001 and 2003. Carlos Ruiz is a former MLS Cup MVP after the impressive run of six goals he scored for Los Angeles in 2002, which included the Cup-winning golden goal in extra time against New England that year. Greg Vanney is a veteran of several MLS Cup playoff series and has experienced the most difficult conditions on the road with the U.S. national team during World Cup qualifying. Shaka Hislop is coming off of playing in a World Cup this past summer as well.
Experience is also a plus for Fernando Clavijo's side. First and foremost, the Rapids should take comfort knowing that their goalkeeper, Joe Cannon, is known for coming up big in the playoffs, both for Colorado and for the Earthquakes earlier this decade. If anyone can frustrate the high-scoring duo of Ruiz (13 goals) and Kenny Cooper (11 goals), it's Cannon. Pablo Mastroeni is a veteran of two World Cups and is one of the finest holding midfielders in the league. How he is able to match tackles with Simo Valakari and limit Mulrooney's effectiveness will be a big key to this series. His partner in the midfield, Kyle Beckerman, might also be the X-factor for Colorado, as many of his goals have come against the run of play and seemingly out of nowhere from distance. For Colorado to stay in this series, it'll need offense from players such as Beckerman to add to whichever combination Clavijo uses up top. If he is going on past playoff form, he'll have to look to former U.S. international Jovan Kirovski, who has been at his best in the postseason, both as a member of the Galaxy and with the Rapids.
FC Dallas has lost four of its last six matches. Meanwhile, Colorado is feeling pretty good after getting two consecutive ties to sneak into the playoffs. In some cases, having the first match of the two-leg, aggregate goals series at home is an advantage. For the Rapids, that might just be the case, as they enjoyed a 9-3-4 record at home in '06. If they fail to get at least a tie on Saturday, FC Dallas will be in the driver's seat to make sure that last year's result doesn't repeat itself.
Marc Connolly is the managing editor of ussoccerplayers.com and regularly writes for MLSnet.com. Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
