And so, after 323 regular-season matches, the field for the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, is set.
A 2-0 win for the New York Red Bulls over Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park on Sunday in the league's season finale settled the Eastern Conference seedings and flipped the script from what it had looked like for a while. Heading into the weekend, Sporting KC were in 3rd place, followed by the Columbus Crew and then the Red Bulls, and most people assumed it would finish that way when the dust settled.
Wrong.
The Crew's tense victory on Sunday afternoon over Philly, coupled with the Red Bulls' win, puts Columbus in 3rd, followed by New York in 4th, and KC just above the red line in 5th.
For their efforts, the Crew earned a conference semifinal clash with the red-hot New England Revolution, whose midfield trio of Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, and Jermaine Jones is as fearsome as any in the league. I mean, ever. The Revs finished 2nd in the East and went 9-1-1 in their final 11 matches. The way Nguyen is playing, you don't want to get up to get another beer for fear of missing something amazing. Like this.
Oh, but that one loss for the Revs? You guessed it: against Columbus back in September.
Meanwhile, the Red Bulls are prepping for a home game in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round match. A few days ago, odds were that they would be the visitors. But Budweiser Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips did his thing -- twice -- tying the MLS single-season goal record, and the Red Bulls will now host on Thursday the very same Sporting side they just defeated.
- East Knockout:NY-SKC, Thurs., 8 pm ET | ESPN2, TSN2 | TICKETS
Sporting, the defending MLS Cup champions, are slouching into the postseason, with a 2-7-1 record down the stretch, including five losses to fellow Eastern Conference playoff clubs. By the way, the Red Bulls accounted for two of those losses. Plus, Sporting are struggling with injuries to the likes of Benny Feilhaber and potential fatigue, as Thursday will be their third game in eight days.
Waiting for the winner between New York and Sporting is the #1 seed in the East, D.C. United. Ben Olsen's side, which went from a historically woeful in 2013 to the third best record in 2014, managed only a draw with last-placed Montreal Impact in their final match. But regardless, contrary to many observers who point to New England's fearsome attack, United must be considered favorites to reach the MLS Cup final out of the East. Not heavy favorites, but their consistency all season and a season-ending six-game unbeaten streak certainly herald well.
Out West, the story is clearly the Seattle Sounders. They already have two trophies -- the US Open Cup and the Supporters' Shield, which they claimed after beating the LA Galaxy on Saturday. Is a third piece of hardware far behind?
Many people believe the Sounders have underachieved in the playoffs over the years. But this is a different Sounders team, loaded with more talent and resolve than previous squads. And with Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey up top, they are always a split second from a lethal strike.
The Sounders, as Shield winners, have home-field advantage through the playoffs, including the MLS Cup final, if they reach it. Their first opponents won't be known until late on Wednesday, after FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps compete in the West Knockout Round match down in Texas.
This should be an interesting one, as the Whitecaps are 4-0-1 in their last five matches and they're coming off an emotional victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday which secured the club's second-even MLS playoff berth. And they have one of the most in-form players in the league right now in center back Kendall Waston.
But is Waston enough to stop Fabian Castillo, Blas Perez, and the rest of FCD's attack? Good question. The Portland Timbers kind of showed how to slow it down in their 2-0 win in Dallas on Saturday. (Easy answer: limit them to just one shot on goal.) Dallas and the Caps faced off less than a month ago, and the Canadians got the better of the match, winning 2-0. But that was in Vancouver. This one is in Frisco.
- West Knockout:DAL-VAN, Weds., 9 pm ET | TSN, MLS LIVE | TICKETS
Finally, there is the most intriguing matchup of the playoffs, at least on paper. Old rivals the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake will square off in the Western Conference Semifinals. Again. Last year, the two clubs did this same dance, and RSL stole the show en route to the Cup final.
This is a different year. The Galaxy finished with the second best record in the league, and although they are winless in their last three matches, before that, they had gone 8-0-2. With Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, and Gyasi Zardes, they seem capable of scoring at will.
But is it enough to beat Kyle Beckerman & Co., who picked up a little momentum in the final weeks of the season with three games unbeaten?
Well, as they say, that's why they play the games.
Who do you think will win the Knockout matches?
