Classic confrontation for Eastern title

Juan Pablo Angel with 14).

Previous meetings

If you're looking to find any sort of superiority or advantage from the team regular-season matchups, you're going to have to look elsewhere. Both games finished in 2-2 draws.

In the first encounter, rookie forward Steven Lenhart came off the bench to score in the 87th minute as the Crew rallied from a two-goal deficit at home on July 5. The Crew extended their unbeaten streak to four games, while the Fire saw their winless streak reach five. Chris Rolfe (eighth minute), who broke the team's scoreless streak at 341 minutes, and Calen Carr (25th minute) tallied for Chicago before Emmanuel Ekpo cut the lead in half in the 36th minute. Guillermo Barros Schelotto assisted on both Crew goals. Cuauhtemoc Blanco played the full 90 minute, but did not figure in the scoring.

Columbus coach Sigi Schmid missed the match as he attended his daughter's wedding in southern California. Assistant coach Robert Warzycha ran the show.

It was the Fire's turn to rally for a draw in the second encounter in Toyota Park on Oct. 12 as Brian McBride connected for his second goal of the match in the 79th minute for a 2-2 tie. McBride had lifted the home side into the lead off a Justin Mapp assist in the 13th minute before the Crew took over behind an unassisted goal by Eddie Gaven in the 59th minute and Schelloto's score two minutes later. Blanco received the second assist on McBride's equalizer.

Columbus Crew

The Crew will be bucking a six-year-old trend of Supporters' Shield winners failing to win the title. The last coach to accomplish that feat? Sigi Schmid, when he guided the Galaxy to the 2002 championship. So he understands the challenge and pitfalls of winning the double in a long season. While the Columbus attack and Schelotto usually gets the spotlight, it's defense often gets overlooked. William Hesmer (1.14 goals-against average, 10 shutouts) has been steady in the net, a big reason why the Crew have enjoyed their success. Central defender Chad Marshall, the MLS Defender of the Year, has anchored the backline. Danny O'Rourke, a converted defensive midfielder, has settled into a defender's role. Frankie Hejduk, well, is still Frankie. He is a crafty veteran and U.S. international who can surprise you once in a while and still make fans laugh or the opponents cry. The Crew hardly lose when Gino Padula plays at left back.

As for the attack, Schmid has many weapons from which to choose. No. 1 is Mr. Schelotto, a league MVP finalist, after an outstanding season (seven goals, 19 assists). He obviously is the key to the Crew attack. If the Fire can stop him, the visitors could be halfway home. But Columbus is far from a one-man show. Moreno can score and pick up fouls (69 fouls suffered) with the best of them, as can Robbie Rogers (73) and Schelotto (63). Fouls suffered means free kicks and sooner or later there is a free kick just outside the penalty area, which is the danger zone for Mr. Schelotto.

But the Crew are far from a three-man show. Schelotto might be listed as a forward, but he is a wildcard, a playmaking midfielder who roams wherever he wants. The Crew's offensive strength comes from its midfield with the likes of Rogers (six goals), Brad Evans (five goals) and Eddie Gaven (three goals). Brian Carroll, who will be expected to take on Blanco, anchors the defensive side of the engine room. The bench is strong with Nigerian Olympic silver medalist Ekpo and veteran Pat Noonan, as well as Lenhart (four goals), who are ready to supply some late-match lightning off the bench.

The Crew must do what they achieved in the conference semifinal win against the Kansas City Wizards (a 2-0 win on aggregate after winning the second leg by the same score) -- move the ball quickly and attack from the flanks.

Chicago Fire

The Fire have lived up to their defensive reputation of shutting the opposition down in the conference semifinals, not allowing the New England Revolution a goal in a scoreless tie on the road and a 3-0 triumph at home. While overcoming a gritty New England side was an accomplishment, you have to wonder how strong the Chicago attack truly is. The Revs entered the match without four key players and lost a fifth to injury before the Fire found the back of the net. The Revs were missing playmaking midfielder and leading scorer Steve Ralston and striker Taylor Twellman and the team's third-leading scorer Adam Cristman entering the match. The Revs also used a third-choice player on defense in Amaechi Igwe.

Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz left the game with an injury after a hard tackle by John Thorrington in the 39th minute before Chris Rolfe scored two minutes into stoppage time (defenders Wilman Conde in the 49th minute and Gonzalo Segares in the 74th minute, also scored). Defensive midfielder Shalrie Joseph was far from 100 percent with a knee injury. That has to be a concern for coach Denis Hamlett against a talented and well-coached team that is injury-free (well, at least major injury-free) as the Crew.

Of course, the Fire will match up their backline against anyone else's in the league. Central defender Bakary Soumare, a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year, middle partner Wilman Conde, and fullbacks Brandon Prideaux and Gonzalo Segares form arguably the best backline in the league. And how much extra motivation does goalkeeper of the year Jon Busch (1.10 GAA, 10 shutouts) have to show up Schmid in this game? After he left the Crew last season, Busch said he never wanted to play for Schmid again. Well, he is playing against him Thursday in the most important game of his career.

It's the attack, against a solid Columbus defense, that will be under pressure to solve the home team. Blanco (seven goals), of course, is the key. Many MLS observers felt he has underachieved particularly in the second half of the season. The spotlight of the conference final is calling. Will Blanco cast a giant shadow or hide in the shadows? The Mexican standout is so talent and cunning that all he has to do is flick the ball at an opportune time and the Fire will find themselves with a dangerous opportunity.

McBride, who has played in three World Cups, but never an MLS Cup, will try to deny his former teammates a trip to The Home Depot Center. He might be 36 years old, but McBride has shown he has some gas left in the tank. He uses his head in so many ways, including his lethal header in front of the net and through his vision and experience. However, the key to Chicago's success might be Rolfe, who has recorded six goals and four assists in the Fire's last four Thursday night games on ESPN2. That includes a hat trick in a 5-2 win against the Red Bulls last month and the first goal last week. So we will see if Rolfe can shine again under the bright Thursday Night Lights. Justin Mapp and Thorrington and holding midfielder Logan Pause are the other midfield options.

Outlook

This is what Columbus played the entire season for -- to play at home in front of its fans. If the Crew fail and fall short, this season, like it or not Crew fans, will be considered a colossal failure by many MLS observers. If Chicago can pull off a victory in enemy territory, whether it is in regulation, extra time or by via dreaded penalty kicks, it will be considered a sizable upset, although not in the orbit of the New York Red Bulls' stunning elimination of two-time champion Houston Dynamo. But it will book the Fire's fourth ticket to MLS Cup. In contrast, the Crew are trying to get to the big game for the very first time.

If the Crew score first and early, watch for the Fire to push up and the home team to counterattack. If the Fire finds the back of the net first, look for the visitors to bunker in and Columbus to throw caution to the wind. It will all come down to timing as to when that first goal is scored and when the coaches want to play their respective hands.

The winner of this match probably will be considered the favorite entering MLS Cup 2008 in Carson, Calif. on Nov. 23. Columbus or Chicago will play either one team that finished at .500 (seventh-place Real Salt Lake at 10-10-10) or another that was just below (eighth-ranked New York Red Bulls at 10-11-9). But we're getting ahead of ourselves here, which is something neither conference finalist should do. All things being equal, the Crew are considered in many quarters the better team and should win. But as we have learned from this year's playoffs, the team with the better regular-season record (the Dynamo and Chivas USA) does not always prevail.

Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News 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.