The regular season is over and the playoffs are set to begin in two days. The first semifinal 1st leg will be played on Thursday night in New England. We will see the 2nd and 3rd seeded teams from the East in this first semifinal matchup between the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution.
@
Chicago Fire (#2 East) @ New England Revolution (#3 East)
Season Series: Chicago 2-1-0
Thursday October 30th, 6:30 PM
ESPN 2
My prediction: Chicago Fire 2-0. What do you predict?
With just about 5 weeks remaining in the regular season schedule the race to the playoffs is heating up. Here is a quick look at the current situation of each team
Columbus Crew 14-6-5 47pts
The Crew missed the playoffs last year and are on the top this year. They have at least a spot in the playoffs clinched and are the only team to do so yet.
Last 5: W T W W W (13pts)
Remaining Schedule:
@ New England Revolution
LA GALAXY
@ Chicago Fire
@ New York Red Bulls
DC UNITED
New England Revolution 12-7-6 42pts
The Revolution are always near the top, usually going far into the playoffs and collecing some trophies (just not the MLS Cup). This could be the year they get that MLS Cup. They got SuperLiga and aren’t doing so bad at 2nd place in the league.
Last 5: T W L L T
Remaining Schedule:
COLUMBUS CREW
REAL SALT LAKE
@ Kansas City Wizards
@ DC United
Kansas City Wizards
Houston Dynamo 10-5-9 39pts
Defending MLS Cup champions have a habit of starting the season slow and peaking at the right time and they could do it again this year.
Last 5: T W W L W
Remaining Schedule:
@ Toronto FC
@ Colorado Rapids
DC UNITED
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
LA GALAXY
Chicago Fire 11-9-5 38pts
The Fire started out with a bang this season – for a while they held the top spot in the league. Now they are in a slump but if they come out of it at the right time they can bean anyone and could add to their collection of silverware.
Last 5: L L W L L
Remaining Schedule:
LA GALAXY
@ Kansas City Wizards
COLUMBUS CREW
@ Toronto FC
NEW YORK RED BULLS
New York Red Bulls 9-8-8 35pts
The Red Bulls have been all over the place, near the top and near the bottom. You never know what the Red Bulls are gonna do. They are currently 5th overall but currently 4th in the East with DC and KC within striking distance. They could go either way in the playoff hunt but I’d expect to see them get in.
Last 5: L W L T W
Remaining Schedule:
COLORADO RAPIDS
TORONTO FC
@ Real Salt Lake
COLUMBUS CREW
@ Chicago Fire
DC United 10-12-3 33pts
One of the most successful clubs in MLS History, defenders of the Supporters’ Shield, DC United is going to make it close to the playoffs this year. If they playoffs were to start today, they’d be the last team in. There are a couple teams right on their heels.
Last 5: L T L T W
Remaining Schedule:
@ FC Dallas
CHIVAS USA
@ Houston Dynamo
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
@ Columbus Crew
Chivas USA 9-10-6 33pts
Chivas USA were winners of the Western Conference last year and then took a first round exit from the playoffs. Right now they have 2nd position in the West although they are 7th overall.
Last 5: W L W W T
Remaining Schedule:
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
@ DC United
@ San Jose Earthquakes
COLORADO RAPIDS
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Kansas City Wizards 8-9-8 32pts
The Wizards must like to cut it close. They’ve gone down to the very last day of the regular season to determine their playoff fate a couple times in the past few years. Right now they’ve got some ground to make up to get in this year.
Last 5: W W L L T
Remaining Schedule:
@ Chivas USA
CHICAGO FIRE
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
@ New England Revolution
Colorado Rapids 9-12-4 31pts
The Rapids have been up and down this year. They missed the playoffs last year and hope to change that this year. They are current tied on points with RSL for the 3rd position in the West – which will likely be the last position to get into the playoffs from the West.
Last 5: T W W L L
Remaining Schedule:
@ New York Red Bulls
HOUSTON DYNAMO
@ LA Galaxy
@ Chivas USA
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake 8-10-7 31pts
RSL have had a bit of a slide lately. They had been on top of the West and looking forward to making the playoffs for the first time in their history. Now they’ve got a battle to get there. This could come down to the last game of the saeson when they play Colorado.
Last 5: L L T W L
Remaining Schedule:
@ San Jose Earthquakes
@ New England Revolution
NEW YORK RED BULLS
FC DALLAS
@ Colorado Rapids
FC Dallas 7-9-9 30pts
FC Dallas could likely be one of the team that made the cut last year to drop out. They have had their moments but not enough of them. They are only 1 point away, but I think it is unlikely they move up.
Last 5: W T L L T
Remaining Schedule:
DC UNITED
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
TORONTO FC
@ Real Salt Lake
@ LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy 7-10-8 29pts
The Galaxy have had ups and downs as much as anyone in the leage. For a while they got hot and led the west, they’ve also been on the bottom on the single table. Chances of the Galaxy getting into the playoffs are not looking very good.
Last 5: W L T T L
Remaining Schedule:
@ Chicago Fire
@ Columbus Crew
COLORADO RAPIDS
@ Houston Dynamo
FC DALLAS
San Jose Earthquakes 7-9-8 29pts
The Earthquakes have been close to or at the very bottom for most of the year. A first year team isn’t expected much more, but they have had a hot run in the 2nd half of the season. They came up and threatened to take a playoff position, but now they’ve fallen back a little bit.
Last 5: T W W T W
Remaining Schedule:
REAL SALT LAKE
@ FC Dallas
CHIVAS USA
@ Houston Dynamo
@ Kansas City Wizards
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC 7-12-6 27pts
TFC spent some impressive time in the playoff hunt, but now they sit at the bottom of the league. It would take an amazing run to get them in now.
Last 5: L T L L T
Remaining Schedule:
HOUSTON DYNAMO
@ New York Red Bulls
@ FC Dallas
CHICAGO FIRE
@ San Jose Earthquakes
Two embarassing results for Majore League Soccer in the CONCACAF Champions League happened yesterday. Last years MLS Cup runners up and the Western Conference champions both dropped out of the regional tournament yesterday.
The New England Revolution lost 0-4 at home to Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago. This was the first time a Caribbean team beat an MLS team in a CONCACAF club competition. Joe Public advanced on a 6-1 aggregate score.
Chivas USA has a slightly closer series with Tauro of Panama, but they came away with a 1-3 aggregate defeat after a 1-1 draw at the Home Depot Center yesterday.
The Montreal Impact of the USL beat out Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps to represent Canada. Our Canadian USL representatives managed to win their series to move on to the group stage. This is rather embarassing for MLS as far as I’m concerned. New England did have a lot of players on the bench due to injury – but they got thrashed by a team from a region that has never beat an MLS side on CONCACAF club competition. San Jose would have done better than that.
What do you think? Is this embarassing for MLS – or is this a competition that they shouldn’t care about?
Pat Noonan played for the New England Revolution before going to Norway’s Aalesunds FK at the beginning of the year. Now the Revolution have signed their former striker and immediately traded him to the Columbus Crew. During Noonan’s years with the Revolution he has played 136 and scored 42 goals.
The Revolution will receive a first round draft pick and allocation money and the rights to trade allocation position with the Crew.
After twice losing to the Dynamo in the MLS Cup the Revolution finally got one last night in the SuperLiga final. Another close game saw the Revolution twice come back from one goal deficits to tie the game. Once they did it in regulation and once again in the extra time. The game could not even be decided by the normal 5 penatly shots. Not six, not seven, but it took eight penatly shots to settle the game and give the New England Revolution another trophy for their case.
VS
Houston Dynamo – New England Revolution
Gillette Stadium
7PM CST (8PM local time)
Telefutura
The Dynamo and Revolution are no strangers to each other when trophies are at stake. The two teams have played for the MLS Cup both of the past 2 years, both of which the Dynamo have won despite never having beat the Revolution in the regular season. This will be their first meeting for a SuperLiga trophy in only the 2nd year of the tournament. Last season Pachuca beat the LA Galaxy in a shootout in the final.
Road to the finals
Houston Dynamo:
The Dynamo won group A by beating Atlante and D.C. United but losing to Chivas de Guadalajara. They topped the group by goal difference. Then they Dynamo had to face Pachuca in the semi-finals. Last season Pachuca beat the Dynamo in the same stage of the tournament – this year the Dynamo advanced to the final.
New England Revolution:
The Revolution beat Pachuca and Santos and finished in a draw with MLS’s Chivas USA to win group B. They went on to beat Atlante in the semi-finals to advance to play the Dynamo for another trophy. The Revolution remain the only unbeaten team in the tournemant so far.
So what is going to happen tonight? The Dynamo have the upper hand in games where trophies are at stake but they Revolution have dominated the Dynamo when it has not been the MLS Cup. The game is at the home of the Revolution which could help them. Both teams are in very good form right now in MLS regular season play.
Both of the final games of group B finished with 1-1 draws which was good enough to send the New England Revolution through to the semi-finals with the top spot from group B. Defending champions Pachuca advance with 4 points and second place in the group.
PTS – W – L – T (GF-GA) Team
7 – 2 – 0 – 1 (3-1) New England Revolution
4 – 1 – 1 – 1 (3-3) Pachuca CF
4 – 1 – 1 – 1 (3-3) Chivas USA
1 – 0 – 2 – 1 (1-3) Santos Languna
Tuesday the semi-finals get underway with Houston Dynamo playing Pachuca CF. Then Wednesday’s semi-final will see New England Revolution play Atlante.
After a bad for for MLS at SuperLiga on Tuesday group B came alive for MLS as the New England Revolution and Chivas USA both came up with important 1-0 wins today over Pachuca and Santos Languna respectively. The Revolution are in good position to advance to the semi-finals, but have not been guaranteed anything yet. The next games will see MLS vs MLS and Mexico vs Mexico. This is the current standings:
PTS – W – L – T (GF-GA) Team
6 – 2 – 0 – 0 (2-0) New England Revolution
3 – 1 – 1 – 0 (2-2) Pachuca CF
3 – 1 – 1 – 0 (2-2) Chivas USA
0 – 0 – 2 – 0 (0-2) Santos Languna
We will have one MLS team and one USL team in the US Open Cup Final this year. Two MLS powerhouses will play each other in one semi-final while two USL teams will do battle in the other semi-final.
The New England Revolution beat Crystal Palace Baltimore on PKs after a 1-1 draw to move into the semis with DC United who beat fellow MLSers Chicago Fire.
On the other side of the tournament we had the Charleston Battery beat FC Dallas 3-1 and the Seattle Sounders beat the Kansas City Wizards 6-5 on PKs after a scoreless draw.
This will be only the 3rd time since the beginning of Major League Soccer that a non MLS team has advanced to the final. In 1996 DC United beat the Rochester Raging Rhinos 3-0 in the final. Three years later the Rochester Raging Rhinos made it to the final again and this time came out victorious with a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids. Since that game the final has seen nothing but MLS teams – until now.
A couple MLS teams dropped out of the US Open Cup last night to lower league opponents. Here are all the results:
Crystal Palace Baltimore 2 -0 New York Red Bulls
Richmond Kickers 0 – 3 New England Revolution
Cleveland City Stars 1 – 4 Chicago Fire
Rochester Rhinos 0 – 2 DC United
Miami FC Blues 1 – 2 FC Dallas
Charsleston Battery (4-3 on PKs) 1 – 1 Houston Dynamo
Carolina Railhawks 2 – 4 Kansas City Wizards
Seattle Sounders 2 – 0 Chivas USA
So we are left with 5 MLS teams, a single USL-2 team and a pair of USL-1 teams. This is what the quarterfinals look like for next week. Both the Revolution and DC United will not host these games at their normal home field. Dallas will be at Pizza Hut Park for their game.
Crystal Palace Baltimore at New England Revolution
Chicago Fire at DC United
Charleston Battery at FC Dallas
Kansas City Wizards at Seattle Sounders
