Will David Beckham and Landon Donovan be celebrating on Sunday? (Getty Images)

This is a game I've gone back and forth with all week. Two western conference squads meeting in the league final is going to be interesting. Not many had picked both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake to make it this far back at the start of the season.

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Tonight starts the conference finals in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs. We all know the pairings going into the conference finals and for the most part we know who the league and ESPN are hoping to see in the MLS Cup.

We have our favorites and we certainly have our underdog. These next two games will put either a really high profile match in MLS Cup 2009 or one that sees a couple of western conference clubs battling it out like last year's two eastern conference teams did in LA.

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Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy against rivals Chivas. (Getty Images)

One more weekend of action and we will be in the conference finals here. One club is already in and three others will move on this weekend. After last weekend's play the pressure is on a couple home teams to rebound while one just has to keep on doing what they do best in front of their fans.

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Eric Brunner and Columbus try to slow down Yura Movsisyan and RSL tonight. (Getty Images)

Tonight the second leg of the first round playoff matches kickoff in Columbus as the Crew host Real Salt Lake. RSL holds a slight 1-0 lead in the goals department in this two-legged series thanks to the late goal from Robbie Rogers last weekend.

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Columbus needs a big game from Robbie Rogers at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Getty Images)

While last night's game in Seattle got the playoffs started with a 0-0 bang, the rest of the playoff clubs get ready to join the Dynamo and Sounders in the fun. One series kicks off tomorrow night while the other two wait it out for Sunday.

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Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

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Toronto FC needs another win to get into the playoffs for the first time. (Getty Images)

It all comes down to one final weekend in Major League Soccer. I don't believe the league front office could have even dreamed up this kind of weekend that puts a lot of meaning on the regular season as a whole.

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Seattle does everything right off the field, including game previews. Click to continue reading...

Sacha Kljestan and Chivas head to Chicago to face the Fire. (Getty Images)

It is simple for each club, keep winning and good things happen. All the Chicago Fire needs to do tonight is win (or even draw) and they are in the playoffs. As for Chivas a win tonight and a win over the weekend could turn into a Supporter's Shield trophy.

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Well, the long winding MLS season has come down to this: needing 6 points from 2 games and needing a host of other things to go our way in MLS play for the chance to advance into the playoffs. Last year around this time, Columbus was eliminating us at Crew Stadium, and I was happy that the elimination might lead to sweeping changes in the team.

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It's do or die for Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Big time weekend ahead for Major League Soccer. Four clubs have punched their tickets to the post season dance with four remaining spots left open to possibly all get snatched up this weekend.

You can pretty much put a playoff implication on every game this weekend.

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Jason Kreis and RSL need a win tonight to stay in playoff contention. (Getty Images)

While there is an important US game tonight in Washington DC, there happens to also be a MLS game tonight. Yay for MLS scheduling a game right during World Cup qualifying season, in the middle of the week no less.

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BMO Field will be rocking this weekend as the Reds host San Jose. (Getty Images)

Week 30 is a short one for Major League Soccer. Once again the international dates for World Cup qualifiers are taking over the majority of the weekend but three games were still scheduled during it. Not a bad thing as we gear towards the playoffs though as this weekend should gives us a better indication out of a couple clubs on whether or not they are playoff bound or will be staying home this fall.

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Jeff Cunningham will have to continue his MVP form tonight in San Jose.

You want some playoff type drama? Good because tonight's midweek clash between San Jose and Dallas offers just that. Win and continue on in a the little hope of reaching the playoffs, lose or tie and you season is pretty much over.

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Landon Donovan and Blanco battle tonight in LA. (Getty Images)

This weeks previews fall into the shorter than normal bracket. As I mentioned the other day I am going to be in Austin for the weekend for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This weekend gears to be another weekend that will let us know who will make it into the playoffs, we may even see another team clinch a playoff birth.

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The Los Angeles Galaxy takes on the Chicago Fire in a battle of second place teams on Friday, October 2 at 8PM. The game will be on ESPN2.

On paper this should be a tough, hard fought match between two teams that need to be peaking right now if they have hopes of going deep in the post-season.

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Its kind of weird to see the Cotton Bowl hosting MLS once again but tonight it happens. The New England Revolution travel to Dallas to play part of a double header that will pretty much only boost Dallas' dreadful season attendance figures.

New England comes into town on a fairly hot streak despite the fact they just lost one of their key players Steve Ralston for the rest of the year to a knee injury.

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Plenty of MLS clubs will be interested in tonight's mid-week clash at Dick's Sporting Goods Park as the Colorado Rapids host the San Jose Earthquakes. Plenty of clubs want Colorado out of the playoff picture while San Jose is hoping to not just play the role of spoiler but go on a crazy run of wins to get them back into the playoffs for the first time in a few years.

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Seattle needs another big game out of Fredy Montero this weekend. (Getty Images)

There's not too many more weekends left in the 2009 regular season. Week 27 is a full one as we gear towards the playoffs in a few weeks. With so many clubs still in contention the action this weekend should promise to be very good.

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Were there regulation in MLS, this would be called a relegation 6 pointer. DC United stinks on the road, but FC Dallas stinks everywhere. Dallas sits second to last in the Western Conference with 23 points, and DCU has 32 points which puts them in 4th in the East. Rapidly losing ground in the playoff race, with teams above them with games in hand, DC United needs to take care of business on the road and come back with all three points.

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I may be on vacation getting ready for my wedding but I did spare a second to do some game pickings. Yes the previews are going to be kept mighty short but thankfully we only have three games to deal with. I guess the league decided three games would be enough of a break during an international window of World Cup qualifiers.

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Landon Donovan and Paulo Nagamura battle in the third and last SuperClasico of the year. (Getty Images)

We have another loaded week of soccer ahead of us. Week 24 got off to a bang earlier in the week in Salt Lake as Real Salt Lake got their playoff chances back on track with a resounding 4-0 blowout of expansion mates Chivas USA.

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Sasha Kljestan leads Chivas USA tonight into Rio Tinto Stadium to face RSL. (Getty Images)

Old expansion mates square off tonight in what could be said is a must-win situation for the home side. Real Salt Lake enters tonight's game at Rio Tinto Stadium with Chivas USA just three points behind the last playoff spot.

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Landon Donovan leads LA against DC this weekend. (Getty Images)

So far the week has not been kind to my predictions. In two midweek games both road sides have gone out and upset some seemingly strong sides on their own turf. Both LA and New England played solid matches this past week and earned three big road points in the process.

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Fredy Montero leads Seattle tonight against New England. (Getty Images)

As mentioned yesterday, this week is loaded with MLS action. Tonight we get another primetime clash on ESPN2 as the Seattle Sounders FC host the New England Revolution.

This is a big match for both sides, New England is looking to prove to the rest of the eastern conference and the league for the matter that they are a playoff worthy club.

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Blanco and Wilman Conde look to shutdown the Galaxy tonight. (Getty Images)

Week 23 in Major League Soccer gets started a little early. Tonight we get a primetime clash on ESPN2 as the Chicago Fire host the LA Galaxy. Now of course this game has lost a little appeal with David Beckahm (and Eddie Lewis) being suspended for a red card in last week's game against Seattle.

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Jeff Cunningham leads Dallas into Columbus this weekend. (Getty Images)

A fun weekend ahead for MLS clubs. The playoff races are heating up like a wild fire and at this point the majority of the league is still in the running for a playoff spot. While this week may not ultimately determine who goes into the playoffs and who is hitting the links early this fall it will indeed help us all know how is getting closer to clinching said playoff spots.

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A busy day at Offside HQ, and whole boat load of stuff to talk about. Strap in.

- First and foremost, roster moves. The long rumored, and now finally finalized move for David Habaruguira, defender from Anderlecht in the Netherlands. He had throughly impressed Tom Soehn, enough that he had this to say,

"He is pretty versatile, pretty polished," Soehn said.

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Cam Weaver and Dave van den Burgh battle again tonight. (Getty Images)

There's nothing like kicking off a week with a good in-state derby. Tonight we get just that for week 21's kickoff as the Houston Dynamo travel to Frisco, TX to face FC Dallas. Both clubs are coming off big wins from last weekend and look to take ownership of El Capitán, the prize given to the winning club in the season series.

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Dominic Kinnear is excited for tonight, are you? (photo via MLS)

It is that time once again, the MLS All-Stars take on a club from the other side of the pond. Feel the excitement? Yeah I honestly don't. Just like every year I get less and less excited about this game, mostly because of the set up of the league taking on a club in preseason mode.

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Watch it live on ESPN2 at 6pm Pacific.

It looks like Edson is out and Gordo will be starting. Check out the video preview with thoughts from Bruce, Landon, David, and Alan Gordon.

And just in case you forgot, remember this goal from last year? Poor Hartman. I still miss that guy.

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Chicago's Patrick Nyarko and Seattle's Osvaldo Alonso battle again this weekend. (Getty Images)

We steam roll into another weekend of soccer here starting with one game tonight along with a full slate of games tomorrow. Week 19 is the final week before the league's All-Star break next week.

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Americans Abroad / USMNT
World Cup Cities - USSoccerPlayers.com
USA-Mexico Qualifier To Be Aired In English On mun2 - Soccer By Ives
USA-Mexico TV Update - Soccer Insider
Video: US Soccer At The ESPYs - The Offside Rules
Conrad Feeling Better - Hillcrest Road
'Keeper Change - The MNT Blog
A Tale Of Two Trainings - The MNT Blog
Parkhurst Recalled For Semifinal - The MNT Blog
USA 2, Panama 1: A Look Back - Soccer By Ives
US v Panama Player Ratings - Soccer365
Beckerman, Holden, Marshall Earn Top Marks - Soccer America
United States Soccer: What To Do Now? Click to continue reading...

Americans Abroad / USMNT
The Case For Jimmy Conrad - MLS Talk
MNT Wins ESPY For 'Best Upset' - The MNT Blog
Beckerman's Turn - USSoccerPlayers.com
Johnson Concludes Australia Tour - Yanks Abroad
Thin Squad For Panama Encounter - Yanks Abroad
Zizzo Loan Halted By Heart Irregularity - Yanks Abroad
MLSnet Game Previews
- Conference Leaders Clash In Toronto
- United, Rapids Renew Rivalry Saturday
- Crew Chasing Home Streak Record
Chicago Fire
Well-Traveled Ward Finds Fit In Chicago - MLSnet
Video: Blanco Leads Fire To SuperLiga Final - Soccer By Ives
Fire vs. Click to continue reading...

How's the tension between Landon Donovan and David Beckham? (Getty Images)

Let's just say tonight's clash in Giant's Stadium will be an interesting one to tune into if you can. While the Red Bulls are embarking on one of the worst seasons in league history, the LA Galaxy are hoping their chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time in a couple years continue to grow as they get the return of David Beckham.

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