Sadly, my viewing of the semi-final matches was limited this weekend. I planned to watch the Galaxy-Dynamo match before hitting the road Saturday morning, but the delayed kickoff and power outages meant I only caught the first half before hitting... Click to continue reading...

Now tell me truthfully. What is your abiding image of the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs? Is it Schelotto steaming on the bench in Salt Lake? Maybe Onstad "chesting" Flopping Fredy? Perhaps Ching's flying finish? Not me. I'll go with Mike... Click to continue reading...

Show of hands, please. Who thinks the MLS HQ thought police "requested" more goals after the Sounders-Dynamo 0-0 brawl (admittedly not a bad game to watch, despite the lack of goals) and the "might as well have been 0-0" RSL victory over the Crew... Click to continue reading...

It's that time of year again, MLS fans. The leaves are turning, a chill wind blows from the north, DC United are watching from home (sniff!), and the playoffs are getting ready to kick into gear. So let's take a look at the matchups and consult the... Click to continue reading...

So have we decided yet? Who's going to be holding the new-look MLS Cup come Sunday evening? Hard Hats or Crimson Cows? Let me present what I've seen in the grips of a fever dream . . . The first half opens slowly, with the Mouse's cameras spending most of the time panning the crowd for random celebrity sightings. Click to continue reading...

In case you missed them this weekend, go check out my reactions to the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals first. All done? Excellent. It's fitting, isn't it, that in a season that featured the Eastern Conference as the dominant force for much of the year, that we should end up with two teams from the East in the final. Click to continue reading...

Wow! I'm pretty sure the East went about as everybody expected, and I was part of the sizable camp that favored RSL over Chivas, but who saw the Dynamo not only getting ousted in the first round, but getting clotheslined by a low Red Bulls hurdle--at home to boot? MLS Cup 2008 is going to feature either RSL or the Red Bulls. Click to continue reading...

The first set of playoff results are in the book, and a tight lot of games they were--three draws and a one-goal victory. No tie was blown wide open, which means that we should see another tight state of affairs next week. What we're really seeing here is the Power of Parity. It doesn't matter if you stomped the league (Columbus) or just came back from the dead in the last month (KC). Click to continue reading...

Alright, let's get ready for the post-season with a quick walk through the first round matchups and make a few predictions, shall we . . . ? Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution The playoffs kick off tonight with the Fire paying a visit to the Revs in the battle of 2 vs. 3 in the East. On the basis of table position, playoff experience (and success), and mental toughness, you would have been Click to continue reading...

Despite expansion into Canada, the addition of high-profile designated players, the Beckhamania of Cirque du LA, and probably the most exciting regular season in league history, the MLS Cup final is painted in some familiar shades. It's interesting to note that with all of the foreign talent coming into the league in the form of Beckham, Blanco, Angel, Emilio, et al; the two teams that wind up Click to continue reading...

Well I'm a freakin' genius aren't I? One out of bloody four! Guess my playoff prediction form is just about the same as DC United's--miserable. Ah well, such do the winds of fickle fate blow in off the rocky shores of the thug-forests and parity-stricken suburban wastelands of MLS. Let's wrap up the first round and take a look ahead to the conference finals shall we? Click to continue reading...

Fire 1 : 0 United United will be thanking Perkins for keeping this one close. Thursday night will see the first conference finalist stake their claim as the Fire roll into the seething cauldron of darkness that will be RFK. Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate! Personally, I won't be abandoning my hopes for something along the lines of ManU's response to going a goal down in the first leg Click to continue reading...