2012 MLS Playoffs: Preview and Prediction for Each Conference Semifinal Matchup

With the conclusion of the knockout rounds of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, it's now time for the Conference Semifinals to get started. In case you missed it, here's what happened in the opening round of the playoffs.The Houston Dynamo were able to defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1, which earned them a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Galaxy pulled off a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to advance.The Conference Semifinals are formatted as a two-game series that has the lower-seeded team playing at home first.The league and its fans couldn't have asked for better matchups this round, as three of the four are true rivalries, and all have great history behind them. Here's a preview and prediction for each Conference Semifinal series.Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoffs 2012: Preview and Predictions for Seattle Sounders

Tonight’s marquee matchup between the Seattle Sounders (56 points) and Real Salt Lake (57 points) is the first of a two-leg aggregate goals MLS Cup playoff series.  It is the MLS’s newest rivalry, and tonight in CenturyLink Field in Seattle, it will be renewed once more. This is the second consecutive year the two teams meet in the playoffs. The 2011 meeting was a riveting 3-2 victory (on aggregate) for Real Salt Lake, and the 2012 version should prove to be no different.  Real is amidst questions about the future of the franchise. Many consider this to be the final run for the team’s core group of players, but a MLS Cup championship could change all that. They are unbeaten in their last five matches (seven including the CCL), but have been offensively anemic as of late. Real has only scored two goals in the month of October—with their final three matches ending in scoreless draws. Lost in Chris Wondolowski’s chase for the single-season scoring record and Thierry Henry’s stellar play is the unacknowledged performance of Real forward Álvaro Saborío. The Costa Rican national finished the season with 17 goals and three assists. He is responsible for 43 percent of ...

2012 MLS Playoffs: What to Watch for in Galaxy vs. Whitecaps

The Los Angeles Galaxy will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Western Conference knockout round on Nov. 1. Whichever team wins the match will move on to the Western Conference Semifinals and face No. 1 seeded San Jose Earthquakes.The Galaxy are fortunate to make the playoffs this season after a terrible first half, while Vancouver surprised many people by beating out FC Dallas for the final playoff spot.We've already seen fifth-seeded Houston Dynamo beat the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference knockout round. Will we see another upset in the West?Here's what to watch for during Thursday's crucial playoff matchup. Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoffs 2012: The Houston Dynamo Look to Make Another Run at the MLS Cup

Last night, in a frigid 42 degrees at Toyota Park, the Houston Dynamo eliminated the Chicago Fire from the playoffs. Head coach Dominic Kinnear is at it again, and has many believing his team can make its second-consecutive MLS cup. Houston was pedestrian on the road all season (3-9-5)—a step up from its 2-6-9 record in 2011—but played an impressive 90 minutes of soccer that propelled it to a 2-1 victory.  The Dynamo were poised from the start and took advantage of the Fire’s shaky play. Brad Davis’ assist off a corner kick led to Will Bruin’s header in the 12th minute and gave Houston the early lead.  The Fire had only allowed six goals off a set piece all season, but their first of the playoffs was costly. Davis, who has 92 career assists (46 off a set piece), had no issues connecting with the Dynamo’s top scorer, due in large part to Jalil Anibaba’s slippery footing inside the box.Houston would maintain control for the remainder of the match. Chicago’s 4-2-3-1 formation was setup primarily to defend, but shoddy defending allowed Calen Carr to send a beautiful ball in the box that led to Houston’s next score. Bruin had ...

MLS Playoffs: Bruin’s Double Sends Dynamo into Semifinals

On Wednesday night, the 2012 MLS playoffs kicked off at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, and a familiar playoff favorite continued their winning ways in the postseason.The Houston Dynamo once again came out to play in the MLS Cup Playoffs and advanced into the semifinal round with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference knockout round.Houston went up early in the 12th minute with a goal from forward Will Bruin.Bruin's header found the back of the net off of a corner kick by veteran Brad Davis.On the corner kick, Chicago defender Jalil Anibaba slipped in the penalty area while defending Bruin, allowing the Dynamo forward to score the first of his two goals of the night.Bruin's second goal came in the 46th minute as he capitalized on poor defending by Chicago and fired his shot right past keeper Sean Johnson, who had a miserable night in the net.Throughout the rest of the second half it seemed like the Dynamo had the match all locked up, but the Fire gave the two-time MLS Cup champions a bit of pressure late in the second half.In the 83rd minute, substitute Alex scored to give the Fire and their home ...

2012 MLS Playoffs: Making the Case for Each Knockout Round Team to Advance

With the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs looming, there's no doubt that we're in store for an exciting postseason with what seems to be one of the more competitive fields in recent playoff history. It all starts on Halloween night with the first of two matches of the knockout round to be played.The new playoff format this year pits the fourth and fifth seeds of each conference against each other in a single-elimination game to determine who goes on to play in the Conference Semifinals.In the Eastern Conference, we have the No. 5 Houston Dynamo traveling to the Windy City to face the No. 4 Chicago Fire on Oct. 31.And in the Western Conference, the No. 4 Los Angeles Galaxy will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Nov. 1 to begin their title defense.The great thing about the playoffs is that anything can happen. It's like a brand new season, and nothing matters except the match that's right in front of you.Here's a breakdown of why each of the four knockout round teams can advance to the Conference Semifinals.Begin Slideshow