MLS Team of the Week from Conference Semifinal 1st Legs

The stakes were raised this weekend in Major League Soccer, as the conference semifinal round of the playoffs began.  In the four first-leg matches, plenty of key players had big days to put their respective sides in position to advance to the next round. Tremendous goalkeeping, stout defending and superb attacking skills were all on display in each game, which made choosing the best 11 from the weekend a tough task.  To accommodate one more attack-minded player, the MLS Team of the Week is shaped in a 4-3-1-2 this week. Begin Slideshow

Winners and Losers from MLS Conference Semifinal 1st Legs

The business end of the 2014 Major League Soccer season began this week with 10 teams vying for the chance to hoist the MLS Cup on December 7.  Two teams, Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver, were eliminated in the knockout round, which left us with eight teams heading into the first leg of Conference Semifinal play.  In the four matches this weekend, we learned a lot about each of the teams left in the playoffs. But we were not given much in regard to which four teams will earn a berth in the Eastern and Western Conference finals.  Here is a look at some of the winners and losers from first-leg action in the Conference Semifinal round. Begin Slideshow

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: FC Dallas vs. Seattle Score and Twitter Reaction

The Seattle Sounders took a major step toward advancing in the MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday, earning a 1-1 tie against FC Dallas. Michel gave the hosts an early 1-0 lead on a well-taken penalty, but the Sounders—notorious for their second-half performances—got an equalizer from Osvaldo Alonso on a set piece and held on for the draw. It's a huge edge for the Sounders in their quest to back up their Supporters' Shield-winning regular season, but Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy wasn't impressed with either side: ESPN's Taylor Twellman disagreed: Either way, the Sounders are just a clean sheet away from booking a spot in the conference finals for the second time in the club's short history. The first major chance came in the 18th minute. Obafemi Martins got clear behind Dallas' back four, but a tame effort was saved by Raul Fernandez. Although the defense was bearing down on him, it was undoubtedly one that the MLS' No. 5 goal scorer would love to have back, as The Seattle Times' Matt Pentz alluded to: After a bit of back-and-forth in the midfield, Dallas struck first thanks to a calamitous mistake by Marco Pappa. The 26-year-old Guatemalan took down Andres Escobar with a completely unnecessary challenge in the ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: New York vs. DC United Score and Twitter Reaction

New York Red Bulls took a strong option on qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals of the MLS playoffs by beating DC United 2-0 at home Sunday, dominating from start to finish and giving themselves a healthy lead as they head for RFK Stadium on Saturday. The hosts took control of possession early, finding some success against DC's high press in midfield. Thierry Henry was lively drifting out wide and produced the first bit of attacking display, firing in a cross that was dealt with well by the defence. The visitors looked as organized as you'd expect from one of MLS' elite defenses, but the same couldn't be said for Chris Pontius' beard, via the league's official Twitter feed: Nick DeLeon launched an excellent counter opportunity for DC, but both Jamison Olave (for the hosts) and Fabian Espindola (for the visitors) couldn't control the ball.    New York continued to look the better team, with star striker Bradley Wright-Phillips bent on sneaking behind the defence. The 29-year-old consistently timed his runs wrong inside the first 30 minutes, however, negating plenty of the hosts' attacking moves. Peguy Luyindula came close to opening the score, as Dax McCarty's shot took a wicked deflection off the Frenchman, only to ...

Thierry Henry Backheel Sets Up Bradley Wright-Phillips’ Goal in MLS Playoffs

Thierry Henry may be 37 years old, but he's still up to his old tricks and playing a major role in a title challenge. Henry's New York Red Bulls hosted DC United in the first leg of the MLS semifinals Sunday, and he got the home side off to an excellent start with this clever backheel assist.At the end of it was Bradley Wright-Phillips, the league's leading scorer this season with an impressive 27 regular-season goals.Henry doubled his assists tally in the 73rd minute, providing this brilliant ball for Pegguy Luyindula.All in a day's work for the Frenchman.[Twitter] Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas: Keys That Will Shape Semi

The Supporters' Shield-winning Seattle Sounders face FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals, beginning on Sunday night. The first leg will be at Toyota Stadium, and the return match will be hosted at CenturyLink Field the following weekend. There have only been six Supporters' Shield winners that have gone on to win the MLS Cup, per ESPN FC. Seattle will be hoping to make history and become the seventh side to accomplish the feat. Here are the keys to this Western Conference semifinal matchup.Begin Slideshow

Charlie Davies Makes New England Legitimate MLS Cup Contender with Brace

The New England Revolution sent a message to Major League Soccer Saturday afternoon with their 4-2 win over Columbus in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal.  Jay Heaps' side bossed around the Crew in Ohio thanks to a relentless high pressure, but it was the contributions of New England's starting forward that made the Revs a team to fear for the rest of the playoffs. Charlie Davies, who has gone through plenty of struggles since his car accident in 2009, looked like the forward who played strong in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup with his brace against Columbus.  On the first goal of the game, Davies made a terrific run in between two defenders to latch on to a Kelyn Rowe free-kick with a diving header.  The curving run displayed Davies' terrific instinct in front of goal, and it gave Columbus yet another reason to be concerned about defending New England's attack.  His second strike came in the 78th minute, when the Crew defense gave the 28-year-old way too much space on the outside of the box. Davies proceeded to punish the hosts with a strike into the right side of the net past Crew 'keeper Steve Clark.  For Davies, this was a performance ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy Score and Twitter Reaction

Real Salt Lake did their best to press a home-field advantage in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy, who benefited from a brilliant performance by goalie Jaime Penedo to secure a 0-0 draw. The Galaxy finished the season five points ahead of Real Salt Lake and were hoping to come away with a crucial away goal at Rio Tinto Stadium.  Real Salt Lake relayed the biggest key to the game for the team, which centered on the potent attacking trio of Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Landon Donovan: However, it would be the home side that featured the majority of the attacking flair, playing the ball forward smoothly and crisply while forcing the Galaxy to rely almost solely on the counterattack to generate any semblance of offense. The game got off to a fairly quiet start, the booming drums in the stands notwithstanding, as both teams sized each other up. Keane got off the first shot of the match in the fifth minute, but goalie Nick Rimando made a clear-cut save. The strike would be one of only three shots on the night for the Galaxy. Much has been made of Donovan's decision to retire from the ...

Revolution Beat Crew 4-2 in 1st Leg of Semis

New England Revolution took a major step toward qualification for the Eastern Conference final, beating Columbus Crew 4-2 in Ohio to set up the perfect scenario for the return at Gillette Stadium next Sunday. The first chance of the match fell to the visitors and found Charlie Davies isolated in front of goal. The striker attempted a cheeky backheel but missed the ball completely, and he really should have done better with the early look on goal. Both teams came out with a lot of aggression in the first half, but official Drew Fischer took a wait-and-see approach, letting both teams battle it out in the centre of the pitch. Revolution manager Jay Heaps didn't appreciate the referee allowing plenty of contact, via the MLS' official Twitter feed: New England had the better of play in the first half, with Lee Nguyen in particular putting in an excellent performance. Finding Andrew Farrell inside the box, stopper Steve Clark was forced into making a spectacular save to deny the visitors from scoring that all-important away goal. Nguyen's brilliance throughout the match drew rave reviews from Goal's Ives Galarcep: Justin Meram should have opened the scoring for the hosts in the 29th minute, after the New England ...