Posted by Heath Harshman

By Heath Harshman- WFD Fan Correspondent

Well that didn't go as planned. After the first round of the MLS playoffs last week the upcoming round looks a bit different than most people (me) thought it would. Lower seed upsets by FC Dallas, San Jose and the Colorado Rapids sent the MLS world tumbling. No matchup more than the brilliantly exciting 3-2 aggregate victory by the Earthquakes over big favorite New York Red Bulls epitomized the first round more. With the semifinals at hand it will be interesting to see what twists and turns the MLS playoffs still have to offer. With that in mind, here are my thoughts and picks for the upcoming round of MLS action.



Los Angeles Galaxy vs. FC Dallas (November 14, 6pm PT on ESPN2/Deportes)


In the Western Conference finals the Galaxy, who dispatched one of the hottest MLS teams in the Seattle Sounders with ease in round one, take on FC Dallas, who were impressive themselves, defeating defending MLS Cup Champion Real Salt Lake.

The Supporter's Shield winning Galaxy was lead by MLS MVP candidate Edson Buddle, who tallied twice over the two legs. A stunning first-leg volley from 30 yards out gave Los Angeles a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg, where David Beckham would set up two more Galaxy goals en route to a smooth 3-1 win.

Meanwhile, FC Dallas, one of the surprises of this MLS season, took out Real Salt Lake 3-2 on aggregate. Second half substitute Eric Avila powered home a line drive goal in the 88th minute of the first leg to give Schellas Hyndman's men a 2-1 victory. That goal meant that the 1-1 road draw in Salt Lake put Dallas through to the conference finals, something not many Dallas fans thought possible after going their first six games of the season without recording a victory.

The keys in this matchup are fairly obvious. Golden boot runner-up Edson Buddle will need to be target number one for the Dallas defense, which has allowed just .93 goals per game this season. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, formerly a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy, will need to keep up his stunning season form, which saw him lose just once in twenty matches.

While a lineup including Buddle, Beckham, American talisman Landon Donovan and young Brazilian Juninho is about as frightening as an MLS team can get, the Galaxy defense will also have their hands full. Dallas playmaker and MLS MVP candidate David Ferreira and 13-year MLS veteran Jeff Cunningham have combined for 19 goals and 14 assists this season and were both integral parts of the FC Dallas second half run, in which they lost just twice since the month of June.


Prediction: In what is going to be a much more exciting matchup than most think, Dallas gives the Galaxy a tough matchup, but Los Angeles has just enough offense to get them through, 3-1 to L.A. (Extra credit to up my credentials after going 1-3 on predictions in the first round: Donovan gets two of the three goals.



Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes (November 13, 6:30pm PT on FSC)


In what is dubbed the "Eastern Conference Finals", despite having no team east of the Mississippi river, the Rapids and Earthquakes offer one of the more interesting playoff matchups in recent memory. Both Western Conference teams upset the only two Eastern Conference teams to make the playoffs and both did so in exciting fashion.

The Colorado Rapids just barely edged the 2008 MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew on penalties after the two teams tied 2-2 on aggregate. After taking the home leg 1-0, the Rapids were saved in the final 10 minutes of the second leg after Conor Casey skillfully toe poked the aggregate tying goal after the Crew managed a 2-0 lead. The match then went to penalties where Crew midfielder Brian Carroll skied his kick over the crossbar to send the Rapids to the MLS semis.

The most exciting tie of the MLS playoffs thus far was the upset of the New York Red Bulls by the San Jose Earthquakes. Despite losing the home leg of the tie 1-0, the Chris Wondolowski lead Earthquakes battled to a dramatic 3-1 road win to move on to the next round. MLS veteran Bobby Convey got the comeback started with a sixth minute goal in the second leg and added to the realism of advancing after scoring again in the 76th. But just two minutes later Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel brought the tie level at 2-2 and put New York back in the pole position. Then came the moment that some expected, some thought too improbable and some couldn't believe. He had a poor first leg and had yet to contribute much in the second leg, but San Jose Earthquakes MVP (and my vote for MLS MVP) Chris Wondolowski headed home a brilliant early cross from Convey to once again put the Earthquakes in place to advance. They held on and now are just one game away from reaching the MLS Cup final after being the last team to clinch a playoff spot.

These two MLS semifinalists offer a few great matchups to watch for. Both teams allowed an average of over a goal per game and have offensive weapons to do damage. Wondolowski will obviously be a key for the Rapids defense. The Red Bulls successfully marked him for around 170 minutes in the first round and the Colorado coaching staff would've been keen to take notes on that. Wondo has tallied 18 of the Earthquakes 34 goals this season, around 53% of the total. Also, no player other than Wondolowski has tallied more than three goals this season for San Jose. Shutting him down could be the key to Colorado progressing.

The Rapids are a bit deeper than the Earthquakes, but not much. Striking tandem Conor Casey and Omar Cummings scored 27 goals this season, more than 50% of the Rapids total. Having those two combine well and work together in attack will be the most important thing for San Jose to disrupt. The Earthquakes let the Red Bulls garner much of the possession in the first round of the playoffs, but did a good job of not letting that possession turn into scoring opportunities. Doing what the Red Bulls couldn't and capitalizing on those chances will be the biggest factor in who advances from this tie.


Prediction: A really tough call in a match that I can really see going either way. Home field in the altitude may just be the difference maker, I'll go 1-0 to Colorado as someone finally figures out Wondo and the Rapids sneak into the MLS Cup Final.


In addition to being a weekly blogger for WFD, I write for the Washington State University student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, where I have a weekly sports column. I am also a WSU Men's basketball correspondent for Jim Basnight and mynorthwest.com. You can find past pieces and follow my work not only for WFD but for The Daily Evergreen and mynorthwest.com by following me on twitter @heathharshman or adding me on facebook. Any feedback is welcome at heath_harshman@yahoo.com.