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Jeff Bradley

Game on
The MLS Web site is aglow with advertisements, trumpeting the arrival of David Beckham to Los Angeles. But as I've been saying since the day Becks signed, if you take away the gate aspect, he's not the most important player on the Galaxy.

That player is Landon Donovan.

Donovan returned to the Galaxy last night and promptly helped his team deliver a much-needed victory. He scored twice from the spot (though you have to wonder when keepers are going to force him to do something other than hit the ball down the middle) as L.A. beat Chicago 2-0. The Galaxy have a full five games in hand on Colorado and trail the Rapids by just five points. As far as I'm concerned, L.A.'s season started last night.

Speaking of the Western standings, that was an important victory for Dallas yesterday over Chivas USA. A win for Chivas yesterday would've moved the Goats to within three points of FCD with four games in hand. Even with the victory for FCD, the West is far from decided. If Houston can defeat Red Bull New York tonight on ESPN2, the Dynamo will suddenly be within three points of the lead.

And what about the turnaround for D.C. in the East? After a horrendous start, DCU is now in first place after a 1-0 road victory over Kansas City yesterday. D.C. has lost just once in its last 10 games and is looking like the team to beat in that conference.

Then again, only nine points separate last-place Chicago from first-place D.C. in the East. The MLS regular season, often mocked for being "meaningless," is looking pretty meaningful at the moment.

Confession time, once again … with what's going on in Venezuela and Canada, I've had a tough time focusing on MLS these past couple of weeks … can someone please tell me when and how Facundo Erpen ended up in Colorado?

Flight canceled
Thursday was certainly an up and down soccer night for me and my two sons, but I promised when I returned to the blogging part of the world, there were certain things I'd leave alone. I think most of you out there understand what I'm feeling today.

Bittersweet for sure. And to make the feeling linger, I'm sitting in Newark Airport with lots of time to kill, since my flight to Milwaukee was canceled.

Glamorous sometimes, this sports writing life.

But, anyway, there's MLS to deal with and last night, Houston continued its Robertson dominance over Chivas USA, and then some. Brad Davis scored some beautiful goals and you'd have a hard time finding a more precise left foot anywhere in the league.

I do think, however, last night is one of those games where Houston is not as good as they looked and Chivas is not as bad as they looked. One thing is for sure, however, when this team moved from San Jose to Houston, they maintained one thing that had been a ClashQuakes tradition, and that's home-field dominance.

Good job by the Houston fans making that place a cauldron.

I'm sure everyone's heard the buzz that the MLB's Mets are interested in running an MLS team. Jack Bell of the New York Times wrote about it.

The idea of an MLS team in Queens, N.Y. is nothing new, just that the Mets would be interested in running the show.

My personal opinion is that a team in Queens would not have any kind of negative effect on the Red Bulls current attendance (how much worse can it get?), and won't in the future when the Red Bulls move into their stadium in Harrison, N.J. I think perhaps the only thing that would get people to trek from Queens to Harrison would be a local derby involving the two teams. So, for me, it's all good.

And I like the way the Mets have reached out to Latino fans. I'm not going to pretend I'm smart enough to know if the bulk of those fans are from béisbol countries like the Dominican Republic, or if there's a significant number from Colombia and Ecuador.

Of the five MLS games we've got this weekend, the one that intrigues me the most is D.C. United at Real Salt Lake. Why? Well, maybe it's the tabloid baseball writer in my (NY Daily News, 1992-95) that roots for streaks…and we all know RSL's got one going.

More to come this weekend from the Brew City.

Lots to track
With the Gold Cup quarterfinals set for this afternoon, it's easy to forget a marquee MLS matchup that's on tap for tonight when the Red Bulls host the Kansas City Wizards at Giants Stadium. I know my DVR will be set up to record this one.

The K.C.-N.Y. matchup is intriguing for me as it shows clearly what the right change at the top can do for a team. In New York, the turnaround under Bruce Arena has been nothing short of miraculous. A team that was among the most disorganized in the MLS a year ago now ranks as perhaps the best-looking unit in the league. In K.C., where they've missed the playoffs the last two seasons, Curt Onalfo has the Wizards looking like Cup contenders.

Of course, this being MLS during Gold Cup action, we've got player absences to deal with, most notably Golden Boot leader Eddie Johnson missing for K.C. Perhaps promising youngster Yura Movsisyan will get a start up front.

For the Red Bulls, it's been amazing how Juan Pablo Angel always seems in perfect position to score. Most of his goals have been of the can't-miss variety and that's no coincidence. He has a fantastic sense of where to be on the field.

I know there are many folks out there who will downplay this matchup because, well, in the MLS the regular season always seems meaningless come playoff time. But, for me, matches like this are what you make them. I think both Arena and his former U.S. assistant Onalfo will have their teams jacked up for this game and have them wanting to take control of the Eastern Conference.

The other game that I'm excited to see tonight is that between Colorado and Chivas USA. From what I've seen of Chivas this season, they play the most exciting brand of soccer in the league, moving the ball quickly, looking to generate chances on the fly. They'll be missing Jonathan Bornstein on the left, but I don't expect them to change their style.

As for Colorado, the Rapids are just one of those hard-to-play-against units, they grapple a team every step of the way, play a lot of crosses into the box, and do it effectively. Having one team that wants the ball on the ground and another that wants to muck it up always makes for an interesting match.

In the beginning of the season, I commented in my First XI column on MLSNet that the league is just incredibly balanced. When you look at the standings and see nine teams with between four and seven wins, at the quarter-point of the season (some teams have played a few more games), I think it illustrates the evenness pretty vividly.

When you break from the pack, however, you can't help but want to pay close attention to the bottom-feeders ... and Sunday's Real Salt Lake-Los Angeles Galaxy match is the game that sets up as a very intriguing game. How can it be that RSL has not won a game? How can it be that the Galaxy have won only one? Can L.A. compete without Landon Donovan? Is David Beckham's arrival going to fix what needs to be fixed? I don't know why, but I have a hard time keeping my eyes off the Galaxy and their predicament.

Horrible ending
It was almost an all-soccer weekend for me. Both of my sons played in tournaments, the national team had a game on Saturday and, of course, there was a full slate of MLS.

I used the word "almost" up top because, there's always baseball in my life (Little League and Big League) and there was also the hour I reserved for the final episode of "The Sopranos".

Do I even need to state what the biggest disappointment of my weekend?

After watching "The Sopranos" from Day One, I think I speak for all fans of the show, especially those of us who grew up in North Jersey, when I say, "What the …?"

The setup was working nicely, the family gathering at Holsten' Ice Cream Parlor in Bloomfield. Phil Leotardo already popped in front of his wife and grandkids. All kinds of tension as Tony eyed up the patrons and Meadow struggled to parallel park the car.

And then, black.

Three words. Worst. Ending. Ever.

So, back to soccer.

And what jumps out at me in MLS today, is that for the first time I look at the Eastern Conference and realize that three (not two) teams will miss out on the playoffs. I guess that's a sign that the league is growing.

I'm serious. I took a look at the East today to notice that, for example, Columbus will have to jump Toronto, Chicago and D.C. just to get into the fourth position. That's a daunting task for the Crew, even if there is a lot of season left.

Also, and I'm not sure why I'm fixating on the bottom feeders, but the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake have to be getting a little antsy about now, sitting six points with the season a quarter over. When you look at what's above them … Dallas, Houston, Colorado and Chivas USA … there's got to be a feeling that some wins cannot come soon enough.

And just how can L.A. and RSL turn their seasons around? Well, one of them will get the chance this Sunday at the Home Depot Center when they battle each other.

I'll be watching that game closely, but something tells me it'll end up in a 0-0 draw. In other words, it'll be a soccer version of that final "Sopranos" episode.

That's my guess, anyway.

Back in the game
It's been a while since I've blogged about soccer, but I've been convinced that it's time for me to try and get back into the rhythm of the game.

Why'd I walk away from this blog in the first place? Well, as most of you know, about six months ago, my brother Bob was named interim coach of the U.S. national team. At that time, I just kind of figured there was no way I could comment on anything related to American soccer, some sort of conflict.

I've never backed away from the fact that, when it comes to my brother, I cannot be unbiased. Throughout his career, I've not only rooted for the teams he's coached, I've lived and died with them. From Princeton to D.C. United to Chicago to the MetroStars and Chivas USA, when one of Bob's teams is playing, I'm a full-fledged fan.

To that end, even as I've written about soccer for ESPN The Magazine since 1998, I've pretty much tried to avoid anything related to Bob's teams. Of course, that hasn't stopped many e-mailing fans from calling me biased on any number of issues. But I've always just taken it with a grain of salt.

But when it became Bob's job to coach the U.S. and, in effect, every player with an American passport, I just figured there was nothing I could write about anymore. I told my bosses that I thought it best if I stick to baseball, golf and the other sports I cover.

And that's one thing I'd like readers to understand. I've been a sportswriter, covering a variety of sports, since 1989. That means I was a sportswriter when Bob was cutting his teeth at Princeton. So, contrary to what many soccer fans seem to think, I did not suddenly decide to write about sports when my big brother became a coach. He and I really got started in our respective careers around the same time.

Of course, his rise was faster than mine.

This brings me to the present and my decision to return to the blog. One thing Bob and I have in common is that we both love the game of soccer. And, to be honest, I miss writing about it. After talking it over with some friends and colleagues, I figured, if I write about MLS without mentioning anything about a player's standing on the national team, I'm free and clear of any real or perceived bias.

Yeah, right. I know I'll still get e-mails from people who will rail me for my Princeton/D.C./Chicago/MetroStars/Chivas USA slant to everything, but I'll try to deal.

Just understand this about me: When the U.S. is playing (like last night), you don't even want my analysis. Why? Because I can barely watch the games these days. I have an eye on the score and an eye on the clock, but little else. Unless you've got a family member who's coached or played in big games, you can't possibly understand what it's like.

It's not a lot of fun.

However, I've noticed that I'm able to watch MLS games pretty closely this year. I no longer watch the games with a constant eye on what my brother's team is doing.

So, I'll try to stick to MLS.

And if you see me at a U.S. game, know I'm just like you. . .I'm a fan.

New show up north
So, Friday MLS gets its first Canadian franchise up and running, when it holds Toronto FC's (TFC) expansion draft.

Must admit, it's odd that it's even called a "draft" because it's only one team and there's no reason for a draft order or anything, basically Toronto gets to pick 10 players, no more than one per team, off the list of unprotected players, which is right here.

And, because this is a Canadian team, there are a number of odd roster restrictions that, ultimately, TFC will have to deal with.

For example, the bulk of their roster will be "domestic players," meaning Canadian citizens or Canadian residents.

But up to three "domestic players" will be guys who would qualify as domestic players on a U.S.-based MLS team. In other words, they can be American citizens or American Green Card holders.

After that, TFC can have the usual four Senior Internationals (non-domestic players who turn 25 or are older during the year).

And five Youth Internationals (up to 24 years old); two of these slots expire at the end of the team's 2008 season. The catch here is that these "Internationals" can be American.

I used the word "ultimately" up top because it's not like TFC manager Mo Johnston is going to have to be rules-compliant on Friday. So, my guess is that Johnston is going to use his 10 picks as if they were chips in a poker game. He'll be working the phones this week to find out a lot from the other 12 MLS teams. A few questions he might be asking the GMs of opposing teams:

1. Is there anyone on the unprotected list, from another team, you'd like? If so, I can pick him and you can give me something in return.

2. If I take one of your guys, would you give me a draft pick in the upcoming SuperDraft to get him back?

3. Better yet, if I take a guy you want, would you give me some of your allocation money back in return?

With that in mind, I present my 10-best team-building selections Mo Johnston should make on Friday afternoon.

1. Adrian Serioux. He's Canadian and he can start in the back for TFC. Really, I know Mo wasn't wild about Adrian last year when he had him in New York during preseason, but this is a no-brainer.

2. Nate Jaqua. Young and versatile.

3. Jesus Morales. Youth International forward from Chivas USA.

4. Rod Dyachenko. Youth International from D.C. United.

5. Clarence Goodson. Solid, experienced MLS center-back from FC Dallas.

6. Guillermo Gonzalez. No harm taking another youngster.

7. Jeff Larentowicz. Another young American who got good minutes this year.

8. Danny O'Rourke. Mo traded Serioux for him when he was in New York.

9. Andy Williams. Born in Toronto, and he is destined to play for every team.

10. Mike Petke. Take him and trade him back to Colorado for a pick.

Two-legged race
From where I am sitting (this week, catching all of my MLS action on my iBook G4 from baseball press boxes in St. Louis and Detroit), the first week of the MLS Cup playoffs could not have played out any better. All four series are a long 90 minutes (and perhaps more) away from being decided. These things are going down to the wire.

I'm excited because there's nothing like a goal to open up a soccer game, right? Well, with DC, Chicago, Dallas and Chivas entering the second leg of these aggregate series with one-goal advantages, the trailing teams have to force action. That, in turn, opens up things in their own defensive ends. MLS has developed a lot of things in 11 years, but I've yet to see an MLS team that's really good at playing for a 0-0 draw. Thank goodness for that, I say, and I'll be shocked if any of the games this weekend end scoreless.

The longest shot of them all, or so it seems, is the Red Bulls at D.C. The last time these teams met at RFK, D.C. emerged with a 4-3 victory. Yeah, that's three goals allowed by D.C., so it's not impossible to think they'll give up one or two on Saturday. If the first goal is scored by the Red Bulls, the pace of this game will become frenzied. The fear here is that if D.C. gets the first one, it will do what it does better than any MLS team, and that's commit tactical fouls and waste time. If the game stays on a one-goal margin, I fully expect the Red Bulls to get their chances. I believe the Red Bulls can win, even though I do not like the stat that shows they've won a grand total of one match (of 13) this season against the other three Eastern Conference playoff teams.

The other home team that dropped Leg One, the Rapids, is also a team fully capable of a victory. If not for some remarkable goalkeeping by Dario Sala (I'll leave the ref- and linesman-bashing to others, to me that's part of the game you deal with), Colorado is at least tied going into Game 2. A lot of people I talk to in the soccer business have been saying all year that the Rapids are not a good team and I disagree wholeheartedly. To me, they're one of those hard-to-figure MLS teams. They have enough grit with guys like Pablo Mastroeni and Mike Petke to create turnovers and force the other team into errors, and they have a goalkeeper in Joe Cannon who is fully capable of standing on his head in any game. Tell me you can't see this series going to penalties. I'm not listening.

The Revolution have too much firepower with Taylor Twellman, Clint Dempsey, Steve Ralston and Andy Dorman to bow out quietly. They are not going to get shut out at Gillette, so unless the Fire can get a goal or two, this series is totally up for grabs for 90 more minutes. Of course, the suspension to Shalrie Joseph is going to hurt, and I might add, was not justified. Check out the video and try to tell me how that's worthy of a suspension. Am I wrong? To me, Joseph has two of Ivan Guerrero's arms wrapped around him and tries to push him away with a stiff arm. What's Joseph supposed to do there, let Guerrero hang all over him?

Chicago, to its credit, is playing well and seems to be the best "team" in the tournament. Translated, there's cohesion and trust on display out there and you get the feeling that Chris Armas is on a mission to get back to another MLS Cup.

If Chivas USA thought for a second that even a 2-0 lead was going to be safe at Houston, they got slapped right across their collective faces, surrendering a goal to Brian Ching and conceding a penalty in the final 20 minutes on Sunday. Brad Guzan came up with a big save on Dwayne DeRosario to preserve the one-goal advantage, but if Chivas surrenders as many free kicks (by my count, Houston had 654 restarts inside of 30 yards on Sunday), they'll pay.

Houston probably will have the best homefield advantage of any of the four teams hosting this weekend. Yeah, I know that sets D.C. fans off, but you get the feeling that the Red Bulls would rather play anywhere but on the FieldTurf of Giants Stadium. The players hate to use it as an excuse, and the Red Bulls were a pretty good home team this year, but in a playoff game against a D.C. team that is (justifiably) more concerned with keeping a clean sheet than scoring a goal, it's not the ideal surface for attacking soccer. It's also rarely mentioned, but the field at GS is hardly regulation width.

Robertson Stadium, which should be rocking pretty good (I get my info from ESPN2's Houston resident PBP man Glenn Davis), will be a hostile environment for Chivas USA. Robertson's pitch is narrow and fast (though it's hardly Spartan Stadium), so the Dynamo will try to come out flying from the start and make the pace of the game dizzying. My gut here is the same as the Chicago-New England series. It's too tall an order for Chivas to keep a clean sheet in this match, so Ante Razov and Paco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia are going to have to put a chance away.

For New York, I think Youri Djorkaeff has a moment of magic left in him. He dropped a few hints in the last game, eluding defenders with the ball at his feet on several occasions, that he's going to do something great before he hangs up his boots. If Bruce Arena can get wide play on the right side, either from Markus Schopp or Marvell Wynne, that mirrors what he got from Todd Dunivant, D.C. can be pinned back. And, this is no knock on Jon Conway, who has been great, but if I have to win one game, I go with Tony Meola, because he's always had a lot of "I'll Show You" in him. Would it be classic, or what, to see Tony going up against D.C in a PK shootout?

For Colorado, I don't know what it is about this team, but the Rapids just have a way of doing things the hard way. I've seen them score some late equalizers and winners this year, and I can see this game staying on a one-goal margin until the last 15 minutes and the Rapids pulling even on some late-game heroics. If it goes to penalties, as good as Sala was last week, the edge goes to Cannon.

I haven't even looked at the Weather Channel (except as it pertains to St. Louis and Detroit) but I'll be shocked if I turn on my miniature MLSLive screen (can I make it larger, anyone?) and don't see the Revs and Fire playing in some type of monsoon at Gillette. Against that backdrop, I see Twellman sliding on his butt to knock one in. Yeah, I can definitely see penalties here, too. I've picked Chicago to go to the finals on the USA Today writers poll, so I have to stick with my pick, even though Reis is a dynamite PK stopper.

And my predicted final has Houston taking on Chicago. So even as Chivas USA carries a lead into Leg Two, I'm picking the Dynamo to advance on (why not?) penalties. This one going to PKs, actually, makes a lot of sense as Chivas have been a hard team to beat by more than a goal all season long. Chivas USA went to PKs once this year, in their miserable Open Cup loss to that FC Roma amateur team, and isn't it too much to ask Guzan to stop any more PKs? At any rate, I'm sticking with all my original predictions, which means I have only the Fire holding onto their lead. Do I believe a thing I've written will actually happen? Uh, no. Except that nothing's decided.

And I'll be relying on my 13-inch screen for all the action.

It's a good thing!
It's hip to knock the MLS playoffs, as Red Bull goalkeeper coach Des McAleenan did about a week ago on BigAppleSoccer.com, calling the system "a sham," but, I make no apologies for liking them.

Call me an unabashed American soccer fan. My feeling is, this is our system for 11 years now -- although the format has been altered a few times since 1996 -- and it works for me. In fact, I'm downright excited about what's about to begin this weekend. Year in and year out, the playoffs provide us with the best games of the season, and I expect nothing less this year. Obviously, the No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchups (New England vs. Chicago and Chivas USA vs. Houston) are too close to call, but I also expect the No. 4 seeds, Colorado and New York, to play FC Dallas and D.C. United tough, albeit through conservative tactics and a lot of tactical fouling and time-wasting.

In fact, I expect both NY and Colorado to at least draw in their home legs this weekend. That will set up some big-time battles next week. So, what's not to love?

Yeah, yeah, I know everything in Europe is better to some soccer fans out there, but I'm downright thrilled to take in all the games over the next month.

In the weekly column I write for MLSNet, this week, I chronicled what I think to be the Best 11 first-round series in MLS history.

Here's that list:

11. 2000, MetroStars over Burn

OK, let's start off slow here. The MetroStars went from worst to first in 2000 and hooked up with Dallas in the first-round of the "first to five" playoff series. Clint Mathis gives the Metros a 1-0 lead in minute 34 of Game 1. Paul Grafer, subbing for the injured Mike Ammann (remember the Mamadou Diallo incident?) stops a pk, but Dallas still manages to equalize on a goal by Bobby Rhine. The MetroStars and Burn appear headed for a draw, which would be a huge moral victory for the visiting Burn, but on the final kick of the game, Adolfo Valencia spins into the box and scores a Golden Goal. In Game 2, Mathis nets a pair and Grafer provides the Metros with what, to this day, is their only playoff series victory. Bruce Arena will look to change that, starting this weekend.

10. 2005, Rapids over FC Dallas

Series Overtime was never more exciting than this. After a 0-0 draw at Invesco, the Rapids and FCD play to a 1-1 draw at Pizza Hut Park. On to Series OT and Carlos Ruiz scores what would have been a series-winner for FCD back in the Golden Goal days. But since this one will play out, the Rapids have time to come back. All they need is about a minute and Ritchie Kotschau is able to bring the Rapids back to level. A second OT session provides no dramatic winner, so it's on to PKs, where the Rapids prevail 5-4. Alas, a week later the Rapids are unable to win their second-ever Western Conference title, falling 2-0 to the Galaxy.

9. 2001, Galaxy over MetroStars

The first game in this first to five ends in a 1-1 draw and the Metros rip the Galaxy 4-1 in Game 2 at Giants Stadium. So, a draw gets Metro into the semifinal. So, do you think Game 3 was played close to the vest. Heck no. In a thrilling finale, the Galaxy win 3-2, forcing what is known as "series overtime." And in the OT, a Mauricio Cienfuegos free kick deflects off of Mark Chung, past Timmy Howard and into the net. To this day, what I still am trying to figure out is why only 6,000 Galaxy fans attended this game?

8. 2004, Revolution over Columbus

Fans of the Columbus Crew look back on this series in much the same way that MetroBull fans look back at the 1996 loss to D.C.

United. And Crew fans put Tony Sanneh up there with the aforementioned Rob Johnson when it comes to villains. After dropping Game 1 of the two-goal aggregate series 1-0 at Foxboro, the Crew had a pair of penalty kick attempts to take the lead, but Rev keeper Matt Reis stopped both of them. The first attempt was taken by the team's usual penalty-taker Ross Paule. The second was taken by Sanneh, who opted for placement over power and was denied by Reis. In the 81st minute, Taylor Twellman's goal made the lead an insurmountable 2-0, and the Revs, who barely squeezed into the playoffs, were on their way to the conference final.

7. 1996, Wiz over Burn

Did anyone see "Once in a Lifetime?" Did you hear Rodney Marsh and Johan Cruyff talking about their love of the Shootout? I laughed at that, with the way American fans act like it was created by the devil himself. Anyway, in 1996 (and I have to word this properly), MLS saw its one and only series that came down to a Game 3 Shootout (not pk's, a shootout with the Price is Right clock and all) won by the "Wiz." The "Wiz" and Burn split a pair of 2-1 games, to set up the finale, which was a back and forth affair. Dallas grabbed the lead on a goal by Hugo Sanchez only to see KC level the game through Mark Chung and take the lead on a goal by the one and only Digital Takawira. Dallas did not go down easily, however, and tied the game at two on a goal by Gerell Elliott, setting up the Shooout. And my memory may be cloudy, but I seem to recall that no one was quite as good in the old tiebreaker as Ron Newman's "Wiz." I was told that was due to all the collective indoor experience on the squad.

6. 2001, Fusion over Wizards

A few weeks ago, I botched a note about the old Miami Fusion FC, giving credit to Ray Hudson for the team's dramatic entrance into the 1999 playoffs. Alas, ol' Ray didn't even become coach of the Fusion until 2000, but what he'll be remembered most for is his team in 2001, which won the Supporters Shield. The other thing that the Fusion did was win a dramatic three-game set over the defending MLS Cup champion Wizards in the first round. The Fusion won Game 1 of the First to Five series by a 2-0 score only to get whacked 3-0 at Arrowhead. In need of a hero for Game 3, who better than Chris Henderson, who'd been dumped by the Wizards after their MLS Cup season, to score the game-winner in the 71st minute of the finale at Lockhart Stadium.

5. 2005, Revolution over MetroStars

In Game 1 of the two-game aggregate series, the Metros (steered by then-interim coach Mo Johnston) get a 30-yard bomb from Amado Guevera, then clamp down on the heavily-favored Revs for a 1-0 victory. In Game 2, with October snow falling in Foxborough, the Revs force the issue but fall behind 2-0 on aggregate when Youri Djorkaeff scores on a counter. The Metros are a mere 30 minutes away from a date with DC United in the conference final, but the Revs come roaring back on goals by Pepe Cancela, Pat Noonan and Khano Smith. It will turn out to be the final game ever for the team named the MetroStars.

4. 1996, D.C. United over MetroStars

When MetroStars/Red Bulls fans look into the past for villains, many point the finger at a guy named Rob Johnson, whom they remember as the guy who tried to slide tackle Marco Etcheverry in the waning moments of a decisive Game 3 at RFK Stadium. As Etcheverry knifed his way into the box, Johnson was just a bit late and El Diablo was only to happy to absorb the contact and go flying through the air to earn the penalty. Raul Diaz Arce converted from the spot and D.C. was on its way to the second round and, ultimately, the first MLS Cup title. This was an amazing series from the outset.

This was back when the format called for a winner in each and every game. So, when Game 1, in the driving rain at Giants Stadium, ended in a regulation, 2-2 draw, the contest went to the shootout. In 11 rounds, the tie-breaker was won by the MetroStars. The format then called for Games 2 and 3 to be played at RFK and D.C. responded with a pair of victories, the first a 1-0 game won in the 72nd minute by Etcheverry, who scored a rare right-footed goal. The finale was a classic. D.C. looked in control and got a garbage goal by Steve Rammel in the 67th, but then the MetroStars turned the game around. In the 86th, Antony De Avila equalized and just a moment later had a chance to win the game, but sent a close-range shot just wide. Roberto Donadoni hit the post with a free kick. The game appeared certain to be heading to a shooout ... when out came the foot of Johnson.

3. 2004, Wizards over Earthquakes

Maybe if the Wizards had gone on to defeat D.C. United in the 2004 MLS Cup final this series would be more talked-about. Or maybe it's just because I have an East Coast bias that I don't talk about it more. Who knows ... but suffice it to say, the Wizards came from 2-0 down after Game 1 to win 3-0 in the second leg and the ultimate winner was scored in stoppage time by Jack Jewsbury. It doesn't get much better than that.

2. 1999, Burn over Fire

Heart stopping all the way and the series that ultimately fueled a supporter-driven competition called the Brimstone Cup. Game 1 at the Cotton Bowl went to Dallas, by a 2-1 score. Game 2 was all Fire, 4-0, at Soldier Field. But at the very end of Game 2, as the final seconds were ticking away, a reckless tackle by Dema Kovalenko shattered the leg of Burn defender Brandon Pollard and infuriated the Dallas team. But it was not until the Fire had taken a 2-0 lead five minutes into Game 3 that the Burn were able to channel their anger in the right direction. In the 55th minute, a goal by Chad Deering made it 2-1 and put Chicago back on its heels. But the Fire defended well for the next half hour, and had a handful of chances on the counter, but couldn't deliver the knockout punch.

In the 84th minute, Dallas equalized when C.J. Brown was whistled for a handball in the box and Jorge Rodriguez converted the penalty. And, just two minutes later, Ariel Graziani pounced on a loose ball in the box and delivered the series winner. Dallas coach Dave Dir picked up the injured Pollard like a baby and carried him into the celebration.

1. 2003, Earthquakes over Galaxy

The Daddy of all first round playoff series. The 4th-seeded Galaxy take a 2-0 victory in the home leg, then go out a week later and extend the aggregate to 4-0 in the first 13 minutes of action at Spartan Stadium. Talk about a butt-kicking. But, no. It all starts with a free kick from Jeff Agoos in the 21st minute. Then, in the 35th, Landon Donovan (then the most-hated man in L.A.) makes it 4-2. Give the Quakes credit for battling, but still, there's no way the Galaxy can cough up a four-goal lead. Or is there?

Five minutes into the second half, Jamil Walker makes the aggregate 4-3. Game, officially, on. The Galaxy manage to dig in, and hold the Quakes at bay for the next 39 minutes, but just when it looked like they'd manage to hold on, defender Chris Roner delivers the tying goal, and it's on to extra time. The ultimate come from behind story would not be complete without an unlikely hero, and erstwhile forward Rodrigo Faria is just the man to provide the winner, slicing a tight angle shot past Hartman as Spartan goes wild. Looking back now, it was an amazing, surreal night in MLS history. Can't imagine this one being topped.

One prediction that came true
Back on Aug. 29, I wrote this:

Here's a prediction for this season. Giants Stadium. Oct. 14. The Red Bulls and K.C. Wizards will be playing a do-or-die game for the East's final playoff spot.

It appeared here.

And what do you know, for a rare time, I was right.

For the second straight year, the Red Bulls (well, last year the MetroStars) will need a win on the final day of the season to secure a spot in the playoffs. Though Jon Conway has been getting more minutes in goal than Tony Meola in the last few weeks, do not be shocked if the veteran Meola gets the call this weekend. Last year, Meola stood on his head at the Home Depot Center as the Metros defeated Chivas USA, 2-0.

The Red Bull-K.C. matchup is not the only game this weekend with playoff implications. In the West, the final slot and the seeding is still up for grabs and there are a few interesting things to look for.

Mainly, I'm interested to see if Houston and Colorado pre-arrange a draw. Lousy as that match-fixing scheme seems, a draw gets both clubs exactly what they want. Houston gets the No. 2 seed and Colorado gets into the playoffs. The only thing that would push Colorado hard in this match is the belief that they'd have a better first-round playoff chance against Houston than Dallas. I don't expect the Rapids to risk a thing here.

This is one of those touchy subjects that occurs within a championship season from time to time, and the team that's going to have its antennae up is Real Salt Lake, which will be squeezed out of the playoff race if the Rapids-Dynamo game ends up in a draw. Making matters worse, RSL and Chivas USA do not play until Sunday. In a perfect world, those two matches would be played simultaneously. Now, there's nothing that can be done.

Personally, I'd be shocked if the Houston-Colorado match ends up in anything but a tie.

Farewell, Mooch
There are many fine tributes out there about U.S. national team assistant coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick.

Here's mine.

But I strongly urge you to read others, especially the one written by Marc Connolly and this one by Grant Wahl.

Mooch will be missed by all of us who cover the game of soccer in this country. Even with his busted-up nose and tough-as-nails attitude, he was always approachable and willing to share a laugh.

I love the Open Cup
I love the Open Cup. Always have, always will. So I made sure to set aside the time, and set the TiVo last night for the Chicago vs. Los Angeles final. The game did not disappoint at all.

For highlights of the match, go to www.mlsnet.com.

For the Fire, who won 3-1, it's their fourth Open Cup title in nine years of existence and they've been to the final five times.

I know I'm a day late with previews, but Ridge Mahoney's piece about C.J. Brown on USAToday.com is worth reading if you missed it.

And Luis Bueno's piece in the Press-Enterprise also gets into how little publicity the old tournament gets.

I'm biased, of course, but I still like the idea of tying the Open Cup final in with the Hall of Fame inductions. In fact, I think it's a no-brainer.

Like most American soccer fans, I read BigSoccer, and I was alarmed to see a thread devoted to the mistakes I've made in my MLSNet column. Kind of reminds me of Stat Boy on "Pardon the Interruption." Only, those guys are doing it live. I actually have time to check. Shame on me.

I guess I was also ashamed to have errors, but not surprised given the number of e-mails I get each week about the column. American soccer fans might not be many in number, but they are definitely in tune with what's written on the Internet.

Moving ahead to this weekend, the MLS playoff picture could become a lot clearer … or not. Here's a quick synopsis of what can happen.

In the East, it pretty much looks like the only spot up for grabs is going to be the final slot, which is now owned by Kansas City, with the Red Bulls hanging in there, two points back.

The West is much, much murkier, as only six points separate second from fifth place.

Of course, I'm hoping Chivas USA can take care of business and enter the playoffs through the front door. They'll take on a tired Galaxy team, but will be forced to play without Juan Pablo Garcia, who injured his groin late in last weekend's match. Sure, it's personal, but I cannot forget about Alexi Lalas talking about how Bob Bradley (my brother) was a good pick for Chivas USA coach because "the bar is set low." If CDCUSA can end the Galaxy's season this weekend, my inclination is to think the bar has been re-set.

But maybe that's just me.

As my friends know, I'm as much into lists as Nick Hornby's character in "High Fidelity." So, here is a list of statistical oddities (some more odd than others) from this MLS season.

This one is already a done deal. D.C. United has become the first team to record back-to-back 50-point seasons since the 2000 and 2001 Chicago Fire. If that's not an indication of how difficult it's become to maintain consistency in MLS, I don't know what is. It's also a nice feather in the already feathery cap of D.C. boss Peter Nowak, who, as you know, was a part of all four of those 50-point teams.

With one more victory or three draws, Chivas USA will have made a 27-point jump from last year to this year, and will have completed the most dramatic one-season improvement since 2000, when the MetroStars of Octavio Zambrano and Clint Mathis improved by a whopping 39 points, and the eventual champion Wizards of Tony Meola and Miklos Molnar improved by 37 points. Last year, the San Jose Earthquakes improved by 26 points, going from 38 points in 2004 to a league-best 64 a year ago.

Unless they rally late, the Los Angeles Galaxy will become the first defending MLS Cup champ to miss the playoffs since 2000 (a magical year, it seems), when D.C. United, fresh off three titles and four straight trips to the final, began a three-year playoff drought.

Real Salt Lake has a little ground to make up on the field, or striker and MVP candidate Jeff Cunningham could become the first man to win the Golden Boot and not get a chance to participate in the postseason. While Cunningham surely wants to make the playoffs, we're going to point out that with 16 goals, he is currently two short of the most goals ever scored by a player on a non-playoff team. That was Raul Diaz Arce, who scored 18 goals for the 1998 Revolution.

Maybe it just seems like a year when a low-point total is going to make the playoffs. In fact, the 1999 Miami Fusion qualified for the playoffs with just 29 points. Amazing when you consider the Wizards missed out a year ago with 45. This year's magic number will probably be in the 40-point range.

Barring a miraculous late-season streak, Columbus will be missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in its history. In the event Columbus misses out, next year the Crew will try to avoid becoming just the third team in league history to miss the playoffs in three straight seasons. The aforementioned D.C. United team missed out on the postseason from 2000-02 while the San Jose Earthquakes, right before the arrival of a guy named Donovan, went four years without a visit to the playoffs, from 1997-2000.

FC Dallas (formerly the Dallas Burn) is closing in on their first-ever regulat-season conference title. Colorado would then become only non-expansion team without one. Even the now-defunct Florida teams won regular-season conference titles -- Tampa Bay in 1996 and Miami in 2001.

Houston and New England have taken pretty significant drops in points this season. Currently, the Dynamo (Quakes) are 23 points shy of their 64 point total of one season ago, while the Revolution are 20 points light of their 59-point effort from 2005. But not to worry, Houston and New England fans. The record of the Tampa Bay Mutiny, who dropped 38 points (52 to 14) from 2000 to 2001, is safe. Probably for eternity.

The Colorado Rapids are minus-11 in the GF-GA category, which seems pretty bad for a team that looks to be playoff bound. But the Rapids pale in comparison to the 2001 K.C. Wizards, who were a grotesque minus-20 in 2001, and the 1998 Miami Fusion, who qualified for the playoffs despite being minus-22. How the heck did that happen?

Even if they win out, the Red Bulls (MetroStars), who were made over after a 47-point season a year ago, have clinched their worst point total (points per game) since 2002. Still, if they can edge out Kansas City for the final playoff spot in the East, history will be made. Never has the East sent the same four teams to the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

And, Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake both are trying to avoid history in their final three matches. No MLS team has ever missed the playoffs in its first two seasons in existence. That's right, every MLS team since 1996 made it to the dance in one of its first two seasons in the league.

And finally, here's a note only a devoted follower of the Fox Soccer Channel could appreciate. Seems "Smilin' Bob" might finally have that grin wiped off his face.