MLS Play-off Rewind

Well the first legs of the 2008 MLS Play-off series have come to a close. Every team is in a good position to have a realstic shot of advancement heading into this week's second leg matches. The teams to advance are the ones with the higher score on aggregate.

So far the defenses have dominated, with the total amount of goals scored in the four matches at a minimal five. Here's a recap of the four games that took place in the past three days and what to look forward to this week:

Chicago Fire v New England Revolution (0-0)

A scoreless draw at home is never a good thing, especially when you're in a play-off series against a hot Chicago Fire team. Yet the New England Revolution put themselves in that situation with their performance in Thursday night's match. The Fire, who also struggled to get much going offensively in this physical encounter, still have room for optimism. A win at home this Thursday against this bruised and battered Revolution team would see Chicago finally exercise their New England demons after being eliminated by them in each of the past three seasons. The game can be seen live nationwide on ESPN2 at 8:30 PM.

Houston Dynamo v New York Red Bulls (1-1)

The Red Bulls were five minutes away from winning the game on Saturday night which would've really boosted the team's morale given all of the tough circumstances they've encountered in recent weeks. Heading into the second leg with a 1-0 aggregate score against a heavily-favoured Houston side would've been ideal, but Kei Kamara would not allow it. His 85th minute equaliser silenced the home crowd and salvaged a 1-1 draw for the Dynamo.

With everything to play for next Sunday, expect an intense game in Houston, where the two-time defending champs only lost once all season long. New York on the contrary only managed to win one road game this year and that sounds like recipe for disaster if you're a Red Bulls fan. But don't be surprised if New York comes out swinging with full force as they know that they were minutes away from beating Houston last night.

Chivas USA v Real Salt Lake (1-0)

You can thank Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan for ruining what would've been a first round full of draws due to his game winning goal in the 90th minute. In all seriousness, his late game heroics have come in handy once again, as last week's late equalizer gave RSL their first play-off berth in franchise history.

Movsisyan's clever backheel has left fans raving, while Chivas USA needs to find a way to overcome the 1-0 aggregate. If they put forth an offensive performance as feeble as last night's, then you can stick a fork in them. Three shots (one shot on target) is not enough for a team to compete in the play-offs. The positive for Chivas USA is that they'll be at home for next Saturday's encounter.

Columbus Crew v Kansas City Wizards (1-1)

In the 52nd minute, Claudio "El Piojo" Lopez put in a beauty of a cross that found the head of a diving Davy Arnaud to give Kansas City an unlikely lead against the best team in the MLS. It appeared that the Wizards were on the verge of doing the impossible, but the Crew were resilient and equalized against a 10-man Kansas City side with a 92nd minute goal by Steven Lenhart, who had come off the bench nine minutes prior to his salvaging strike.

The Supporters' Shield winners are now going to fly back to Columbus in preparation for next Saturday's match where the Wizards will be without Herculez Gomez, as he was given a straight red card for a two-footed challenge in the 75th minute. The Wizards may be distraught after conceding the late goal but with all to play for this coming weekend, they'll need focus once again if they want to beat the best team in the MLS.


Which games did you see this weekend? Why do you think all the games were so close? Expect them to be as close in the second legs? Share your thoughts below.