MLS playoffs: 3 things to watch in the 1st leg of the Conference Semifinals
The 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs keep rolling Sunday with the first leg of the conference semifinals set to kick off. Eight teams will square off in the first of a two-legged series, home and away, to determine which two will advance from each conference.
With the LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, and New England Revolution all eliminated, here's what to watch for in this latest round of MLS playoff action:
Will D.C. United survive the raging Red Bulls?
The New York Red Bulls have taken MLS by storm this year, due to a combination of their high-pressure, fast-tempo play and the quality of players like Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dax McCarty, and Mike Grella. It's one of the toughest forward lines in the league and the most ruthlessly efficient; New York scored 62 goals this year, more than any other team.
As such, D.C. United faces a tall task at RFK Stadium in the first-leg match, a task that was made significantly more difficult when the club's top defender and leader, Bobby Boswell, was suspended for the home fixture.
It's a huge loss for Ben Olsen's side, and could be the difference between these two Eastern Conference giants. Boswell will be back for the second leg next Sunday, though.
Can Drogba reign supreme once more?
No player has kicked off his time in Major League Soccer with as much ferocity and pure success as Didier Drogba has with the Montreal Impact. His 12 goals in 12 games for Montreal speak louder than words ever could.
So freely does the former Chelsea forward score goals and create for his side that a Toronto FC team highlighted by the league's soon-to-be-named MVP, Sebastian Giovinco, fell apart within minutes of facing Drogba at the end of the year.
You can chalk that up to Toronto's league-worst back four, but the way Drogba (and Ignacio Piatti) dismantled Toronto FC in the course of one week must have the Columbus Crew worried. Will the Crew fare any better? It doesn't look like many teams can at this point.
Could there be a Cascadia final in the West?
As this is the first leg of two, it's tough to predict what the outcome of the Western Conference semifinals will be just yet. FC Dallas takes on the Seattle Sounders while the Vancouver Whitecaps square off against the Portland Timbers.
But, as Toronto and Montreal's rivalry opened the playoffs for the Eastern Conference, so too could a huge rivalry close off the conference finals in the West. Should Portland and Seattle pick up wins today, the two gain significant advantages for next Sunday and can potentially prepare for a Cascadia showdown.
There's no atmosphere in MLS quite like the one born of this historic rivalry. It's a bitter back-and-forth that has been around since the '70s. But the Cascadia Cup is contested by three teams, and the Vancouver Whitecaps are the third of three, also in contention for a potential final spot against Seattle.
Keep an eye out in the West, because with a Seattle win, the Western Conference final will certainly be a grand spectacle.