Underdogs look to spoil the party in the East

Don't tell the Chicago Fire or New York Red Bulls, but the Eastern Conference is supposed to be predictable. D.C. and New England have been pegged to meet in the conference final for the second straight season, and the first round of the MLS playoffs is supposed to be a mere formality.

The Fire and Red Bulls feel otherwise.

Chicago tied D.C. the past two times the teams met (both in the past month) and the Red Bulls tied New England in their last meeting but came away feeling like they outplayed the defending East champions. Those results have the underdogs believing they can prevent the conference final most observers are expecting to happen.

D.C. United vs. Chicago Fire

Why would the Chicago Fire, a team that needed a win or a tie in their final regular-season game to even make the playoffs, want a piece of D.C. United? An eight-match unbeaten streak to finish the season will do that (even if five of the eight were draws). A pair of solid ties against D.C. in the past month will do that and, perhaps most importantly, a history of beating D.C. United in the playoffs will do that.

Chicago has owned D.C. United in the postseason, from a 2-0 win in the 1998 MLS Cup final to a pair of series victories in 2003 and 2005. In fact, the Fire not only has gone unbeaten against D.C. in the playoffs (4-0-1) but also has outscored D.C. 10-0 in their postseason meetings.

More importantly, under new coach Juan Carlos Osorio, Chicago has developed the defensive discipline it will need to keep that playoff record against D.C. United intact.

What will D.C. need to do to break the jinx? Contain Cuauhtemoc Blanco, get Christian Gomez the ball and hope Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno are healthy enough to be their usual dangerous selves. If D.C. can do that, it will break the Fire playoff jinx.

Key matchup: Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco vs. D.C. United midfielder Clyde Simms

The Fire attack revolves around Blanco getting plenty of the ball and having the space to deliver his pinpoint passes. Olsen's task will be to smother, frustrate and potentially anger Blanco. Simms isn't as adept at getting under an opponent's skin as Ben Olsen, but his tenacity and physical play should make things difficult for Blanco.

Simms could wind up elsewhere on Thursday if injuries force D.C. coach Tom Soehn to juggle the lineup. Midfielder Brian Carroll could also get the call to deal with Blanco.

Players to watch: For D.C. United: Luciano Emilio, Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen -- For Chicago: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chris Rolfe, Chris Armas and Paulo Wanchope

Emilio scored 20 goals for D.C. this year, but Gomez remains the key catalyst of the league's most potent midfield. The 2006 MLS MVP is peaking, and Chicago will need veteran Chris Armas to try to slow Gomez down like he did in the 2005 playoffs.

Chicago's struggles with finishing could lead Osorio to bench ineffective Paulo Wanchope, the onetime Costa Rican World Cup star, and slide Chris Rolfe up top. But it may be difficult for Osorio to bench Wanchope, at least for Game 1.

X factors: Chicago midfielder/forward Chris Rolfe and D.C. United midfielder Fred.

Speed kills, and no Fire player brings that element to the table like Rolfe, who has spent much of this season on the right flank but who could return to his natural forward spot for this series. He has a nose for the goal and should have a good battle with Fred on the flank if he doesn't play up front.

Fred will be looking to do the same thing as Rolfe -- use his speed to punish whatever midfielder Osorio throws out on the right flank. The Brazilian could wind up being the key to helping D.C. break down Chicago's stingy defense.

Outlook: This series is far closer than your typical No. 1 vs. No. 4 seed and has the makings of a defensive battle. Look for Christian Gomez to make up for his 2005 playoff performance against Chicago, a series that ended with his receiving a red card for spitting in the face of Fire defender C.J. Brown. Gomez and Blanco will be the stars, and the series will come down to penalty kicks, which D.C. United will win to advance.

New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls

By all accounts, this should be a cakewalk for the Revolution. The Revs finished 2-0-1 against the Red Bulls this season and have won five straight first-round playoff series, the longest streak in the league, while the Red Bulls have lost five straight first-round playoff series.

So why are the Red Bulls so confident? It helps that there aren't many current players who were around for most of those past playoff failures. It also helps that they boast one of the league's best forward tandems in Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore. What won't help is a shaky defense that required tweaking very late in the season.

Key matchup: Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel vs. New England defender Michael Parkhurst. You can't ask for a better matchup than the league's best forward and best defender. Angel's combination of physical gifts and technical skill make him a defender's nightmare, but Parkhurst combines deceptive speed with uncanny positional sense to always put him in good position.

Players to watch: For New England: Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, Michael Parkhurst and Steve Ralston -- For the Red Bulls: Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore, Claudio Reyna and Dane Richards

Twellman and Pat Noonan have enjoyed unreal success against the Red Bulls through the years, and there is little reason to believe that success won't continue.

The battle between Shalrie Joseph and Claudio Reyna could wind up determining the winner of this series. Reyna played very well in the final two meetings against the Revs, and his patience and ability to hold the ball will be key to keeping pressure off the Red Bulls defense.

Look for Altidore to have a strong series. With Parkhurst focusing on Angel, Altidore could prove to be too much for the Revs' suspect defense to handle.

Revs coach Steve Nicol's use of Steve Ralston in central midfield hasn't exactly paid off in the results department (the Revs finished 0-2-1 in October), so it will be interesting to see if he puts Ralston back on the right and returns Andy Dorman to the starting lineup.

X factors: Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards and New England midfielder Andy Dorman

Richards enjoyed a Rookie of the Year-worthy season on the right flank, and his speed and shiftiness has created trouble for most Red Bulls opponents. Revs winger Khano Smith had handled Richards well in two previous meetings before Richards schooled him in the last meeting. If Richards can get loose, the Revs defense will have trouble keeping service away from Angel and Altidore.

Dorman is a bit of an enigma for the Revs. He was a Best XI-level player in the first half of the season before tailing off in recent months, and he fell out of the starting lineup in October. If Dorman can regain his early-season form, he could pick apart the Red Bulls defense.

Outlook: New England knows how to win in the playoffs and the Red Bulls don't. That's as simple as it gets. The only chance the Red Bulls really have is if Reyna elevates his game and carries the midfield and if coach Bruce Arena somehow finds a defensive combination that can eliminate mistakes and limit the Revs. That is a lot to ask for. The Revs' playoff experience will give them the edge as they tie the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium before beating them at Gillette Stadium to take the series.

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.) and writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.