Crew likely to emerge from the loaded East

You will probably spend part of this week hearing about how much of a mismatch the Columbus Crew-Kansas City Wizards MLS playoff series is, and how tough a matchup the latest installment of the Chicago Fire-New England Revolution playoff saga will be.

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Robbie Rogers is a key part of the Crew's dynamic attack.

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Those two story lines just might work for this year's MLS Eastern Conference playoffs, just not with the series you think they would. The Crew head into the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, but the Wizards were arguably the second-hottest team down the stretch, meaning anybody expecting Columbus to cruise might be in for a surprise.

Also, the Chicago Fire-New England Revolution series boasts plenty of history, including the Revs having knocked the Fire out of the past three postseasons. However, injuries and suspensions have the Revs looking like a bigger underdog than people realize against a healthy and loaded Fire squad.

Columbus Crew vs. Kansas City Wizards

The Crew won the Supporters' Shield (most points in MLS) by boasting the most consistent team and the best balance of offense and defense in the East. However, the Wizards were one of the hottest teams in MLS by season's end, finishing the year on a 5-1-1 run to qualify for the playoffs. Columbus wasn't exactly cold down the stretch. The Crew posted an imposing 8-1-2 record in its final 11 regular-season games, with the lone loss coming when Columbus fielded a team of backups.

What the Crew doesn't have in abundance is MLS playoff experience, which will happen when you miss the playoffs for three straight years. That doesn't mean Columbus doesn't have some playoff veterans. Forward Alejandro Moreno and midfielder Brian Carroll have won MLS Cup titles, Frankie Hejduk and Pat Noonan have playoff experience, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto won a truckload of trophies with Boca Juniors in Argentina.

After that, however, the playoff experience is thin. Key Crew players Brad Evans, Eddie Gaven, Will Hesmer, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke and Robbie Rogers have played a combined nine career MLS playoff games, with Gaven accounting for six of them.

The Wizards boast the edge in experience, with veterans Claudio Lopez, Kevin Hartman and Jimmy Conrad leading the way. But Kansas City will still be climbing uphill against a Columbus team that has grown up quite a bit this season.

Key matchup: Guillermo Barros Schelotto vs. Jack Jewsbury

Schelotto is the engine in the Crew attack, and Jewsbury is likely to get the call to shadow Schelotto as he floats around the midfield and up top.

The Wizards need to be careful about paying too much attention to Schelotto, though, because Brad Evans has shown an ability to get into the attack and score goals (as D.C. United learned). K.C. may have to pick its poison, and the safer bet is to try to contain Schelotto.

Players to watch:

Columbus Crew -- Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno, Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall

Kansas City Wizards -- Claudio Lopez, Jimmy Conrad, Kevin Hartman, Michael Harrington

Schelotto recorded a league-high 19 assists for the Crew, but the wings (Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven) are also very dangerous and are good at stretching defenses and creating space for Schelotto and Evans to operate.

Lopez is the creator and stepped up his game late in the season. The Wizards will miss Josh Wolff (out for the playoffs with a foot injury), but Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson will look to capitalize on Lopez's creativity.

X factors: Crew midfielder Brad Evans and Wizards defender Michael Harrington

When you consider the Columbus attack, a defense has so many threats to worry about that Evans invariably gets forgotten about. His five goals this season show that he is capable of making a team pay for that slight.

The Wizards don't boast quite as potent an offense, but one of the team's more underrated threats is Harrington, who is more than capable of getting forward on the left flank and initiating attacks with sharp crosses and his own forays toward goal. Harrington will have a chance to show why some consider him a future U.S. national team left back.

Outlook: There is no denying that these are two of the hottest teams in MLS heading into the playoffs. That said, Columbus is just too dynamic in its attack and its defense is capable of holding down a Wizards squad that will sorely miss Josh Wolff. Schelotto will show why he is the favorite to nab MLS MVP honors, and the Supporters' Shield winner is likely to advance to the Eastern Conference final, reaching the MLS Final Four for the first time since 2002.

Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution

There isn't an MLS postseason matchup with more history than the Fire-Revolution series. The teams have met six times in the playoffs since 2000, with New England coming out victorious in four of the past five and the past three straight years. That might seem like a mountain of history to climb, but this year's Fire is well-equipped to break the losing streak. As for the Revs? They don't look much like the team that has reached (and lost) four of the past six MLS Cup finals.

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It's no secret that the Fire's offense revolves around Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

For one, New England enters the match severely shorthanded, having lost captain and offensive leader Steve Ralston to a broken leg and striker Taylor Twellman to a concussion. Without Ralston to serve as catalyst, the Revs' attack has managed just two goals in three games. Throw in a pair of suspensions to key starters Gabriel Badilla and Khano Smith, at least for Game 1 -- due to red-card ejections in the final regular-season game versus the Wizards -- and New England will have its work cut out. The reality is that the Revs were struggling even before Ralston's injury, posting a 2-7-4 record since the All-Star break. It has been a long while since the Revs have been the consistent and dangerous team that led MLS at midseason.

The Fire also backed into the playoffs, posting a 3-4-2 mark in their last nine regular-season matches, but the one record that stands out heading into this series is 3-0. That was Chicago's record versus New England this season. Three wins by a combined score of 9-1, though the two blowout victories (4-0 and 3-0) took place in April and May.

Key matchup: Chicago midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco vs. New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph

Whether it is Joseph or Jeff Larentowicz, one of New England's central midfielders will need to deal with Blanco, who surely will be looking to make up for his nonexistent performance in last year's Eastern Conference final. Blanco has fought with some inconsistency late in the season, but he looks primed for a strong playoff run.

Joseph may have to pass the responsibility on to Larentowicz, because Joseph's offensive ability will be needed much more without Steve Ralston around.

This series is loaded with top-shelf matchups such as Michael Parkhurst versus Brian McBride.

Players to watch:

Chicago -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Brian McBride, Chris Rolfe, Bakary Soumare

New England -- Shalrie Joseph, Michael Parkhurst and Kheli Dube

Blanco pulls the strings in the middle, while McBride serves as the target man, with Mapp and Rolfe working the wings. Mapp quietly put together a decent eight-assist season, but if he ever starts playing to his full potential, Chicago's attack will be unstoppable.

Right now Rolfe may be the Fire's most dangerous player, and not just because of his first-half hat trick versus New York. The freedom he has on the right wing to float in and get up top makes him that much harder for defenses to account for.

With Twellman out indefinitely, look for New England to go with a speed lineup incorporating Kheli Dube, Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi, a trio that should stretch the Fire defense.

Michael Parkhurst will have extra pressure on him. The suspension of Badilla means New England is likely to employ a 3-5-2, with his job being to deal with McBride. Not exactly an easy task.

X factor: Chicago midfielder John Thorrington and New England midfielder Mauricio Castro

New England will have to contend with the Fire's attacking foursome of McBride, Blanco, Rolfe and Justin Mapp, which could leave room for Thorrington to do damage. Thorrington's tireless work rate will take advantage of any gaps in the Revs' defense left by overemphasis on Blanco.

The absence of Ralston means the Revs are sorely lacking in the creativity department. This is where Castro needs to pick up the slack. He managed just three assists this year, but he does have the vision to create and will need to be active in order to keep Chicago from sending too many numbers forward into the attack. If he can't create chances for the Revs attack, New England's offense will struggle mightily against Chicago's stingy defense.

Outlook: History is clearly on New England's side, with three straight playoff victories against Chicago, but the Revs team entering this year's playoffs isn't as strong as those past teams. They will be given a chance in this series by those who look at Chicago's own late-season struggles, but all signs point to the Fire finally breaking through and knocking off their archrival.

You can't completely write off New England, not while the Revs still boast a spine of Reis, Parkhurst and Joseph. But the Revs just don't have the weapons of past teams, while the Fire come in healthy, loaded and ready to exorcise its New England demons. Chicago likely will win both legs to march to the Eastern Conference final for a second straight season.

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He also writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.