McCarthy's Musings: MLS Conference Final Preview

Posted Saturday, November 13, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

Eastern Conference Final

San Jose (E4) v. Colorado (E3)

Particulars: Saturday, 9:30p.m., Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.

Previous meetings: Colorado 0 – San Jose 1 (May 1); San Jose 0 – Colorado 1 (August 7)

Lay of the land: Both sides pulled off upsets in the first round, but most of the attention rightly focused on the Earthquakes' 3-1 victory at New York. San Jose leaned on a gutsy defensive display and rode a vintage Bobby Convey performance to sweep past the Red Bulls 3-2 on aggregate. The victory saw the Earthquakes advance to a conference final for the first time since lifting MLS Cup in 2003. Colorado probably should have condemned Columbus to another offseason filled with lamentation in the first leg, but the Rapids needed a late Conor Casey goal in the second leg to send the series into extra time. Brian Carroll's decisive penalty kick miss sent Colorado through to this stage for the first time since 2006.

Chalk talk: Both sides prefer a standard 4-4-2 with a heavy emphasis on wide play. Colorado will likely retain the same starting XI from last Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Columbus. Brian Mullan (stitches in left leg) loomed as the only potential absentee, but he should be fit enough to feature from the start. Colorado keeps things fairly simple – overlapping fullbacks, solid play in central midfield and industrious work in the wide areas – but watch for Omar Cummings to drift out to the right wing to provide service into the penalty area. San Jose will need to adjust how it copes with Cummings' inside-out runs after left back Ramiro Corrales pulled up with a hamstring strain in New York. Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop could drop Convey into the void, but it appears more likely Tim Ward will switch over to the left and Chris Leitch will come in at right back. If Convey plays on the left flank, he and Geovanni will probably funnel most of the play down San Jose's left side.

Geovanni | Will see lots of the ball.

Under the radar: Colorado traditionally struggles when it reaches this stage of the playoffs. In the Rapids' last three trips to the conference final, the opposing team has advanced. While history isn't dispositive given the vacillations from year to year, the Rapids looked rickety at points during their series with Columbus and raised questions about their composure in the process. Those queries must be answered with a calm and ruthless performance in order to vanquish the Earthquakes.

X-factor: Both teams may like to play in the wide areas and may wobble a bit defensively, but the most important battle will likely occur in central midfield. Colorado enjoys the edge on paper with the seasoned duo of Jeff Larentowicz and Pablo Mastroeni in its engine room, but Sam Cronin excelled for San Jose during the second leg at Red Bull Arena and Scott Sealy has also done his part since returning to the lineup as an attacking midfielder. If Colorado can dictate the tempo of the match and eliminate San Jose's ability to break with pace on the counter, the Rapids will hold an advantage the visitors will struggle to overcome.

Final verdict: In this finely balanced contest, Colorado holds a narrow edge.

Western Conference Final

FC Dallas (W3) v. Los Angeles (W1)

Particulars: Sunday, 9:00p.m., The Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (ESPN2)

Previous meetings: Los Angeles 1 – FC Dallas 0 (May 20); FC Dallas 1 – Los Angeles 2 (October 24)

Lay of the land: Both sides displayed admirable moxie to dispatch streaking first-round opponents. Los Angeles enjoyed the easier of the two tasks in a 3-1 aggregate victory over Seattle, but the Galaxy impressed in both legs with its diligence and its explosiveness against the underwhelming Sounders. FC Dallas did most of its hard work against Real Salt Lake in an entertaining 1-1 draw in the second leg, but the Hoops matched perhaps the best side in the league during both meetings to emerge with a 3-2 aggregate victory to set up this winner-take-all affair at the Home Depot Center.

Chalk talk: Don't expect either coach to deviate from his usual approach. Los Angeles employs a disciplined 4-4-2 from the start and operates with a hefty dose of caution in all departments. David Beckham and Landon Donovan focused on their defensive work against the wing-oriented Sounders FC, but they could press forward a bit more against a FCD side that will throw plenty of numbers into the attack. FC Dallas may have one or two selection concerns – Heath Pearce (hamstring) and Milton Rodriguez (groin) could both miss out – but those issues won't force a shift away from the typical 4-5-1 employed by Schellas Hyndman. FCD places significant emphasis on obtaining and retaining possession with the extra man in midfield. David Ferreira serves as the orchestrator, but others will surge into the attack to provide him with the necessary options.

Under the radar: If FCD wants to carve out the space it needs to operate centrally against the compact Galaxy, it will need to stretch the field horizontally by working in the wide areas. Hyndman has some choices to field on the flanks – Marvin Chavez and Brek Shea should retain their places, but Atiba Harris provides another option after serving a one-match ban – and those players will need to play near the touchline in order to extend the Galaxy's tight shape. Ferreira will find his space restricted by Dema Kovalenko in the center of the park, but he would benefit from good wide play to create some room for his diagonal runs and encourage Dax McCarty to shoot into other gaps from a slightly deeper position.

Kevin Hartman | A dominating force between the sticks.

X-factor: Donovan and Ferreira will offer ample contributions and the in-form Beckham could serve up a dangerous free kick or two, but the most important player on the field could be FCD goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. The former Galaxy star has saved his side on several occasions this season – including the second half at Rio Tinto Stadium last Saturday – and he will likely have to submit a similar effort to find a way past Los Angeles. If Hartman submits another sterling effort, the Hoops will have a decent chance to spring a relatively surprising upset.

Final verdict: