Five Things to Watch: Western Conference Championship 1st Leg

By Kyle McCarthy

Seattle travels to Los Angeles to open the Western Conference championship on Sunday night. Here are five points to watch ahead of the enticing first leg encounter at the Home Depot Center:

1. Will Mauro Rosales feature?: Seattle coach Sigi Schmid all but ruled out his creative lynchpin after the 1-0 victory at Real Salt Lake on Thursday night. If Rosales isn’t able to shake off his hamstring knock in time for the first leg, then the Sounders must find some alternative way to create opportunities for Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero.

2. It is time for Christian Tiffert to shine: The German midfielder assumed Rosales’ station on the right flank without contributing his usual influence on the game. Tiffert possesses the ability and the pedigree to turn the match at this level. Now would mark a pretty good time to start doing it with a decent ball or two from the right side.

Nov

Five Things to Watch: Eastern Conference Championship 1st Leg

By: Kyle McCarthy

D.C. United travels to Houston to kick off the two-legged Eastern Conference championship on Sunday afternoon. Here are five points to watch as the two sides prepare to duel at BBVA Compass Stadium:

1. Mitigating the damage: United suffered two defeats in the Oven this season. Ben Olsen and his players would probably take a repeat of the stadium-opening 1-0 setback on May 12, but they simply cannot afford another 4-0 thumping as they did on July 15 if they want to secure a berth in MLS Cup.

2. Maintaining the necessary energy: In order to avoid a repeat of that July debacle, United must somehow find a way to avoid the common second-half fade most teams suffer in Houston. This gritty group won’t back down (as evidenced by the ridiculousness in Harrison on Thursday night), but it must find some way to grind through a match that will prove even more difficult as it enters the late stages.

Nov

FOX Soccer caught up with Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit ahead of their playoff clash with the LA Galaxy on Thursday night. Vancouver is the first Canadian team to make the MLS playoffs, and they must face the reigning MLS Cup champions in a one-off knockout match away at the Home Depot Center.

“With our backs against the wall as an underdog, you go in there and just fight,” DeMerit said.

Check out this video to hear more from DeMerit on what it means for him to have reached this milestone, and his hopes for the future of the club.