There aren’t too many analysts who saw this set of conference finals coming, either at the start of the playoffs and certainly not at the start of the season.
Major League Soccer Playoffs, Conference Finals, Preview, Picks: Teams Have No Shortage Of Storylines
Aside from the Los Angeles Galaxy, who lost last year's MLS Cup final in a penalty shootout, none of the remaining teams even made the playoffs last year. The Colorado Rapids and the San Jose Earthquakes were the last two teams to qualify for the playoffs and FC Dallas was the last MLS team to win a game this year.
Suffice it to say, MLS head honchos will have a clear preference of who they want to see in Toronto and it rhymes with Balaxy.
The reason is simple, three of these teams lack the big names and large fanbases that MLS is hoping will help sell tickets and draw eyeballs.
But we aren’t big on conspiracy theories here. There’s really no reason to expect these games to be decided in any other way than who plays the best over the weekend.
The Galaxy will need to solve FC Dallas' Kevin Hartman, the Hoops will have to figure out how to shut down the newly resurgent David Beckham; the Earthquakes will need to find a way to contain Conor Casey and Omar Cummings, while the Rapids have to keep Chris Wondolowski in check.
In the next couple days we’ll have complete previews and lineup projections for both matches.
Playoff schedule
Eastern Conference Finals: San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids, Saturday, 9:30 p.m. Eastern, FSC/FSE
Western Conference Finals: FC Dallas at Los Angeles Galaxy, Sunday, 9 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPN Deportes
MLS Cup Final: at Toronto, Nov. 21, 8:30 p.m., ESPN/Telefutura
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