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MLS Playoff Previews

Dallas, Portland, New York, and Columbus Have At It

After a two-week break between matches, the 2015 MLS playoffs ramp up in a big way on Sunday. ASN's Brian Sciaretta handicaps the contests and predicts the winners for you here.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
November 20, 2015
7:30 PM

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER'S conference finals begin on Sunday with four very worthy teams still in the running for the 2015 MLS Cup.

Three of those four, Portland being the exception, were among the league’s original teams. And while the most visible designated players may have been eliminated, an exciting new group of players—including Matt Miazga, Ethan Finlay, Darlington Nagbe, Matt Hedges, and Kei Kamara—is set to step into the spotlight.

Columbus Crew—New York Red Bulls

The Eastern Conference final (5pm ET, ESPN) is a matchup, fittingly, between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and it all will start in front of a sold-out crowd at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus. The matchup should be offensively oriented: The Red Bulls scored an MLS-best 62 goals in 2015, while the Crew (58) tied Toronto for second-best.

Keys to victory for the Red Bulls: With similar strengths, these teams match up well against each other. Both have good wingers, central midfielders, goalkeepers, and center forwards. A big question for the Red Bulls will be central defender Ronald Zubar, who will be playing alongside Miazga in place of the injured Damien Perrinelle. With each team having the ability to score quickly and often, any shakiness from Zubar could make the difference.

Dax McCarty will need to have an enormous series. The central midfielder is New York's engine and glue guy, but Crew SC will have Federico Higuain, Wil Trapp, and Tony Tchani aiming to control that area of the field as well. Still, when McCarty is playing well with Sacha Kljestan, the Red Bulls are hard to stop.

Away goals, as always, are going to be crucial, so look the Red Bulls will likely look for ways to open up the game.

Keys to victory for the Crew: Columbus has all the wind at its back right now after defeating Montreal, which many thought could contend for MLS Cup after its high-profile acquisition of striker Didier Drogba. While Gregg Berhalter’s team conceded 53 goals in 2015 (second-worst among all playoff teams), its defense held strong against the Impact. If the Crew can play in a similar fashion here, it will have a good chance.

Kamara is coming off one of his best games in a stellar season but it will be the wingers here that will be the key to opening up the offense for the Crew. Justin Meram and Finlay, a Best XI candidate, are matched up against New York’s own quality wide players in Mike Grella and Lloyd Sam. Meram and Finlay have to win that battle.

Prediction: In an exciting game, Columbus prevails 2-1 in the first leg but New York will have an away goal heading back to Red Bull Arena.

Portland Timbers—FC Dallas

In what should be an unpredictable series, the third-seeded Portland Timbers will host top-seeded FC Dallas on Sunday (7:30 pm, Fox Sports 1) in the first leg of the Western Conference final. While FC Dallas has had a strong season, there is no question that Portland has been among the best teams in the league over the past two months, posting some extremely impressive results at home.

Keys to victory for FC Dallas: Goals will likely be hard to come by after Portland had little trouble shutting out the Vancouver Whitecaps over two legs in the West semifinal. Fabian Castillo is one of the best players in the league and he’ll have to show as much in this series; the same goes for Mauro Diaz.

The first leg could also be the biggest test in the young career of Kellyn Acosta, who will patrol the central midfield against freshly minted U.S. international Darlington Nagbe. The two Americans could be set for an intriguing battle in this series and if Acosta can win out FC Dallas will have a good chance at victory. 

Keys to victory for the Timbers: One of the most important aspects of Portland’s recent surge has been its play on the road, having won its last four against some of the best in the league: Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Columbus. Its play at home, however, has left much to be desired. If Caleb Porter can have his squad take advantage of what should be a huge home-field advantage at an always-raucous Providence Park, the Timbers would be unstoppable.

Portland’s 41 goals during the regular season were the worst tally by any of the MLS playoff teams, but recent experimentations with formations has changed that dramatically. Given an extra week to prepare for this one, Porter should have his side all set to take the early series lead.

Prediction: Portland takes care of business at home with a 1-0 win and an all-important clean sheet.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.

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