MLS Weekly Review – Playoff Edition – Quarterfinals: Matches Two through Four – 1st Legs – Of a Super-Sunday Triple-Header, Handbags at Twelve Paces, a Flurry of Red Cards, Road Teams Taking the Advantage Back Home, & Juicy Second Legs Still to Come.

    Three matches on a Super-Sunday of MLS action. Six goals, three red cards, several scuffles, and three road wins.

    With Salt Lake vs. Seattle out of the way on Saturday night, the remaining three quarterfinal (conference semifinal) matches took place one after the other for a triple-header from afternoon to evening making for a rather enjoyable lazy Sunday’s viewing.

MLS Weekly Review – Playoff Edition – Quarterfinals: Match One – Salt Lake v Seattle 1st Leg - Of Keller Keeps It Close, a Risk of Offside Followed by Some Back-Heeled Class, Ossie Going Off But Not Going Off, Key Injuries, & a Salt Lake Long Not Seen.

    Salt Lay-ake; come out and play-ay. The brash Seattle side entered the contest brimming with confidence, believing that despite missing the dynamic Mauro Rosales – still nursing that knee injury suffered in the final match of the season - they could bring their fine regular season form into a struggling opponent’s home ground.

MLS Weekly Review – Playoff Edition – Wildcard: Match Two – Colorado Rapids v Columbus Crew – Of Blustering Cold, a Playoff Rematch, Tactical Changes, a Death Blow, & the American Scott Parker.

    On a clear, chilly night in the lofty confines of DSG Park with the temperature hovering around freezing Colorado and Columbus took to the field in the second wildcard match to determine who would move on to face Kansas City in the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup playoffs.

MLS Weekly Review – Playoff Edition – Wildcard: Match One – FC Dallas v NY Red Bulls – Of Unexpected, Unheralded Heroes, Solli Loses his Head, Backe Realizing the Value of Substitutions, & the Impending Long-Desired Battle of Heavy-Weights.

    The 2011 MLS Playoffs began in front of a less than sold out crowd on a cool night at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. A disappointing attendance of just over 10 000 dotted the stadium despite rumoured attempts to flog tickets at the cut rate of six dollars hours before the match kicked off.

First Person View – MLS: The Next Frontier – From Fans of a Club to Fans of the League

    With the playoff brackets decided and teams either in or out the important question becomes: How many fans of eliminated teams will tune into the playoffs?

MLS Weekly Review – Weekend Round 32 – Of Final Tables, Play it Again Mr. Chaves, Feed the Wond, & Say Goodbye to Robertson, In Style.

    The final weekend of MLS league play, eight action-packed matches to determine the final standings and setup the playoff brackets. Twenty-nine goals scored – including a spectacular back-heeled own-goal and a blast from forty-yards – and two late red cards – both for second cautions; two draws and three away wins. 

Foresight – MLS Round 32 Weekend Preview

Four questions to be answer in this the final weekend of MLS action:

MLS Weekly Review – Midweek Round 32 – Of Capital Disappointment, Desperation, Controversy, a Fateful Own-Goal & All Aboard - Playoff Bound.

    Two vitally important midweek matches kicked off round thirty-two of MLS action. Three goals – one an own goal - and two others chalked off; desperation and controversy, as the partition goes up at the playoff party.

They’re Killing Football … And Raking It In.

    The schedule that was recently released is appalling; the endless game of musical chairs that teams will be forced to play as they crisscross the vast nation is simply ridiculous. One has to wonder whether the powers-that-be care more for the financial rewards to be cultivated than for the quality of the competition hosted.

Rookie of the Year – The Drafting of Joao Plata

    Preposterous… ridiculous… impossible?

MLS Weekly Review - Weekend Round 31 – Of a Fitting Farewell, Never Say Die, Mendoza (Exclamation Point), Red Bulls Red, & One Chair Remains.

    An action-packed penultimate round of weekend fixtures spread over three days; every team accounted for as the right to battle for the MLS Cup was on the line. Only eighteen goals scored, three decisive away wins, two draws, a single red card – more on that later – and two huge calls made on a weekend when most referees put away their whistles doing their best to allow the teams on the field to decide the outcomes.

MLS Weekly Review - Midweek Round 31 – Of Hope Extinguished Early, Doubling-Down, a Rally Too Late & the Playoff Mountain Looming Large.

    The two midweek fixtures scheduled for round thirty-one of the MLS season, like most of the remaining matches, had important playoff ramifications. Six goals, one red card, two teams inching closer to elimination, while another clinches their postseason berth, and the wooden spoon changes hand.

Foresight – MLS Round 31 Weekend Preview

Four questions to be answered in this weekend’s round of MLS:

Beyond POV-FS - East to Eden: The Eastern Conference & Its MLS Playoff Dark Horses at The Shin Guardian

    New piece up at The Shin Guardian.

    An analysis of the MLS playoff picture and the potential contenders from the supposedly weaker Eastern Conference; just in time for the final two weeks of the season.

    The race is on, all Eastern places are still up for grabs; who will make it? Who will fall short?

    The answers will be found on the road from the East to Eden.

MLS Weekly Review - Weekend Round 30 – Of Away Wins, a Potentially Golden Meaningless Fixture, the Dreaded Cup Hangover & to the Top of the East.

    Two fixtures took place over the weekend of round thirty. Five goals, shockingly two rare away wins, and not a single red card, though there were six yellows and a small fracas; the stories behind the numbers are as follows.

MLS Weekly Review - Midweek Round 30 – Of Makeup Dates, Unexpected Results, Newfound Hope, & Camilo.

    Two rescheduled matches took place this midweek; squeezing fixtures in during the international break. Five goals scored, two home wins – shutouts no less, a single red card, a couple of penalty kicks, and an inactive team eliminated from postseason contention.

On Canada in St. Lucia – In the Style of Stuart Hall

    A bit of rompy-pompey for the Canucks; a Friday Night Jump Up set against the backdrop of the sun setting over the old Caribbean cricket grounds on the outskirts of Gros Islet – a sleepy fishing village turned tourist destination.

Eyes Outside

    Some stories from outside the footballing world – and one from within – that could help change the at times ancient mindset of the governing bodies.

MLS Weekly Review - Weedend Round 29 – Of Resting for the Cup, Contenders Waking Up, Late Drama Ending Tied & the Big Match.

    Another full slate of nine weekend matches spread over Saturday and Sunday comprised the fixture list for round twenty-nine of MLS action. Pink was everywhere as MLS recognized Breast Cancer Awareness with special balls, shoes, towels, and sweatbands. Nineteen goals, four draws, two away wins, two more sides eliminated from playoff contention, and a lone red card; these are stories behind the numbers.

First Person View - Expansion Expectations

    I wrote back at the beginning of the season that Vancouver seemed a touch too assured of themselves heading into their first MLS campaign. Several months on, and some thirty matches later, one cannot help but wonder if these raised expectations have somewhat dampened what should have been a celebratory year.