MLS Playoffs Preview: Chicago Fire vs. Real Salt Lake

Who: Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake
What: 2009 MLS Eastern Conference Final
When: Saturday, November 14th, 8:00 p.m. EST
Where: Toyota Park, Chicago, IL

The Gist

One team is returning to the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight season. The other knocked off the team that the aforementioned squad faced last season in this very same round.

Boasting one of the league’s best playmakers in Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the Fire will most likely come at RSL in a similar fashion to how the Crew attacked them in the second leg of the East semis. The pressure should come early and often, but as we learned from RSL in the semis, they have a resiliency that few teams possess and could easily bounce back into the match if need be.

With many people already setting up a dream final between the Fire and the Los Angeles Galaxy, RSL are certainly playing the underdog role at the moment, and have thrived on it thus far in the playoffs. Snatching a late winner at home against the defending champions in the first leg of the semis and then taking the second leg with a convincing 3-2 comeback win, it seems the less you expect of them the more they produce.

Driven by their impressive midfield quartet of Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson and Andy Williams, RSL was able to outwork Columbus and should do many of the same things in this tie. With Beckerman playing the ‘Blanco blanket’ part, the other three should be able to openly pump the ball up top to their talented duo upfront in MLS’ third leading scorer, Robbie Findlay and Fabian Espindola.

Chicago didn’t get to where they are now without some excellent play however, and it should be noted that their clutch performance against the Revs in the semis was as impressive a performance as we’ve seen this postseason. Blanco isn’t their whole team either as they boast a number of attacking options outside of the soon-to-be Veracruz player.

With Brian McBride providing lethal finishing, the Fire will look to the flanks with another departing player, Chris Rolfe and a talented youngster Marco Pappa providing the service.

The teams only combined for three goals in the two regular season meetings against each other this season, with one of the matches ending in a 1-1 draw, while Chicago took the other by a goal. Expect a few more fireworks in this match.

Key Players:

Chris Rolfe, Chicago Fire: The spritely forward will be off to Aalborg BK in January and will want to leave the Windy City on a high. He’ll be all kinds of pumped up for this match and his play will prove menacing to a shaky RSL fullback corps.

Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake: The Gold Cup star will have his work cut out for him against the Fire and will need to work hard to shut down Blanco, among others. He’s up for though, it’s what he does.

Prediction:

Chicago Fire 1-2 Real Salt Lake: The upsets keep coming as RSL roll into the MLS Cup Final, dashing hopes of the so-called ‘dream final of departing DPs.’

Shane Evans, Goal.com

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