MLS Playoff Preview: Columbus v. Chicago

By Pat Walsh

The Gist: The top two teams in the Eastern Conference square off in the finals as Chicago heads to Columbus looking to advance to the championship game for the fourth time. Though the Crew won their second Supporters’ Shield as regular season champs, they have never played in an MLS Cup.

Chicago has dominated the all-time series between these two, but neither had the upper hand in the regular season. Both games wound up as 2-2 draws, the most recent coming in Chicago a month and a day ago. Chicago did win the U.S. Open Cup game contested in June, though neither side was at full strength in the game.

With a dominating 2-0 win over Kansas City in the second leg of their conference semifinal, the Crew have lost just once in their past thirteen games, and that loss saw multiple regulars rested. As Columbus boasted the best home record (11-2-2) in the regular season, they will look to use the fan support to give them their eighth straight win at Crew Stadium.

Though Chicago is on the road, they do have two extra days of rest on their counterparts. They garnered just a single point from their final four road games, which doesn’t bode well for their chances on Thursday night. In the Fire’s favor, though, is their recent record in Columbus where they haven’t lost since 2004, a span of seven games.

Why You Should Care: Though the top dogs out West went down, this game pits two of the best three teams from the regular season. As both teams come off dominating, shutout wins, they appear to be hitting peak form at the right time of year. However, Chicago’s peak appears to be a bit higher than the Crew’s.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto will likely pick up the Volkswagen MLS MVP next week, but he has not been as sharp over the past month since returning from a hamstring injury. As the key cog to the Columbus attack, he has to be at his best to solve Chicago’s defense. With Logan Pause and John Thorrington sitting in as defensive midfielders in front of Bakary Soumare and Wilman Conde, Schelotto will not have much room to operate and pick out Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers on the flanks.

Similarly, Cuauhtémoc Blanco will face the always underrated Brian Carroll in midfield and a familiar face in Frankie Hejduk when he drifts out to his preferred left side. The pair of Crew defensive players will have to avoid fouling -- or putting themselves in spots where Blanco can draw fouls -- and allowing the retired Mexican international from earning free kicks in dangerous spots.

The wide midfielders are all attack minded as Rogers and Gaven line up against Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp, respectively. Thus, without defensive help from those same players, more pressure is on the fullbacks to prevent any of the foursome from making darting runs or getting deep and getting crosses off to their lone forwards.

That department gives Chicago the edge in this match. Thought Alejandro Moreno has been a serviceable forward throughout his MLS career, Brian McBride’s experience tips the scales in favor of the Fire. The retired American international, and former Crew striker, doesn’t always appear on the score sheet for Chicago, but is always involved and was a key acquisition down the stretch for the Fire.

He’s So Hot Right Now: Jon Busch. The Panasonic Goalkeeper of the Year on the regular season will be looking for paybacks against his former club. Busch has yet to allow a goal in these MLS Cup playoffs, making four saves in both games, adding to the ten clean sheets he kept in the regular season.

Prediction: Chicago Fire 2, Columbus Crew 0

Pat Walsh covers MLS for Goal.com