MLS Playoffs: Editors' Roundtable: Who Can Upset?

Zac Lee Rigg: Well, at least Yura Movsisyan. He came up big with another clutch assist last week. That guy comes awake this time of year.

Shane Evans: Gonna be his last game in those ugly kits.

Canales: If Columbus only scores once, then RSL could win in PKs. No one called NY in the final last year, so I'm not ruling anything out.

Kyle McCarthy: Look, if Columbus wants to win, they have to score and they haven't really looked like doing that recently. So it might be a bit more balanced than we expect.

Shane Evans: Why didn't they start Schelotto, Kyle?

McCarthy: He won't do the defensive work. I think that's what it came down to.

Canales: He's Argentine - aren't they culturally programmed to avoid playing defense? Zac, do you see Chivas USA moving on?

Rigg: Nah, Chivas couldn't beat LA back when it was a better team. Now that they're roughly the same, there's no chance.

Evans: Even when the Galaxy played horrendous defense.

Rigg: Plus, Landon just loves scoring against the Goats. He's got a couple more coming in this tie.

Canales: That leaves the Revs as the underdogs to knock off Chicago - anyone calling that?

Evans: I'd say so. I think Blanco already has one foot out the door.

Bueno: Chicago played average at home all season long. At this point, the Revs advancing past them doesn't seem like a huge upset. But I don't think Blanco's mind is already on Veracruz though. If they lose, it won't be because Blanco didn't show up.

Canales: It's hard to think of Seattle as an underdog, but Houston will be very unhappy with exiting the playoffs in the first round twice in a row.

Bueno: Yeah, in the numerical sense they are, of course, but the Sounders are a really good team. I can totally see them beating Houston in Houston. Seattle hasn't lost to Houston this year.

McCarthy: Seattle's recent road form is stellar, too.

Bueno: Seattle is 5-0-1 in their last six games on grass. Houston is gassed. They've had a long season. Seattle is determined. They won the US Open Cup against a DC team who had not lost at home until Seattle went in there and smacked them around.

Canales: It's do or die, now that the second leg is here.

Bueno: Every game is a final, isn't that what MLS says? We've seen some pretty dull finals if that's the case.

Canales: Well, they're wrong, the first playoff game isn't a final. From now on, they all are.

Bueno: Yeah, and teams won't play for draws in finals.

Rigg: They might - if they're really good at PKs.

Bueno: Road goals should count. They count everywhere else in the world, don't they?

Canales: No, some other competitions don't do away goals.

Evans: Yeah, away goals are where it's at.

Canales: I don't like the away goals rule. I think to say it encourages attacking soccer is bogus. A lot of the Champions League knockout games still had crappy first-leg soccer. To me, a goal is a goal. Where it's scored shouldn't count extra.

Bueno: MLS should change to one-off series all the way through, this first round of away games is lame and always has been. At least the West will play out as one-off conference semifinal series. One game, winner advances, that's that.

Canales: You don't think that as it gets harder to make the playoffs, all the teams deserve a home game?

Bueno: No way.

Canales: You'd deny that home game to Seattle?

Bueno: NFL teams don't deserve playoff games just because they made it into the playoffs. You gotta earn your home playoff game. Just getting in shouldn't be enough of a reward.

Canales: NFL is a different kettle of fish. They hardly play any games in the season - too much physical abuse of players. Soccer is more like basketball. The NBA plays a ton of playoff games and regular season, too.

Bueno: NFL's playoffs are legit. MLS playoffs are weak and need a lot of improvement. The NFL regular season matters. Every game matters. MLS... not so much.

Evans: Or, we could just go single table, but that's a whole other bag of beans.

The Editors' Roundtable runs every week on Goal.com

Discuss all the latest in the Goal.com Forums.