With the conclusion of the knockout rounds of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, it's now time for the Conference Semifinals to get started. In case you missed it, here's what happened in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Houston Dynamo were able to defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1, which earned them a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Galaxy pulled off a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to advance.

The Conference Semifinals are formatted as a two-game series that has the lower-seeded team playing at home first.

The league and its fans couldn't have asked for better matchups this round, as three of the four are true rivalries, and all have great history behind them. 

Here's a preview and prediction for each Conference Semifinal series.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here