The first of four two-legged conference semifinals in the Major League Soccer playoffs will get underway at Crew Stadium Saturday afternoon, as Columbus hosts New England. 

The two Eastern Conference squads put together terrific ends to their respective seasons, and there is a strong case to be made that these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. 

If the last four regular-season matches between the two clubs are any indicator as to how this series will end up, we are in for a close battle to determine one of the two finalists in the East. 

Here is a look at the key issues that will shape Saturday's first leg in Ohio. 

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