As heated rivals D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls prepare for the second leg of their Eastern Conference playoff series tonight, both teams will look back on their first game with regrets over opportunities missed, and with hopes of discerning elusive keys for advancing.

Opportunities missed will haunt New York's Hans Backe and D.C.'s Ben Olsen. Both coaches watched their teams give away own goals. Olsen saw his opponents come out flat for a long stretch, and the most celebrated member among them never get in the game. Backe saw his opponents self implode, and finish the last 20-plus minutes a man down. 

In a way, both Backe and Olsen should feel lucky to head into the second leg with a 1-1 tie. My guess is neither does.

I am not sure I can provide the keys to advancing, but let's review what we the fans have learned from the first leg. Maybe there is a hidden gem somewhere in the mix.

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DC United and the New York Red Bulls will be battling for their playoff lives on Wednesday inside Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, site of the second leg of the two teams' Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

Saturday's first leg in DC ended in a 1-1 draw, with both sides surrendering own goals in the second half. With both squads looking inseparable after leg No. 1, Wednesday's pivotal clash will require the two teams' top stars to be at their best. 

Let's take a look at a trio of players that MLS fans should keep an eye out for in this epic playoff showdown.

Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

When: Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Players to Watch

Chris Pontius, DC United, Forward

DC United's Chris Pontius is a fan favorite around Washington, and for good reason. The 25-year-old has netted 12 goals this season for the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed. 

Although he failed to get on the board in the first leg against New York last Saturday, Pontius did fire three shots, two of which tested Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles. Surprisingly, Pontius hasn't scored for United since late September. Perhaps Wednesday will be the night he finally ends his drought.

The MLS All-Star Game MVP is one of the league's can't-miss rising talents, and win or lose, Pontius is sure to have a massive impact on the result for DC United.

Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls, Forward

The former Arsenal striker had a helping hand in DC United's own goal in the second half of the two teams' first leg in the nation's capital on November 3. Henry's corner proved tricky, ultimately resulting in an own goal put in by goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

The 35-year-old had five shots for New York in the first leg and has scored 15 goals in 26 appearances for the club this season.

Premier League fans know just how deadly Henry can be with the ball at his feet. There's no reason Henry won't be the man making plays at the net for the Red Bulls on Wednesday. After all, only Kenny Cooper has more goals for New York than Henry in 2012.

Dwayne De Rosario, DC United, Midfielder

Dwayne De Rosario has been an explosive playmaker for DC United this season, scoring eight goals and tallying nine assists in 27 appearances, which include 26 starts.

He's not a guarantee to play on Wednesday, but there's a real chance he could see some playing time if United find themselves trailing or in need of a goal late. The 34-year-old Canadian midfielder leads the club in assists in 2012 and is arguably the squad's No. 1 creator. No other United player has attempted as many shots as De Rosario this year.

If Ben Olsen substitutes De Rosario into the game, you'll want to be on the lookout for No. 7 and the impact he can have on United's pace and ability to mount a threatening attack.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

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The Houston Dynamo will look to close out the MLS Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night when they travel to Kansas City to take on Sporting KC. 

The Dynamo control their destiny in this match after grabbing a 2-0 advantage in the first match on Monday night. Houston took an early lead in the first match and got a critical goal from Will Bruin late in the second half to seal the 2-0 advantage heading into tonight's contest. 

As we look ahead to tonight's decisive second leg, here are the biggest keys to victory we will be looking for from both sides. 

Sporting KC

Score early to keep pressure on Houston; Contain Will Bruin

Kansas City is in a hole, but not an impossible one. It has one of the most potent offenses in MLS, led by Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong, though neither player was able to get anything going in the first leg. 

For KC to make this interesting at least one of Kamara and Sapong needs to get going early. Houston feels in control at this particular moment, but one quick goal in front of a home crowd can change everything for Kansas City. 

The other main objective has to be to contain Will Bruin, who has scored three times in Houston's last two matches. He led the team with 15 goals during the regular season, so whenever there is an opportunity for this team to score, odds are good it will be Bruin taking it. 

Houston 

Keep pressing on offense; Don't let regular-season road woes bring you down

Houston's offensive game plan in the first leg was as close to perfect as one could get. It only needed 13 shots to get two goals, and Sporting KC had no response for the Dynamo's attackers. 

Will Bruin is the player most likely to beat a team, and he was able to do just that by scoring the second goal in the 75th minute of the first leg. 

If something is working, why bother to change it? Revolving everything around Bruin will do two things for the Dynamo: Force KC to focus all its attention on him, and potentially open opportunities for Brad Davis.  

One reason Houston was forced into an elimination match against Chicago last week is because of its dreadful 3-9-5 record on the road. The Dynamo were outscored 29-17 away from home. 

Kansas City was terrific at home this season, posting a 10-4-3 record and outscoring opponents 22-12. Even though Sporting KC is down by two goals on aggregate, this team is hardly out. 

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The Los Angeles Galaxy lost the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals to the San Jose Earthquakes and are now playing from behind going into this crucial postseason match.

The Earthquakes’ victory did not come without controversy, as the Galaxy were furious with the referee after he awarded a free kick in a dangerous position in the closing moments of the match. Victor Bernardez converted the opportunity to give San Jose a narrow 1-0 win.

There is no love lost between these two teams, and the tension will be extremely high after this recent result.

Kickoff is on Wednesday, November 7 at 11 p.m. ET. Here are the players for each team that will be crucial for their chances to reach the conference finals.

San Jose

Chris Wondolowski, Striker

The Earthquakes' success this season has been led by their attack. The team had the best record in the MLS during the regular season, and its 72 goals scored this year was 13 more than the Galaxy, who finished second in that category. 

The driving force behind their unstoppable offense has been Chris Wondolowski. He tied an all-time MLS record and won the Golden Boot for the second time in three seasons, as noted by The San Jose Mercury News’ Elliott Almond. He has tallied 27 total goals this year.

Wondolowski has been the consummate centre-forward this season. He is intelligent with his movement and rarely wastes opportunities in front of goal.

If the Galaxy allow him space in the penalty area, he will punish them. Unless Los Angeles keeps a close mark on the star forward, their season will end after this match.

Marvin Chavez, Midfielder 

Wondolowski has remained humble throughout his recent success, and he was quoted by Almond saying, “So many of the goals are built through the team. I'm not dribbling through guys. Guys are putting it right on my head.”

One of the guys who has excelled at playing pin-point balls towards Wondolowski is midfielder Marvin Chavez. 

The Honduran leads the Earthquakes with 13 assists this season, and his creativity will be crucial in ensuring the team’s attack is as potent as it his been throughout this campaign. 

It took San Jose more than 90 minutes to find the back of the net in the last meeting, and Chavez must keep his head on a swivel when the ball is at his feet in the upcoming showdown.

Los Angeles

Landon Donavon, Striker

With 10 goals and 13 assists on the season, Landon Donavon has been the Galaxy’s most important player.

He remains the face of the MLS and United States soccer, and his production speaks for itself.

Throughout this season, Donovan has continued to be extremely dangerous as both a scorer and a distributor. His assist total is the highest in the league, and he will need to continue playing at an extremely high level in the most important match of his season.

Without an impressive performance from Donavon, the Galaxy will not be threatening enough offensively in order to earn the result they need to move on.

Robbie Keane, Striker 

Los Angeles will need a standout performance from an aging former English Premier League star, and that player is not David Beckham. 

Robbie Keane has been the Galaxy’s most potent goal scorer this year, hitting the back of the net 16 times in this campaign.

The team’s strikers must keep constant pressure on Earthquakes back line in this match. That will force the midfielders into more defensive positions and limit their ability to build in the attack.

With fine performances from Donovan and Keane, Los Angeles has an excellent shot at advancing. 

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European soccer leagues and the Champions League may get more respect, but let's not look past the very competitive MLS Cup Playoffs currently in the semifinals stage. 

We've got some of the league's top stars (Landon Donovan, Chris Wondolowski, Thierry Henry) in action. The defending champs, the Los Angeles Galaxy, are on the brink of being eliminated, while there's an epic east coast clash between the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United.

Two of the four matches are tied after the first leg, while Sporting Kansas City will try to overcome a two-goal deficit at home. There's plenty of drama left to be had, folks, and I'm here to predict exactly how it will play out.

To the predictions!

San Jose Earthquakes over Los Angeles Galaxy

The Galaxy were a stoppage-time free kick away from making this a very tough second leg to predict. Instead, Victor Bernardez's late goal gave the Earthquakes a 1-0 lead heading back to San Jose, making the likelihood of a repeat championship for the Galaxy that much more unlikely.

Already boasting the league's best record and top goal scorer (Chris Wondolowski), the Earthquakes were favorites to begin with. They won't blow their advantage at home.

Houston Dynamo over Sporting Kansas City

Don't expect the Dynamo to blow their two-goal advantage, even having to travel to KC in the second leg. And keep in mind that Houston hasn't lost to Kansas City this year, with two wins and two draws.

Crazier things have happened, of course. Plenty of teams have traversed a 2-0 deficit and ultimately won, after all. But I don't see this Dynamo team allowing that to happen.

Seattle Sounders over Real Salt Lake

I like Seattle in this game for one main reason—after salvaging a tie on a wet and soggy pitch at home, they now get leading scorer Eddie Johnson back for the second leg. Johnson has been brilliant in bursts for both the Sounders and the United States national team this year, and I expect him to have a major impact in this game.

Real Salt Lake can take solace in the fact that they have the only win between the two teams this year (they've drawn on three occasions) and they'll have the backing of their home crowd (they were 11-4-2 at home this year).

I'm going a bit against the grain on this one. Real Salt Lake haven't given up a goal in 433 minutes and have been excellent at home, but my gut is telling me Seattle will find a way to prevail. Hopefully, my gut doesn't make me look like a fool.

New York Red Bulls over D.C. United

The Red Bulls have several advantages in the second leg (currently locked in a 1-1 tie), which is why I feel they will advance.

These teams are pretty evenly matched, so this game could honestly go in either direction. But I expect New York to come away with a tight win.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets aren't afraid to get emotional after a big win.

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The the first leg of the MLS conference semi-finals is complete, and the round will close out in just a couple of days.

The Houston Dynamo lead 2-0 over Sporting Kansas City. D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls played to a draw, as did Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC. San Jose nabbed a 1-0 victory on the road against the LA Galaxy.

The second leg of the conference semi-finals will take place on November 7 and 8. Three matches will be on the 7th, and Real Salt Lake and the Sounders will get underway on the 8th.

Here are ten players to watch through the end of the playoffs, or at least until their respective teams are eliminated.

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In the first week of Major League Soccer playoff games, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Chicago Fire were eliminated, and the remaining eight teams—the LA Galaxy, the San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake, the Seattle Sounders, DC United, the New York Red Bulls, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City—all played the first leg of their respective conference semifinals matchups.

Let’s see who makes the MLS Playoff XI from this past week’s action.

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The fervor surrounding the rivalry between the New York Red Bulls and DC United is one of the most intense spectacles the MLS has to offer. Each club is notorious for its supporters—rabid fans that serve as the combating soul for its respective club. 

Tonight, the Eastern Conference Semifinals will be the latest chapter in this historic rivalry.

With millions of people in the Tri-state area still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy (myself included), the MLS decided to swap the home dates for the playoff series—much to the dismay of some United fans. 

Fortunately, players, coaches and members of the front office for DC United are class personified and had no issue with swap.  

The fact remains, Red Bull Arena is without power and the region is still struggling to reestablish a mass transit system sufficient enough for a daily commute, let alone a soccer match.

Teams that host the second leg of a home-and-home series advance roughly 60 percent of the time. It is not a significant margin considering they are usually the team with the better record.

The decision to swap home dates was the correct one. Contrary to popular belief, it will have no impact on the outcome of this series. 

Both teams enter the match in top form. Despite losing its best player in Dwayne De Rosario (knee), DC is unbeaten in its last seven matches; however, the level of competition it faced was marginal at best.

New England, Philadelphia, Chivas USA, Portland, Toronto, Columbus and Chicago all have one thing in common—none of them are currently in the MLS Playoffs. 

DC head coach Ben Olsen has done a remarkable job of galvanizing his team since De Rosario’s injury, but a resolute and undaunted coaching style can only last so long. 

With the level of competition rising, DC faces the ominous task of playing one of the most talented teams in the MLS—one that is gelling at the right time.

Like DC, The Red Bulls have not defeated a formidable opponent as of late, but the performance of some of its big-name talent should be disconcerting for United fans.

It was commonplace for New York to concede a goal early. It was as if the opposition started the match already up 1-0, but the Red Bulls did not concede a single goal in the month of October.

There is finally a level of consistent play from its back four, with no other Red Bull playing at a higher level than Mexican legend Rafael Márquez. 

Márquez is not the only designated player living up to his name. Tim Cahill’s prolonged adjustment to the MLS was expected, but it seems as if he has finally adapted to the rigors that are synonymous with the league.

There is a question about his availability for tonight’s match (calf), but Dax McCarty would be Cahill’s likely replacement. It should not prove to be an insurmountable injury given McCarty’s consistent play all season.

The series ultimately will be decided by the productivity of the most lethal one-two punch in the MLS—Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper. 

The two have combined for 33 goals with 15 assists and will need to carry the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Credit is due to DC’s exemplary play as of late. They are an adroit, cohesive unit, but this is not the same Red Bulls team they defeated 4-1 back in April. 

Expect an intense series, but one that sees New York advance convincingly. 

First Leg Prediction: DC United 2 - 2 New York Red Bulls

Second Leg Prediction: New York Red Bulls 3 - 1 DC United

New York advances 5-3 on aggregate 

Follow Eduardo on twitter for more insight on a variety of sports topics. Follow @BR_Mendez

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There are very few goalless draws that can be called entertaining after the full 90 minutes have been played. Friday night's MLS Western Conference Semifinal first leg between Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders has one of the select few 0-0 draws that left spectators and critics alike speechless.

The man who single handedly made the match his own personal highlight reel was RSL keeper Nick Rimando. The United States international saved his club from being down by a few goals at the match played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

Rimando's first moment of brilliance came in the 33rd minute when he saved the shot of Sammy Ochoa. He was at it again less than a minute later when denied Jhon Kennedy Hurtado's headed attempt on goal.

Seattle's efforts on the RSL goal continued in the second half and again it was Ochoa who had an attempt on goal but he sent his shot high over the net after a wide open look in front of an empty net.

Right after Ochoa's miss in front of goal, Rimando jumped back into the middle of the action with a save on Christian Tiffert.

That interaction between Tiffert and Rimando would not be the last the two would have on the night. 15 minutes after Rimando's spectacular save, the two collided in the RSL penalty area and the RSL keeper was down on the ground with a head injury for quite some time.

Rimando was able to eventually get back up and continue on in the match after his right eye was bandaged up by the club's trainers.

For the rest of the match, that included eight minutes of stoppage time due to Rimando's injury, Seattle dominated possession but were unable to convert on any chances as they clearly missed the presence of leading goal scorer Eddie Johnson, who was out due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the final regular season match with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday.

Rimando was not the only keeper who excelled when he was called on by his club on Friday night, Sounders keeper Michael Gspurning was forced to make four saves for the home side against a RSL attack that was kept quiet for most of the match as the road side were playing for a draw from early on.

The 0-0 draw sets the stage for Thursday's second and deciding leg at Rio Tinto Stadium, which has been a home fortress for RSL throughout the years.

Thursday's match will be a winner-take-all affair and the Sounders will be looking to avenge a 3-0 loss that they suffered last season in the first leg of the conference semifinals, which they eventually lost by a single goal to RSL.

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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.

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