The stakes were raised this weekend in Major League Soccer, as the conference semifinal round of the playoffs began. 

In the four first-leg matches, plenty of key players had big days to put their respective sides in position to advance to the next round.

Tremendous goalkeeping, stout defending and superb attacking skills were all on display in each game, which made choosing the best 11 from the weekend a tough task. 

To accommodate one more attack-minded player, the MLS Team of the Week is shaped in a 4-3-1-2 this week. 

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The business end of the 2014 Major League Soccer season began this week with 10 teams vying for the chance to hoist the MLS Cup on December 7. 

Two teams, Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver, were eliminated in the knockout round, which left us with eight teams heading into the first leg of Conference Semifinal play. 

In the four matches this weekend, we learned a lot about each of the teams left in the playoffs. But we were not given much in regard to which four teams will earn a berth in the Eastern and Western Conference finals. 

Here is a look at some of the winners and losers from first-leg action in the Conference Semifinal round. 

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The Seattle Sounders took a major step toward advancing in the MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday, earning a 1-1 tie against FC Dallas.

Michel gave the hosts an early 1-0 lead on a well-taken penalty, but the Sounders—notorious for their second-half performances—got an equalizer from Osvaldo Alonso on a set piece and held on for the draw.

It's a huge edge for the Sounders in their quest to back up their Supporters' Shield-winning regular season, but Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy wasn't impressed with either side:

ESPN's Taylor Twellman disagreed:

Either way, the Sounders are just a clean sheet away from booking a spot in the conference finals for the second time in the club's short history.

The first major chance came in the 18th minute. Obafemi Martins got clear behind Dallas' back four, but a tame effort was saved by Raul Fernandez.

Although the defense was bearing down on him, it was undoubtedly one that the MLS' No. 5 goal scorer would love to have back, as The Seattle Times' Matt Pentz alluded to:

After a bit of back-and-forth in the midfield, Dallas struck first thanks to a calamitous mistake by Marco Pappa. The 26-year-old Guatemalan took down Andres Escobar with a completely unnecessary challenge in the box, leading to an easy penalty call.

McCarthy shared his thoughts:

Michel calmly stepped to the spot and buried it past Stefan Frei, who had guessed correctly on the direction. MLS' Twitter feed provided a look at the goal:

Martins had another opportunity just seconds before the halftime whistle. He cut inside at the top of the box and curled a dangerous ball on target, but Fernandez made a diving save and Matt Hedges coolly cleared the deflection off the line.

But the near equalizer was a sign of things to come, as the Sounders increased the pressure to begin the second half and broke through in the 54th minute.

Seeking some redemption, Pappa crossed in a free kick that managed to find Alonso, who headed it past Fernandez at the far post:

More of an orchestrator in the midfield than a goal scorer, Alonso has just six regular-season goals in 172 career appearances with the Sounders. But the equalizer marked his third in 14 matches in the playoffs.

Sports Illustrated's Liviu Bird offered immense praise of the 28-year-old:

With Seattle more than happy to take a draw back home, chances were fewer and farther between during the final half-hour. Dallas pressed on, but as noted by Pentz, the Sounders defense, which has been shaky throughout the season, was more than up to the task:

The best of that steady stream came just before stoppage time, as the electrifying Fabian Castillo burned Leo Gonzalez and sent a screamer at goal, but Frei made a tremendous save to secure the draw.

Action next heads to Seattle, where the second leg will take place on Monday, Nov. 10.

The aggregate score may be tied, but with an away goal in hand, an impressive showing and an undoubtedly raucous crowd at CenturyLink Field behind them, the Supporters' Shield holders are unequivocally in the driver's seat.

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New York Red Bulls took a strong option on qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals of the MLS playoffs by beating DC United 2-0 at home Sunday, dominating from start to finish and giving themselves a healthy lead as they head for RFK Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts took control of possession early, finding some success against DC's high press in midfield. Thierry Henry was lively drifting out wide and produced the first bit of attacking display, firing in a cross that was dealt with well by the defence.

The visitors looked as organized as you'd expect from one of MLS' elite defenses, but the same couldn't be said for Chris Pontius' beard, via the league's official Twitter feed:

Nick DeLeon launched an excellent counter opportunity for DC, but both Jamison Olave (for the hosts) and Fabian Espindola (for the visitors) couldn't control the ball.   

New York continued to look the better team, with star striker Bradley Wright-Phillips bent on sneaking behind the defence. The 29-year-old consistently timed his runs wrong inside the first 30 minutes, however, negating plenty of the hosts' attacking moves.

Peguy Luyindula came close to opening the score, as Dax McCarty's shot took a wicked deflection off the Frenchman, only to roll out of play just past the post.

A goal seemed inevitable, and after Taylor Kemp nearly had a great look on target for the visitors, the inevitable Wright-Phillips opened the scoring for the hosts, as shared by Kick TV's and former American soccer star Jimmy Conrad:

Henry shielded the ball for a second after taking the entry pass before playing the ball wide with a back heel, and a dummy left Wright-Phillips wide open for an easy finish.

The club's official Twitter feed shared video of the goal:

As shared by Opta's Ben Jata, the forward is drawing ever closer to setting the record for most goals in a season, including the playoffs:

The visitors looked shell-shocked and were unable to produce anything remotely close to an equalizer, as the Red Bulls carried a 1-0 lead into half-time.

The pattern continued in the second half, as DCU tried to dominate possession but failed to produce much in the attacking third. New York were now eyeing the counter-attack, and Bill Hamid had to produce a stunning double-save to deny Wright-Phillips and Lloyd Sam.

Goal's Ives Galarcep got a little carried away describing the sequence:

The hosts now pushed forward with numbers, sensing blood in the water, and the pressure on Hamid's goal increased gradually. Henry should have doubled his team's lead in the 72nd minute but couldn't decide between shooting and passing.

The French legend made up for it one minute later, however, finding Luyindula in space for the 2-0 lead. Here's a look at the goal, via Red Bulls' Twitter feed:

ESPN FC's Taylor Twellman couldn't believe how the hosts dominated DC United:

DC were reeling, and McCarty thought he had made it 3-0, only to see his header glance the post and go out of play. New York kept prodding but couldn't find that all-important third goal, and with time running out, the visitors started taking control of the match.

Knowing just one goal would completely change the return leg due to the away-goal rule, DC's full-backs became more adventurous. Chris Rolfe came close to scoring for the visitors, but New York's defence stood firm, keeping a tight lid on proceedings until the final whistle.

The home crowd exploded once the match was over, and as shared by OptaJack, it's easy to see why:

United manager Olsen was very harsh in his assessment of the match, as shared by the club's official Twitter feed:

He still has faith in his team's chances to dispatch of New York in the return leg, however:

Bobby Boswell voiced a similar sentiment, via Pablo Maurer:

DC showed very little in terms of creativity Sunday. Given the sheer amount of opportunities the hosts had to add to their tally, the Eastern Conference regular season champions can count themselves lucky they still have a realistic chance of qualifying for the finals.

Defending a two-goal lead, a single away goal on Saturday would double New York's advantage, as United would have to score at least four times to counter the away-goal rule.

Their typically strong defence will have to tighten up significantly to stop Henry and Wright-Phillips from exploiting the open spaces once again, however, and the creative midfielders will have to step up to avoid an early playoff exit.

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Thierry Henry may be 37 years old, but he's still up to his old tricks and playing a major role in a title challenge. 

Henry's New York Red Bulls hosted DC United in the first leg of the MLS semifinals Sunday, and he got the home side off to an excellent start with this clever backheel assist.

At the end of it was Bradley Wright-Phillips, the league's leading scorer this season with an impressive 27 regular-season goals.

Henry doubled his assists tally in the 73rd minute, providing this brilliant ball for Pegguy Luyindula.

All in a day's work for the Frenchman.

[Twitter] 

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The Supporters' Shield-winning Seattle Sounders face FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals, beginning on Sunday night. The first leg will be at Toyota Stadium, and the return match will be hosted at CenturyLink Field the following weekend.

There have only been six Supporters' Shield winners that have gone on to win the MLS Cup, per ESPN FC. Seattle will be hoping to make history and become the seventh side to accomplish the feat.

Here are the keys to this Western Conference semifinal matchup.

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The New England Revolution sent a message to Major League Soccer Saturday afternoon with their 4-2 win over Columbus in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal. 

Jay Heaps' side bossed around the Crew in Ohio thanks to a relentless high pressure, but it was the contributions of New England's starting forward that made the Revs a team to fear for the rest of the playoffs.

Charlie Davies, who has gone through plenty of struggles since his car accident in 2009, looked like the forward who played strong in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup with his brace against Columbus. 

On the first goal of the game, Davies made a terrific run in between two defenders to latch on to a Kelyn Rowe free-kick with a diving header. 

The curving run displayed Davies' terrific instinct in front of goal, and it gave Columbus yet another reason to be concerned about defending New England's attack. 

His second strike came in the 78th minute, when the Crew defense gave the 28-year-old way too much space on the outside of the box. Davies proceeded to punish the hosts with a strike into the right side of the net past Crew 'keeper Steve Clark. 

For Davies, this was a performance five years in the making, as he scored two crucial goals in a big game for the first time in a while.

Davies, who had rough spells in Europe at Sochaux and Randers after his accident, has had just one strong season since 2009. In 2011, Davies scored 11 goals in 26 games for D.C. United, but he did not extend his loan after the season. 

After struggling to consistently find his footing over the last two years with the Revolution, Davies finally declared he was 100 percent a few weeks ago, per the Revolution's Jeff Lemieux: 

His full fitness couldn't have come at a better time for a New England side in search of a key threat at the forward position.

The Revolution have looked fine moving forward thanks to Most Valuable Player candidate Lee Nguyen and his 18 regular-season goals. It also doesn't hurt to have young guns in Rowe and Diego Fagundez on the wings. 

Mix in the experienced Teal Bunbury and the summer acquisition of Jermaine Jones, and the Revolution have plenty of scoring options, but none of them came from the forward position.

Regardless of how well players at other positions are performing, no team is complete without production from a true forward. Entering the first leg of the semifinal clash with Columbus, it was unknown if Davies could produce in a big moment, as he scored on only three occasions throughout the regular season.

During his 1,143 regular-season minutes, Davies did show bursts of confidence, but none of those moments compare to his showing Saturday. 

Davies' run on his first goal exuded confidence, as he trusted his head to knock home the free-kick by Rowe instead of hesitating to control the ball. Had he opted for the latter, Clark would have had time to scamper toward the New England forward and disrupt the scoring opportunity. 

He once again showed trust in his abilities on the second goal, as he took the shot from distance instead of surging into the box for a close shot. 

By opening up the two-legged semifinal, which the Revs should wrap up after earning four away goals at Crew Stadium, Davies proved that his side have a countless number of attacking options. 

There are few defenses in the league that will be able to contain the Revolution, especially if Nguyen keeps his hot pace going. The Crew tried to shadow Nguyen as much as they could Saturday, but it opened up more space for players like Davies and Rowe to become a strong threat.

Looking into the future, D.C. United possess a strong center-back combination in Bobby Boswell and Steve Birnbaum, and New York has a towering Jamison Olave in the center of defense. But neither side has a tight back four that can shut down every facet of New England's attack. 

With his brace, Davies may have paved the path for New England to head to MLS Cup on December 7. On the league's biggest stage, the Revolution would love to prove an Eastern Conference team can go head-to-head with a team from the dominant Western Conference.

With Davies back in form and firing on all cylinders up front, stopping New England throughout the postseason will be quite the difficult task, even for a strong side like Seattle or LA. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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Real Salt Lake did their best to press a home-field advantage in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy, who benefited from a brilliant performance by goalie Jaime Penedo to secure a 0-0 draw.

The Galaxy finished the season five points ahead of Real Salt Lake and were hoping to come away with a crucial away goal at Rio Tinto Stadium. 

Real Salt Lake relayed the biggest key to the game for the team, which centered on the potent attacking trio of Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Landon Donovan:

However, it would be the home side that featured the majority of the attacking flair, playing the ball forward smoothly and crisply while forcing the Galaxy to rely almost solely on the counterattack to generate any semblance of offense.

The game got off to a fairly quiet start, the booming drums in the stands notwithstanding, as both teams sized each other up. Keane got off the first shot of the match in the fifth minute, but goalie Nick Rimando made a clear-cut save. The strike would be one of only three shots on the night for the Galaxy.

Much has been made of Donovan's decision to retire from the sport, which only adds to the focus and scrutiny surrounding these playoffs. The Guardian's Matthew Tomaszewicz did point out that the 32-year-old could still beat players at the drop of a hat:

Real Salt Lake got the first dangerous chance of the game. Javier Morales sent in a corner that landed right at the top of the goalie box, but striker Alvaro Saborio—taking advantage of some shoddy marking by the Galaxy—pushed his glancing header just wide.

The Galaxy were pinned back in their own half quite often and had to call upon some fine efforts from Penedo, who finished with six saves, and defenders A.J. DeLaGarza and Omar Gonzalez. 

DeLaGarza started off the Galaxy's best chance of the night when he sacrificed his body and blocked a swerving shot in the 36th minute.

The Galaxy surged upfield on a counter. Donovan received the ball just outside of the penalty box and played a perfect through pass to forward Zardes, who put the ball into the back of the net. However, the referee declared Zardes offside, and the goal would not stand. 

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl was disappointed in the playoff officiating thus far, also citing an earlier incident involving Joao Plata:

Goal.com's Seth Vertelney felt the call was incorrect, and he had fairly conclusive evidence to back up his claim:

Real Salt Lake continued to press and work on beating defenders, forcing the Galaxy into a number of fouls (25 total for the match).

Saborio was particularly dangerous up front, while midfielder Kyle Beckerman put in his usual workmanlike performance protecting the back line and playing smart, simple passes.

Real Salt Lake started off the second half winning several free kicks in the attacking half. The Galaxy were barely able to contain the passing and movement of Plata and midfielders Luis Gil and Luke Mulholland. MLS displayed some of Gil's deft footwork:

The contest grew noticeably chippy as the game went on as both teams grew visibly frustrated with the lack of scoring. Keane would get another fine chance late in the match, but defender Nat Borchers did very well to break up his run in a one-on-one situation.

The Salt Lake Tribune's Chris Karmani noted the atmosphere of the game after a yellow card from Robbie Rodgers late in the match:

Interestingly, Real Salt Lake manage Jeff Cassar didn't make a substitution during the match, apparently content with his starting XI's ability to attack. He may have missed an opportunity to add fresh legs, as Real Salt Lake's advantage died out as the game went on. 

The biggest reason for the draw was clearly the man in the Galaxy goal, Penedo. He was locked in during the contest, marshaling his defenders, maintaining excellent positioning and, of course, making brilliant saves. The Galaxy relayed one of his best efforts against a right-footed screamer from Morales:

Manager Bruce Arena made one lone substitution in the match, bringing on forward Alan Gordon in the 87th minute for midfielder Baggio Husidic. The move pushed Zardes back to the midfield to support the attackers, but the change was too little, too late and the game ended in a neutral fan's worst nightmare, the nil-nil draw.

The Galaxy were unable to grab an all-important away goal, which means there will be plenty of pressure to score in front of the home fans at the Stubhub Center on Nov. 9. Real Salt Lake is a strong, composed team capable of securing a scoring draw on the road.

Real Salt Lake should have some confidence after creating the vast majority of chances in the first leg, but it will be a tough matchup against the Galaxy on their home turf. Los Angeles scored 44 goals at home this season, while allowing just 14. Expect a raucous crowd in the second leg, as the fans cheer on the retiring Donovan in his final bid for MLS hardware.

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New England Revolution took a major step toward qualification for the Eastern Conference final, beating Columbus Crew 4-2 in Ohio to set up the perfect scenario for the return at Gillette Stadium next Sunday.

The first chance of the match fell to the visitors and found Charlie Davies isolated in front of goal. The striker attempted a cheeky backheel but missed the ball completely, and he really should have done better with the early look on goal.

Both teams came out with a lot of aggression in the first half, but official Drew Fischer took a wait-and-see approach, letting both teams battle it out in the centre of the pitch. Revolution manager Jay Heaps didn't appreciate the referee allowing plenty of contact, via the MLS' official Twitter feed:

New England had the better of play in the first half, with Lee Nguyen in particular putting in an excellent performance. Finding Andrew Farrell inside the box, stopper Steve Clark was forced into making a spectacular save to deny the visitors from scoring that all-important away goal.

Nguyen's brilliance throughout the match drew rave reviews from Goal's Ives Galarcep:

Justin Meram should have opened the scoring for the hosts in the 29th minute, after the New England defence failed to pick him up inside the box. With all the time in the world to shoot, the forward aimed his shot too high, hitting the crossbar.

Columbus were punished for their inefficiency minutes later, as Davies scored a diving header to give the visitors the lead. The forward produced an odd celebration:

The Revolution pushed for a second goal and Jermaine Jones forced Clark into another save just before half-time, but the hosts stood firm. The 15-minute break clearly favored the visitors, who came out pressing high in the second half, and Teal Bunbury should have made it 2-0 from close range within minutes of the restart.

The goal came just moments later, however, as Chris Tierney produced a stunning free-kick to double the visitors' advantage. Clipping the crossbar, Clark had no chance of saving the effort, and ESPN FC's Jason Davis was impressed:

New England appeared in control of the match, but Columbus gave the hometown fans some hope with 30 minutes left to play. Meram, playing a dreadful match up until that point, was presented with an open goal after a poor Revs clearance, and the forward didn't miss.

It was a great day for original celebrations, via Kick TV:

The goal appeared to wake the home team up, and Columbus surged forward in search of an equalizer. Federico Higuain was lively but wasteful up front for the Crew, and Meram continued to struggle with New England's high press.

The visitors aimed for the counter-attack and found success in the 71st minute, as Nguyen crowned his great match with a goal of his own. Waylon Francis was given a yellow card for apparently striking Jones in the face in the process, as official Fischer started to lose control of the match.

Canadian Soccer News' Duane Rollins was hardly surprised:

Frustration started boiling over for Columbus, and New England took advantage by adding a fourth, as Davies found the back of the net after another great counter.

ESPN's Taylor Twellman thought Crew's biggest weakness was plain to see on Saturday:

Facing a three-goal deficit with four away goals for New England, one would have expected the hosts to throw everything forward in a desperate attempt to score one more ahead of the trip to Gillette Stadium. 

Instead, Columbus attacked without any sense of urgency, but the hosts were handed a lifeline by Jose Goncalves, who clearly handled a cross inside the box. Fischer didn't spot the foul, but his assistant on the sidelines alerted him. Higuain converted the resulting spot kick with a Panenka, giving Crew some hope for the return next week.

Inside MLS wonders whether the late goal could turn out to make the difference:

Columbus will have to score at least three goals to qualify for the Conference final, as the MLS decided to adopt the European system of using away goals as a tiebreaker for this year's playoffs at the start of this season.

New England fully deserved the win on Saturday, but Columbus' defensive effort was beyond subpar. Armed with the knowledge there is still a return game to be played, it's hard to believe how the team turned its back on stopper Clark and get carried away during the match.

Higuain's late goal means all isn't lost for Columbus, but down two goals and facing four away goals in total, the squad will need a miracle to qualify over New England next Sunday.

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The highest-profile series of the four conference semifinals in the MLS Cup playoffs comes to us from the No. 2 vs. No. 3 series in the Western Conference. 

Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy field a lineup full of stars in almost every match, and Saturday's first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium will be no different. 

The obvious spotlight will shine on Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando, but each of the 22 starters are deserving of high praise when at their respective bests. 

Here is a look at the six key issues that will shape Saturday's star-studded match in Utah. 

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