MLS 2009 Eastern Playoffs: Game 2 Previews

The Eastern Conference favorites have some work to do.

The Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire each face one-goal deficits heading into the decisive second legs of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series after Real Salt Lake and the New England Revolution held serve at home last weekend. The razor-thin margins favoring the visiting teams mean the semifinals are poised precariously heading with any of the four teams still in the mix to progress.

Now that the first legs are in the books, the tasks are clearly outlined. For the favorites, it’s time to make that hard-earned home-field advantage pay off with a season-sustaining victory. For the underdogs, a long 90 minutes filled with defensive attentiveness and opportunistic attacking forays awaits.

Will the chalk reign as usual or will the underdogs finally have their day? A closer look might just give us a clue heading into the do-or-die tilts.

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In The Game
Game 2: Columbus vs Salt Lake