As long as the Colorado Rapids don't lose the second leg of their first-round playoff matchup, the MLS Eastern Conference finals will have a decidedly Western flair.
Colorado needs a draw against the Columbus Crew on Saturday afternoon to set up an East final with two Western rivals, which is good news for a club that hasn't won in its last six trips to Crew Stadium.
The West finished with a collective 70 points more than the East, so it was no surprise that all four wild-card teams came from the conference that's produced four of the last five MLS Cup champions.
That scenario sent Colorado and San Jose - the West's fifth and sixth teams, respectively - to a weaker Eastern bracket topped by New York and Columbus. The Earthquakes took out the Red Bulls 3-2 on aggregate, meaning the Rapids can host a bizarre East final pairing if they can hang on to a 1-0 advantage from Pablo Mastroeni's goal in the Oct. 28 first leg.
Coach Gary Smith was hoping for more after his team outshot Columbus 10-1 in the first half, but he's not about to complain.
"That advantage I'm sure will be quite instrumental in a game that I would think is going to be very, very tight," Smith told MLS' official website.
All it will take is a draw at Crew Stadium for the Rapids to win their first playoff series since 2006. They have to be thankful that's all they need considering they're 0-4-2 in Columbus since a 2-1 win June 26, 2004.
Mastroeni thinks they possess enough intangibles to survive even deeper in the postseason than the conference final.
"It isn't necessarily talent," said the captain, whose goal in the first leg was his first in 23 career playoff games. "The mesh of personalities and characters and different guys stepping up on different days. That's what you need to be a championship team and hopefully that's what we have this year."
All isn't lost for Columbus, however. Since 2003 - when the aggregate conference semifinal format was introduced - 10 of the 20 teams trailing after the first leg have advanced.
The Crew didn't fare so well in that scenario a year ago after losing their first leg 1-0 at Real Salt Lake. Columbus took a 2-0 lead in the return leg, but RSL scored three times to end the Crew's hopes of defending their 2008 championship.
"We can learn from that," coach Robert Warzycha said. "We were too good a team to lose a 2-0 lead at home like that."
Both teams have question marks in goal. Colorado's Matt Pickens has been battling through a tight groin, though Smith said it won't keep him out Saturday.
Columbus' issue is more dire. With starter Will Hesmer out after fracturing his right shoulder in the regular-season finale, Andy Gruenebaum will make his second straight start - something Smith is pleased to see.
"I thought there were one or two occasions where he was a little bit hesitant," Smith said. "I thought he looked a little bit edgy."
