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MLS Pick ‘Em 2015: FINAL

Here we are, at long last. The end of a grueling season. When we set out to do this column at the beginning of the year, I had my doubts. It relied on a lot of moving parts, and weekly attention from all of the writers involved. I cannot be prouder that it all came together and we finished out the season. Mighty big thanks to Eric Walcott, Alec Rivera, Jeff Krause, Russ McKenzie, John Richan, Ned Joyce, and Michael Norton. You guys rock. Thanks for putting up with my season long nagging and making this a fun column to produce every week. Alright, let’s get down do it, shall we?

MLS Pick ‘Em 2015: FINAL

playoff-bracket

While MLS still has one more round, we close out our competition here. The New York Red Bulls take on the Columbus Crew in a playoff matchup that has been highly anticipated since the 2008 MLS Cup. The Red Bulls and the Crew were very different teams then, and now share a lot more common ground. This one has everything you want from a playoff match. Number 1 v. Number 2. Can either team put this one away in the first leg? Or are we looking at another 12 round bout?

Dallas has been one of the best teams to watch all year when healthy. Portland? well, they had a good summer run, followed by some stinkers in August and September. The Timbers managed to find themselves right before the playoffs and have been running hot ever since. Dallas just eeked out a dramatic win over the Sounders, but expect this one to be a lot more open. Isn’t it great that the four teams in the Conference finals are teams that are fun to watch?

This all adds up to what should be one of the best Conference Finals MLS has seen in years. Who will be left standing to fight for the cup on December 6th? Let’s see what our experts think:

Eric Walcott

Staff Writer

@ericwalcott

RBNY (3-3)

I think each team wins 2-1 at home and Red Bull make the most of home field advantage, winning the penalty shootout at RBA.

POR (2-1)

The Timbers got to this point with the best preparation possible. Vancouver isn’t Dallas, but their pace and dynamic attack is as close as it gets in MLS. Portland shut them down, and that should have then ready to contain the dangerous Dallas attack.
Jeff Krause

Editor

@DFBJeff

RBNY 4-3

Columbus has had, by all accounts, a fantastic 2015 season. Kei Kamara has found a new level, and Berhalter has made Columbus a serious contender in two short years. Problem is, they’re facing the eventual MLS Cup winner in RBNY. No one is stopping Jesse Marsch from completing what he started at that town hall meeting many months ago.

FCD 3-2

This Oscar Pareja-led team is far different than the snoozer that stumbled into a near Cup win in 2010. Dallas proved this year that they were the real deal. There’s only one team in the league that can stop them, and it just happens to be the team they’ll face in the MLS Cup after they make Portland wait another year for a Cup berth.

Main Photo: Jeff Vinnick, Getty Images

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