The Revs own a 2-1 advantage in the total goals, home-and-home series are will be aiming to knock off their Eastern rivals.

"The object was to win the game," New England coach Steve Nicol said after the first leg win. "We would have preferred it went 10-nil, but we know that's not happening. But we're ahead, which means they have to come out and come at us." "We went out with the mind set that we wanted to get a win, and obviously they're at home and they obviously wanted to get the win," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said.

RSL (2-0-0) headed into the match up one in the total goals, home-and-home series thanks to a late Robbie Findley tally in the first leg this past weekend, and closed it out on the road on Thursday night.

The Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the game's first two goals inside 35 minutes to give the Supporters' Shield winners the advantage, but three unanswered goals by RSL ensured there would be a new MLS Cup champion in 2009.

Marshall started all 18 matches in which he played during the regular season, and is the second player in league history to win consecutive awards, joining U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra, who won in 2002 and 2003 with the Chicago Fire.

Marshall anchored a Columbus defense that allowed only 31 goals in the regular season, which was third fewest in MLS and established a new club record.

Columbus, which is the top seed in the Major League Soccer playoffs after winning its second consecutive Supporters' Shield, is in a small hole, down 1-0 in the home-and-home, total goals series with last-seeded RSL thanks to an 88th-minute Robbie Findley goal in the first leg.

For the heavily-favored Crew to advance to the Eastern Final, they are going to have to score at least one or two on Thursday night.

Thornton, 36, had arguably the best season of his 13-year MLS career. He led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals against average.

His 12 shutouts were one shy of the club record and his goals against average ranks second all-time behind Pat Onstad's 0.82 in 2007 for the Houston Dynamo. Thornton led the league in goals against average, shutouts and ranked second in wins with 12.

Soehn was D.C.

United's assistant from 2004-06, then led the club to the best record in MLS in 2007 and a U.S. Open Cup crown in 2008 in his three years as head coach.

The move will be effective in January 2010, while Beckham remains under contract to the Galaxy and will play for the club throughout the MLS Cup playoffs.

"We are pleased to finalize David's loan to AC Milan and we look forward to his return to the Galaxy after the 2010 World Cup," Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said.

Mistakes by both teams led to goals, which is uncharacteristic of the lineups that were normally rock-solid through the regular season.

The game's first goal was scored by Chivas USA just four minutes in when midfielder Sacha Kljestan was given a ton of room breaking into the offensive third.

The Revs came back from a 1-0 deficit to score the equalizer just before the first-half break, and the winner with 15 minutes to play to take the advantage in the home-and-home, total goals series.

Chris Rolfe opened the scoring for Chicago in the 17th minute. After winger Marco Pappa got around defender jay Heaps on the right side, he fired a low cross into the Revs' penalty area. But goalkeeper Matt Reis got his hands on it to deflect it away from it's intended target.

Columbus Crew Eastern Conference Semifinal Series at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night, it looked like the two Major League Soccer teams would be heading to Columbus for the second leg of the total goals, home-and-home series tied at zero.

But a quick goal by RSL striker Robbie Findley - the Utah club's leading goal scorer in the regular season with 12 - off a throw-in put the underdogs up 1-0 and in the driver's seat.

neighbors, Chivas USA, on Sunday night at The Home Depot Center in their Western Conference Semifinal Series.

The meeting will be the first-ever in the playoffs between the rivals, ratcheting up the intensity in the already heated derby.

It will actually be the eighth time the two clubs have met in the postseason, with the Revs owning a 4-3 advantage in the previous meetings.

The teams have also met in the postseason for five straight years, with Chicago winning last year to break a three-year streak by the Revs. The Fire will be aiming to start their own streak this time.

The Crew are the top seed in the Eastern bracket after winning the Supporters' Shield for the second straight year while RSL just snuck into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season for the second straight year. That doesn't mean RSL isn't confident though.

"Our guys have to truly believe right now," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "I feel like it has been such an effort to make it to the playoffs, what I'm wary of is kind of everybody taking a breath and going, 'Ahh, we're here.' For me, that's not good enough, because honestly, in my mind - and I'm not just saying this to say it - I feel like we have a team that can beat anybody on a given day. So we have to believe." RSL also has been a m

Houston, the No. 2 seed in the Western playoff bracket, and Seattle, the No. 3 seed, were the two best defensive clubs during the regular season, so it was no surprise that the game ended in a scoreless draw.

The first half saw just one clear-cut scoring chance for each team. Houston winger Brad Davis missed an open header from 10 yards out in the opening minutes before Seattle's Patrick Ianni headed a ball off the crossbar off a Freddie Ljungberg just before the interval.

Ljungberg recorded four assists while leading the expansion Sounders to a 3-0-0 record during the final month of the regular season, good enough for a berth in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Seattle earned the No. 3 seed in the Western playoff bracket by finishing the season 12-7-11 with 47 points. The team will face the second-seeded Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference semifinal series.

The two Major League Soccer club's tied for the best defense in the regular season with just 29 goals allowed in 30 league fixtures. Both teams feature extremely talented veteran goalkeepers - Kasey Keller in Seattle and Pat Onstad in Houston - and solid backlines, along with talented possession- oriented attacking units.

But all the numbers can be thrown out the window in the playoffs, being that every team starts from scratch.

Hitchcock's responsibilities with the club have been discontinued, effective immediately.

"We appreciate Michael's efforts on behalf of FC Dallas and Pizza Hut Park over the last four seasons," Hunt said. "Michael was an outstanding ambassador for FC Dallas during his time with the club, and we certainly wish him the best in the future." Hunt said FC Dallas will not fill the position of general manager. Instead the club will hire a technical director to assist coach Schellas Hyndman in the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the soccer team. HSG President John Wagner will continue to oversee the business side of the organization.

Cummins was hired as an assistant coach in 2008, and then promoted to interim head coach in April. Cummins leaves Toronto FC with a MLS coaching record of 8-9-7.

"We have decided to move forward without Chris for next season," Toronto FC manager, director of soccer Mo Johnston said. "We want to thank Chris for his contribution to the club over the last year and a half, and wish him all the best in the future.

Corrales played on the first San Jose franchise, helping the team win two MLS Cups (2001 and 2003), and returned in 2008 after the club rejoined the league. He has 11 goals and 19 assists in his career, playing defensive midfield or at fullback.

"Ramiro has been an important part of our team the past two seasons and throughout his career," San Jose General Manager of Soccer Operations John Doyle said. "He is an extremely versatile player who has filled a number of roles here through the years.

Findley set a career high this season with 12 goals, which surpasses his 2007 total of eight goals in his rookie season.

Real Salt Lake finished the regular season 11-12-7 with 40 points and will face the Columbus Crew in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Cunningham scored a career-high 17 goals to pace the league, one ahead of Colorado Rapids striker Conor Casey.

He joins Taylor Twellman, Carlos Ruiz, Stern John and Roy Lassiter as two-time Golden Boot winners after also winning the award as a member of Real Salt Lake in 2006.

A Jeff Larentowicz free kick goal in the 79th minute was the only offense in the game as the MLS regular season concluded at the end of the fixture.

As a result of New England's victory, the playoff bracket will feature three teams from the Eastern Conference and five from the West.

The win propels the Dynamo into a tie with the Los Angeles Galaxy atop the Western table with 48 points, but the Galaxy own the tiebreaker and will take the top seed in the Western Bracket of the upcoming MLS Cup playoffs.

Houston (13-8-9) will be the second seed, followed by Seattle, and Chivas USA. Columbus and Chicago clinched in the East, with the other spots to be determined after the New England, Columbus game later on Sunday.

With the win, Seattle coach Sigi Schmid now owns the all-time mark for victories in MLS history with 125, breaking current U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley's record.

Seattle also eliminated FC Dallas from playoff contention with the victory.

A Bobby Burling own goal in the first half, and a Landon Donovan goal in he second half were all the Galaxy needed to earn their 12th victory of the season and pull ahead of Houston and Chivas USA, which were tied with L.A. heading into the weekend. Houston and Chivas actually close out their regular season on Sunday against each other. The Galaxy own the first tiebreaker against both teams.

The Galaxy (12-6-12) went up 1-0 in the 24th minute when Burling deflected a Donovan cross into his own net for the own goal.