In many ways, it can be a big disadvantage to start the series on the road, especially if the home team gets hot. It's possible for a home team to feed off an energized crowd in Game 1 and jump out to a 2-0 or 3-0 lead, and at that point Beckerman says a series can be realistically over after one game.

Both games of the RSL-Chivas series will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. The other three conference semifinals are Chicago vs. New England, Houston vs. New York and Columbus vs. Kansas City. The New York Red Bulls enter the playoffs as a wild-card team and will be seeded as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference by virtue of finishing with a better record than the West's fourth-place team, Colorado.

"The teams that generally do well in these series are the teams that are organized, who are disciplined and who are aggressive," said RSL defender Nat Borchers.

For teams advancing to the Eastern and Western Conference championship, the format is a one-game playoff, with the match being played at the higher seed. Though it's a long shot, RSL could end up hosting this match if it beats Chivas USA and New York upsets West No. 1 seed Houston.

The conference finals winners advance to MLS Cup 2008, which will be played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Sunday, Nov. 23.

"There will be a tendency now for the team, all of our supporters and the media to think, 'OK, we've gotten here, our work is done.' That's not the case," said Kreis. "That is not the case at all. We have felt within our locker room that probably the most difficult task for us this year would be to make the playoffs. Now that we're in there, we feel in our hearts that we can go all the way, and that's what we plan on doing."

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