by Jamie Trecker

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This one's a dream match-up ... for Fire fans. They despise the Revs, and they love beating them. The Revs have consistently lost to the Fire since 2008. Seriously, they're 0-5-3 in all meetings. Having said that, the Fire haven't done much Boston scalp this year — the lone win was an upset, 2-1, in the SuperLiga.

But the Fire can't count this as an automatic. Why? Honestly, it's because the Fire — like the Revs — aren't very consistent. Since the All-Star break the Fire went off the boil, meekly compiling a 4-4-4 record and playing an awful lot of ugly long-ball.

Part of the reason is that key man Cuauhtemoc Blanco has been far more influential for his country than his club — he hasn't scored a goal for the Fire since late August. Blanco didn't even start the final regular season game for the Fire. That said, he did help win it, as it was his corner kick, three minutes after taking the field, that Chivas USA's Eduardo Lillingston helpfully poked into the back of his own net.

The Fire does have talent, though. Blanco, Brian McBride and 'keeper Jon Busch remain some of MLS' best. The supporting cast, however, is showing a lot of rough spots. Fan-favorite Marco Pappa has energy but lacks control, and C.J. Brown is really showing his years in the back.

Chris Rolfe and Logan Pause, once thought to be possible national teamers, have unfortunately regressed. And no matter what anyone tells you, the Fire's loss of disgruntled Malian defender Bakary Soumare — after a halftime fight with coach Denis Hamlett — hurt.

Then there's the Revs. The big losses that come to mind are Steve Ralston, injured again, and Paul Mariner. Mariner, of course, was manager Steve Nicol's assistant, and he recently rejoined his old club back in England. That's a big blow for a team that has always been coached by committee.

That said, Nicol doesn't have much left to coach. Shalrie Joseph remains a fierce presence in the midfield and can be a game-changer, but too much of the Revs' lineup is like Jay Heaps — plodding, gutsy, and prone to making horrible decisions. Worse news — 'keeper Matt Reis had a career season, uh, last season.

Unfortunately, these guys can't score, either. Taylor Twellman is out, and may in fact be done (concussion issues). Kenny Mansally and Jeff Larentowicz come in banged up, and Kheli Dube and Sainey Nyassi just haven't done much this year. The bright spot has been Edgardas Janakauskas, and he hasn't been bright enough that any of you outside of Foxboro have actually heard of him.

Head to Head this season: 1-0-2. The Fire met the Revs three times this year: Both regular season matches were draws; the lone win came in Superliga play, when a Blanco goal knocked the champs off in the semis.

The big number(s): One and two. The former is the number of wins the Fire have had since September. The latter is the number of wins the Revs have posted in the same time period.

Winner: Have to take the Fire here. The Revs slumped badly at the end of the season, and while the Fire hasn't exactly been championship-caliber, I think that home-field advantage will give them the edge.

1. LOS ANGELES vs. 4. CHIVAS USA (Sun., 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

This one's sweet. The two Home Depot Center tenants will go head to head in arguably the first round's marquee matchup.

Under manager Bruce Arena, the Galaxy went from laughingstock to top seed in the west. They are dynamic, organized, and have two of the best players in MLS side-by-side. And that Beckham guy who got ripped for not showing up last year? He's showed up this season, and how.

The Beckham-Landon Donovan connection has been outstanding this season, with Donovan playing his position like a schoolyard shooting guard and Beckham just lofting the ball in on a dime as needed. Oh, and that book which (accurately) detailed the behind-the-scenes friction? Well, it seems winning cures all envy, because the duo has been lighting it up this year.

That noted, the real story of L.A.'s revival was the canny hiring of 'keeper Donovan Ricketts. He has to be an MVP candidate, and he'd be a lock if not for Zach —wait, we're getting ahead of things here.

Ricketts, bluntly, has saved L.A.'s bacon more than once, sweeping up the big, big messes L.A.'s defenders often dump in his lap. Particularly vulnerable is Gregg Berhalter, the former national teamer who can no longer play at anything close to top pace. And while fellow defender Sean Franklin has promise, but he's still not a finished product.

What the Galaxy does do well is blend experience in a way that camouflages a lot of holes. Eddie Lewis, Chris Klein, Chris Birchall, Mike Magee — heck, even Alan Gordon gets a nod — have all been steady contributors over the season. They are not flashy, but they know what they can do, and they do it well.

Chivas USA, on the other hand, plays a bit more brawling style, and the team hopes that this is their year. In any case, if the rumors are true, this year is it for coach Preki in Los Angeles — he's expected to interview elsewhere after becoming the league's best player-turned-coach bar none.

Unfortunately, since Chivas' hot start, the team has sagged a bit, largely due to their performance on the road (they've only lost three games at home all season). There's also a lot of wear and tear on this team. Sacha Kljestan, Jonathan Bornstein and rookie Michael Lahoud have stood out this season, but the supporting cast — the likes of Carey Talley, Paulo Nagamura, Jesus Padilla and Marcelo Saragosa — are hardly inspiring. They're slow, they don't move the ball up and down the field well, and they blow chances.

Which brings us the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year lock — Zach Thornton. If you had told me that the Incredible Bulk was going to put up his career year at age 36, I would have told you that you were nuts. Twelve shutouts later and the best GAA in all of MLS, Thornton has posted a career year, and arguably single-handedly willed this team into the playoffs. If he's on, he's tough to beat.

Head to Head this season: The Galaxy have not lost a game to Chivas, going 2-0-1 this year. Only two goals were scored in the three games; Buddle and Beckham got the matchwinners.

The big number: 0.87. That's Chivas USA 'keeper Zach Thornton's GAA. He's also ran up 12 shutouts this season. Not bad.

Winner: Real tough to call this one. Of all the matchups, I'd say these two are as dead-even as you can get. In truth, I flipped a coin to decide this one, and it came up heads for Los Angeles.

Return to Houston vs. Seattle and Columbus vs. Real Salt Lake matchups

Jamie Trecker's newest book, "Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks" is out now from Harcourt. Jamie is assisted by Jerry and Janice Trecker. Contact Jamie at jamie.trecker@gmail.com and visit his blog and website at www.jamietrecker.com.

The views and opinions expressed by Jamie Trecker do not necessarily reflect those of the Fox Soccer Channel or FoxSoccer.com.