T he New England Revolution has made it to the last three MLS Cup finals, but a fourth trip seems like a bit of a long shot.</p><p>The Revolution is winless in its last six games (0-4-2) heading into tonight&#8217;s playoff opener, and its top three scorers will miss the postseason: Steve Ralston (eight goals, broken leg), Taylor Twellman (eight goals, concussion-related symptoms) and Adam Cristman (six goals, toe surgery).</p><p>&#8220;We really need to focus on who we are,&#8221; defender Michael Parkhurst told the <em>Boston Globe</em>. &#8220;Guys need to step up and take some leadership. Younger guys need to step up. They had a chance earlier in the season with a bunch of injuries to step up and get some playing time and they got the job done then. Hopefully, we can use that experience in the playoffs.&#8221;</p><p>Here&#8217;s a look at the MLS playoff matchups for all four series:</p><p><strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 1 Columbus Crew vs. No. 4 Kansas City Wizards</span></strong><br /> <strong>&#8226;Records:</strong> Columbus 17-7-6, Wizards 11-10-9</p><p><strong>&#8226;Top scorers:</strong> Crew&#8217;s Alejandro Moreno (nine goals), Wizards&#8217; Davy Arnaud (seven goals)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Goalies:</strong> Crew&#8217;s Will Hesmer (1.14 goals-against average), Wizards&#8217; Kevin Hartman (1.30 GAA)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Outlook:</strong> This series may come down to the Argentineans. The Wizards&#8217; Claudio Lopez has been on a roll lately, helping fuel a 5-1-1 finishing kick that helped the Wizards squeeze into the playoffs. The Crew&#8217;s Guillermo Barros Schelotto is an MVP candidate because of his remarkable 19 assists. He is the engine that makes the Crew go. As for the goalies, Hesmer is a former Wizard who has no playoff experience, while Hartman is a past MLS Cup champion.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Prediction: </strong>Wizards 3, Crew 2</p><p><strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 2 Chicago Fire vs. No. 3 New England Revolution</span></strong><br /> <strong>&#8226;Records: </strong>Chicago 13-10-7, New England 12-11-7</p><p><strong>&#8226;Top scorers:</strong> Fire&#8217;s Chris Rolfe (nine goals), Revolution&#8217;s Kheli Dube and Jeff Larentowicz (four goals)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Goalies:</strong> Fire&#8217;s Jon Busch (1.10 goals-against average), Revolution&#8217;s Matt Reis (1.38 GAA).</p><p><strong>&#8226;Outlook:</strong> These teams have met in the playoffs six of the last eight years and the Revolution has eliminated the Fire the last three years. But Chicago is 3-0 in the season series, including two wins in New England. The Revolution is wracked by injuries and red-card suspensions. It will be too much to overcome, particularly when Chicago counters with Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Brian McBride.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Prediction:</strong> Chicago 4, New England 1</p><p><strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 1 Houston Dynamo vs. No. 4 New York Red Bulls</span></strong><br /> <strong>&#8226;Records: </strong>Houston 13-5-12, New York 10-11-9</p><p><strong>&#8226;Top scorers:</strong> Houston&#8217;s Brian Ching (13 goals), Red Bulls&#8217; Juan Pablo Angel (14 goals)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Goalies: </strong>Houston&#8217;s Pat Onstad (1.03 goals-against average), Red Bulls&#8217; (Jon Conway 1.50 GAA)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Outlook:</strong> The two-time defending champion Dynamo is 9-1-7 in its last 17 league games, but the loss came in New York on Aug. 24 (3-0). The Red Bulls finished the year 2-5-1 in their last eight games, and had the worst road record in MLS (1-8-6). The Bulls&#8217; saving grace may be Houston&#8217;s schedule. The Dynamo played has played two games a week over the last five weeks and on Tuesday was in El Salvador for a Champions League game. That has to take a toll.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Prediction:</strong> Houston 2, New York 1</p><p><strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 2 Chivas USA vs. No. 3 Real Salt Lake</span></strong><br /> <strong>&#8226;Records:</strong> Chivas 12-11-7, Salt Lake 10-10-10</p><p><strong>&#8226;Top scorers:</strong> Chivas has three players tied with five, Salt Lake&#8217;s Yura Movsisyan (seven goals)</p><p><strong>&#8226;Goalies: </strong>Chivas&#8217; Zach Thornton (1.80 goals-against average), Salt Lake&#8217;s Nick Rimando (1.30 GAA).</p><p><strong>&#8226;Outlook:</strong> Movsisyan has blossomed into the dependable goal-scorer the Wizards envisioned when they drafted him last year before trading him. His late goal against Colorado gave Salt Lake its playoff spot in improbable fashion. Salt Lake finished the year 3-0-2. Chivas will be hurt by the red-card suspension of goalie Dan Kennedy. He&#8217;ll miss game one and Thornton, a 13-year veteran, will take his place. Chivas will need Thornton to step up.</p><p><strong>&#8226;Prediction: </strong>Real Salt Lake 3, Chivas USA 1</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 1 Columbus Crew vs. No. 4 Kansas City Wizards </span></strong><br /> <strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 2 Chicago Fire vs. No. 3 New England Revolution </span></strong><br /> <strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 1 Houston Dynamo vs. No. 4 New York Red Bulls </span></strong><br /> <strong><span class="infobox-head">No. 2 Chivas USA vs. No. 3 Real Salt Lake </span></strong><br /> </div>