Real Salt Lake and New England had to wait until their final regular-season games to clinch spots in the postseason, and both did so with a little help from other teams.

So perhaps it's fitting that both provided the drama and intrigue in the first leg of the MLS playoffs. Each secured a one-goal advantage at home against a higher-seeded opponent, vital lifelines to carry when they hit the road for their return legs.

Here's my breakdown of the first leg of the MLS playoffs:

New England versus Chicago (New England leads 2-1 heading back to Chicago)

I admit, I was among those who bought into the conventional wisdom that suggested New England had too many injuries and not enough firepower offensively to seriously challenge Chicago over two legs. That's in no way an endorsement of Chicago's championship credentials; the Fire's shortcomings are obvious enough. But the Revs couldn't continue to count on Shalrie Joseph to provide cover for the back line, maintain possession in the midfield and venture forward into the box and score goals, could they?

So much for conventional wisdom. Joseph did just that in a 2-1 win at Gillette Stadium, notching a 75th-minute winner to give the Revs a vital one-goal lifeline to bring with them to Chicago.

The Fire probably will leave Foxborough feeling a bit aggrieved. They had a bright start and were rewarded for their ambition and attacking endeavor with a Chris Rolfe goal in the 17th minute. It looked like they might blow the game open a couple of minutes later, but Brian McBride's shot hit the post.

New England's lack of a natural target man in attack is painfully obvious at times. As industrious as Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally are on the wings, neither would be mistaken as a center forward. And Edgaras Jankauskas will give you an honest effort, but not much else.

Not too many teams rely on their holding midfielder to double as a striker. But anyone who has followed the Revs closely this season wouldn't have been surprised to find Joseph essentially spearheading the attack late in the game. It's a tactic I was convinced would fail them come playoff time, but Joseph poked home the game-winner after a scramble in the box to prove me wrong.

Second-leg prediction: Chicago 1, New England 1

Real Salt Lake versus Columbus (RSL leads 1-0 heading back to Columbus)

I'm not so quick to lambast Crew coach Robert Warzycha's decision to leave Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno on the bench. He must have had his doubts about their fitness (especially Schelotto's) and was confident enough in his other players to get the result he wanted.

And let's be honest: The result the Crew were aiming for at Rio Tinto was a scoreless draw to bring back home to Columbus. Schelotto and Moreno were not going to offer much to achieve that aim. And the Crew were two minutes and change from achieving that goal, until Robbie Findley grabbed a lifeline for RSL in the dying minutes.

Heading back to Columbus, the focus doesn't change much. The Crew still need to win at home, something they obviously have shown they're more than capable of. Now there's just a little extra pressure, which may not be the worst thing. It gives the players extra initiative to take the attack to RSL, and perhaps will liven up the home crowd.

And Warzycha will have a fully rested reigning MVP at his disposal. The Crew's coach could come up looking smarter by the end of next week. Or he could have some serious explaining to do should Columbus come up short. I'm guessing the former.

Prediction: Columbus 3, Real Salt Lake 1

Chivas versus L.A. Galaxy (Chivas 2, L.A. 2)

It was exciting, to be sure -- but not necessarily in a good way. Maicon Santos' goal in the fourth minute proved to be the only goal scored that didn't come as a result of a shockingly bad, rec-league defensive error.

But while it won't be easy viewing in the film room for the coaches, both sides probably can agree that a draw was a fair result. Either team could have won or lost -- it was just that kind of afternoon. Hopefully, the nerves (or whatever was plaguing the game) will be gone for the second leg.

Preki will have a difficult time keeping Maykel Galindo on the bench to start the second leg. Galindo came on as a second-half substitute to inject some energy into a Chivas attack that seemed a bit shell-shocked heading into the break down 2-1. Although his 50th-minute equalizer was gifted to him from a bad back pass from Omar Gonzalez, he finished the chance well and gave Chivas an added element in attack. It's hard to imagine Preki not giving him full run in the second leg.

Second-leg prediction: L.A. 1, Chivas 0

Seattle versus Houston (Houston 0, Seattle 0 heading back to Houston)

The speed and intensity of the game screamed for goals, but none were forthcoming. It wasn't for lack of effort. Patrick Ianni, who filled in for an injured Tyrone Marshall in Seattle's back line, exhibited the kind of luck the Sounders were destined to have on the night when he saw two headed chances denied: one cleared off the goal line by Brian Mullan, one by the crossbar.

The talking point for me following the game was the performance of the referee, Ricardo Salazar. The numbers suggest Salazar didn't have a great game. He produced three yellow cards for each team, yet the Dynamo committed three times as many fouls as the Sounders (18-6).

But my point about the officiating is less a judgment of Salazar's performance than an observation of the challenges MLS officials face come playoff time. The game was physical, and you didn't need to see Nate Jacqua's head wrapped in bandages to realize that. But isn't there a tacit recognition that referees err on the side of swallowing their whistles come playoff time? It's what makes the NBA playoffs so great to watch. Players, coaches, officials and fans all understand that what was a foul in the regular season isn't going to get called in the playoffs.

After watching the Seattle-Houston game, I'm not so sure that trend translates as well to soccer. The best thing a referee can do early in a game is set a standard for what an acceptable challenge is. Whether players (or fans) perceive that standard as fair or unfair, at least they can reasonably assume what they're allowed to get away with on the field. Salazar was, to be polite, inconsistent in setting that standard in the game. And it took fluidity away from an entertaining, attack-minded game.

Second-leg prediction: Houston 2, Seattle 1

Random thoughts

After watching the first weekend of MLS playoff action and considering the results for Real Salt Lake and New England, I found myself wondering what Kevin Payne would think.

Payne, D.C. United's president, recently stirred up a bit of controversy in MLS circles when he suggested that teams that employ cynical and negative tactics to earn results -- and possibly a playoff berth -- damage the league's image, and that a stronger emphasis on entertaining, attacking style should be embraced. He identified New England and Real Salt Lake as culprits of what he perceives as a bad trend for MLS.

Setting aside whether his argument has merit (it does) or smacks of sour grapes given that D.C. United is watching the playoffs from home (it does), I wonder if he feels vindicated after watching RSL and New England win over the weekend? If it's true that both teams don't play an attacking and entertaining style, yet were rewarded with an invitation to play on the league's biggest stage, is that bad for the league's image, as Payne suggests?