FIFA.com users' top three picks to win the 2007 MLS Cup are all booking early holidays after being eliminated in their respective home-and-away conference semi-finals series. Major League Soccer's western conference champions Chivas USA lost out to underdogs Kansas City Wizards, best in the east DC United were undone by late qualifiers Chicago Fire and perennial nearly men New England Revolution knocked out Bruce Arena's star-studded charges from the Big Apple. Defending champions Houston Dynamo stamped their ticket by beating FC Dallas in an all-Texan derby.

In a testament to the tension of MLS' play-off format, the first round of action produced some startling moments of all-or-nothing drama, fuelled, in large part, by fear of defeat.

Chicago Fire and their 2007 talisman Cuauhtémoc Blanco of Mexico flew the underdog flag first, earning a surprising 1-0 win at home over DC United in the first leg of their conference semi-final on 25 October. After just pipping David Beckham's LA Galaxy to a final play-off spot in the last game of the 'regular season,' the men from the Windy City were expected to be summarily turned over by the points leaders from the capital on the road in the second leg.

However, Chad Barrett and Chris Rolfe struck within one minute of each other in the first half. Then the mid-western club stood strong to fend off a second half fightback in which Christian Gomez and Clyde Simms scored to draw level on the night.

"We never really doubted ourselves because I think we have been the best team in the league for the past two months," said Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens who suffered a scare at the end when Gomez looked to have scored in stoppage time and force extra time. However, the strike was waved off for a foul.

The Fire will be hoping to keep up the form in their one-off conference final in Boston on Thursday against three-time losing MLS Cup finalists New England, who pulled an upset of their own with a tight series win over regional rivals New York Red Bulls.

In what was always going to be a tension-fuelled and cautious affair, Revs coach Steve Nicol pulled off a coup in the first leg on the road in New York by earning a 0-0 draw against the previously free-scoring Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna and co.

The return leg was just as tight on Saturday night and required a moment of scrappy endeavour from top scorer Taylor Twellman to see the home side win out 1-0 on the aggregate in driving wind and rain.

"It was just a battle with the wind and rain and playing on the (artificial) turf," said Twellman, whose 64th minute scramble proved the turning point. "It was one of those ugly games where we had to fight through it, and hope to take that one chance you got."

All action in the wild, wild west
The western side of the play-off tree saw a major surprise as well with Chivas USA, point leaders in the conference during the 'regular season,' losing out to bottom qualifiers Kansas City Wizards.

The Kansas City side earned a slim win in the first leg at their Arrowhead Stadium on 27 October thanks to fine free kick from Davy Arnaud, and they weathered a ferocious storm of Chivas attack in the second leg in LA to win out on aggregate after a 0-0 draw.

The Wizards now move on to meet defending champions Houston Dynamo, who rolled over fellow Texans FC Dallas in their conference semi-final.

The orange-clad Dynamo dug themselves a hole after going down 1-0 away in the first leg on 27 October. But with the spirit of a champion they roared back to put on a show and finish winners on their home patch on Friday.

The Dynamo's Hawaiian striker Brian Ching scored twice in the extra-time second leg against ten-man Houston. The 4-1 come-from behind win brought the aggregate to a sizable 4-2 margin and sees the holders into the western conference one-off final with the big advantage of playing on their home patch.

The winners of the upcoming conference finals will meet in a one-off MLS Cup in Washington DC on 18 November to decide MLS' champions for 2007.

Conference finals:
East - New England Revolution-Chicago Fire (8 November)
West - Houston Dynamo-Kansas City Wizards (10 November)