MLS playoffs, U.S. men and women all in the Mailbag

Are Brian Ching (left) and the defending champion Houston Dynamo on a collision course with D.C. United for MLS Cup XII? Bob Levey/WireImage.com

MAILBAG Grant Wahl will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

You've got questions, I've got answers. Let's dig in ....

Now that the MLS Playoffs are upon us, how do you like D.C. United's chances of winning the MLS Cup at home in RFK?
-- Jeff Davenhall, Ashburn, Va.

Despite some late-season struggles at home, I like United's chances to win jersey star No. 5 at MLS Cup XII. (I always thought the Roman numerals looked better.) Here's my quick take on the road ahead:

FIRST ROUND EASTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 D.C. United vs. No. 4 Chicago

Cuauhtémoc Blanco has turned the Fire into a dangerous four-seed, but Chicago's finishing has been abysmal of late. United's collective shrug over the Supporter's Shield shows D.C. means business.
The pick: United.

No. 2 New England vs. No. 3 New York

It would be a shame if this Revs outfit didn't win an MLS Cup during such a productive stretch over the past few years. But I think Juan Pablo Ángel shows his class in a tight one.
The pick: New York.

FIRST ROUND WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Chivas USA vs. No. 4 Kansas City

These two aren't exactly on fire heading into the playoffs, but Chivas has shown too much grit and cohesion all season to let Ante Razov's injury cause it to fall apart.
The pick: Chivas.

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 FC Dallas

Even without the suspended Rico Clark, Houston has too many playoff pros for the perennially underachieving Hoops.
The pick: Houston.

CONFERENCE FINALS

East: D.C. United over New York

West: Houston over Chivas USA

MLS CUP XII

Ben Olsen caps a turn-back-the-clock season with a man-of-the-match performance in front of the home fans.
The pick: D.C. United.

Do you think there's a timetable in place for Jozy Altidore receiving his first senior international cap? Also, do you think he would have been called up for the Switzerland match if he was playing for a European club right now? And what have you heard about him jumping the pond in January? I know he's young but it seems his skill set would partner with Clint Dempsey better than any of the current options on Bob Bradley's roster.
-- Nicholas Rogers, San Francisco

If Altidore's Red Bulls fail to reach the MLS Cup final, I suspect he'll get called into his first U.S. senior national-team camp for the friendly at South Africa on Nov. 17. Like nearly all of you, I want to see how the 17-year-old center forward fits into Bradley's plans, and right now Altidore seems like a better option up front than Taylor Twellman or Eddie Johnson, one who could allow Landon Donovan and Dempsey to both play the withdrawn roles they're best suited for.

With national teams the process never happens as quickly as you'd like, however, and the emphasis in Altidore's first camp experience (as it was with Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela and any other newbies) will be more on how he performs in training every day than on his likely 15-minute debut on the field.

As for Altidore's overseas prospects, I think chances are he'll be in MLS next season unless he lights up the playoffs and a perfect opportunity comes his way. That's not a bad thing; Altidore's in a good situation in New York playing alongside Ángel and getting regular burn playing for one of the league's best coaches (Bruce Arena) when it comes to developing young talent. That would also allow Altidore to be part of the long U.S. training camp in January and potentially get some starts up front for the Yanks.

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