Random Impressions From The First Round Of The Playoffs

* Chicago had a reported crowd of 15,312 for the second leg against DC, but it looked and sounded like twice that many. Congrats to the Fire and their great fans.

* New England managed to make their soccer field look like a soccer field. Thanks to Mr. Kraft for giving that one small gift to his fans. An even bigger gift will be an MLS Cup, which looks entirely possible given their recent form.

* Pat Noonan may be the find of the year. The next American superstar?

* Maybe we've seen the last of Stoichkov. I hope so. Maybe he'll take Dema with him.

* My playoff picks were about as prescient as the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline.