BEST XI. For the second legs of the MLS quarterfinals played last weekend, here are the top performers:

GOALKEEPER. Matt Pickens (Chicago).
He staved off numerous Revs attacks with eight saves while surpassing his first playoff performance the week before. Not the equal of Matt Reis in the penalty-kick shootout, but who is?

DEFENDERS: Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado), Eddie Robinson (Houston), Adrian Serioux (Houston), Bryan Namoff (D.C. United).
Mastroeni's tackling, positioning and passing added up to one of his best playoff performances as the Rapids prevailed in a helter-skelter match. Robinson, overanxious and overextended in the first leg, played strongly in the back and knocked down the cross for Brian Ching to nudge in the winning goal. Serioux plugged the middle and also made mostly good decisions. A shaky D.C. back line often had Namoff to thank for a vital clearance or interception.

MIDFIELDERS: Brad Davis (Houston), Dema Kovalenko (New York), Christian Gomez (D.C. United).
Davis got to the byline to send over the cross that yielded Houston's stoppage-time goal, befitting a fine performance on the left flank. Going back to RFK brought out the best pressuring and battling instincts of Kovalenko. Gomez's shout to Bobby Boswell and crisp finish averted an overtime embarrassment for United.

FORWARDS: Nicolas Hernandez (Colorado), Taylor Twellman (New England), Paul Dalglish (Houston).
Hernandez bundled a corner just over the goal line and pounced on another ball for two of Colorado's three goals. Twellman scored just before halftime, drilled another shot off the post, triggered the sequence that produced a second goal by knocking down a cross, and nailed down victory with the final penalty kick. Dalglish's cross to Dwayne DeRosario produced the first Dynamo goal when a penalty was called; and his busyness consistently troubled Chivas USA.

BEST GOALS. A Clint Mathis rocket from 25 yards after he chested down a half-clearance gave Colorado a 3-2 lead against FC Dallas and tied the aggregate, 4-4. Coming as it did with just six minutes left in overtime, for both drama and spectacle, it was the best goal of the first-round games played the last two weekends.

Runner-up is the sweet interplay between Christian Gomez and Jaime Moreno that set up Gomez to score against New York in the first leg. Honorable mention goes to Brian Ching for his lunging header of a Brian Mullan cross in the first leg against Chivas USA.