MLS playoff predictions: The championship road runs through Luciano Acosta and Cincinnati

The road to the MLS Cup kicks off this week. Our writers predict the dark horses, the key players and who will wind up as champions

Would a much-loved attacker in his mid-thirties who's achieved so much in the game still have the hunger to perform and score, or was he joining MLS simply for the money and a beachfront lifestyle? Arriving from Europe during the season, could he adjust quickly? Would his brilliance almost single-handedly haul his struggling club into the playoffs? Yes, the Billy Sharp storylines were compelling all right. Lionel Messi was also fairly interesting. Tom Dart