Much will/has been written about the previous two match-ups in League play. The cliche will be thrown around about how the Playoffs are a whole new season. People will also talk about how different the teams are.

Let's look at that.

The Los Angeles Galaxy used 8 of the same players in those previous two matchups and essentially played a 4-1-3-2. Injuries along the backline have forced game-by-game decisions amongst six players to play defense, but they have certainly settled on a front 6. The addition of David Beckham, back early from his injury, means that Landon Donovan can move to his best role as a withdrawn forward.

Beckham won't get back much on defense and so there will be times that Bruce Arena decides to use the smaller faster A.J. DeLaGarza as a centerback with Sean Franklin as a flat right back instead. Alex Cazumba can also come on to work basically any position on the backline.

Both of the early meetings saw Seattle in its experimental stage. Peter Vagenas played in both matches. Brad Evans was still healthy. Tyrone Marshall was not a bench player. Pat Noonan was a target forward. Things are different now.

Seattle's lineup is the 4-4-2/4-2-4 that we are all used to by now, and on that left side I'm already getting excited.

Whereas prior to the World Cup break Seattle was a cautious team that had to advance the ball slowly, with great care and little hope of hold up play, the Rave Green are now a team with dynamic speed on both flanks and four central players who are capable of shutting down the opposing attack for long stretches.

Osvaldo Alonso and Nathan Sturgis are more than just ball winners though. They start attacks. The tools at their disposal are lateral passes to the wingbacks, diagonals to the flankers of Steve Zakuani and Sanna Nyassi and the long ball to a holding Blaise Nkufo or Fredy Montero who can create when one-on-one.

This isn't just a second season. For Seattle this is an entirely different team, running a different strategy. For the Galaxy it is a team still figuring out its defense and how to integrate the best set-play specialist in the game.