Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: The past week has been a big one for soccer in the U.S.

The past week has been a big one for soccer in the U.S. Not only is Major League Soccer in the throes of its playoff race, but also the U.S. learned its schedule for the final round of World Cup qualifying for the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Major League Soccer The U.S.`s top league is at the semi-final stage of its playoff races and there have been some big surprises. Not only did both Houston Dynamo and L.A. Galaxy knock off the top seeds (Kansas City and San Jose, respectively) in the quarter final rounds, but both clubs took commanding leads in their semi-final rounds as well. In the Western Conference, defending champions, Galaxy, who halfway through the league season looked as if they wouldn`t even make the playoffs, continued their strong run with a 3-0 win over Seattle Sounders in the first leg of the home-and-home series. Irishman, Robbie Keane scored a brace for the Galaxy, while Mike Magee added the other goal. In the Eastern Conference, the Dynamo, who lost to the Galaxy in last year`s championship game, beat D.C United 3-1 in their first-leg game. Andre Hainault, Will Bruin and Kofi Sarkodie scored the Houston goals. Though both Houston and L.A. have to play the second game on their opponents` home field, anything short of a total collapse will likely see the pair through to meet in a repeat of last year`s championship game. World Cup While MLS is in the process of wrapping up its season, the U.S. has just learned the dates of its final World Cup qualifying games. The draw did the U.S. no favors, giving the team three of its first four games on the road, including a March 26 clash at Mexico. The U.S. will start qualifying on Feb. 6 at Honduras. In other national team news, coach Jurgen Klinsmann named his 20-man roster for the upcoming friendly with Russia and there were some surprises. Among those named for the roster were Jozy Altidore and Timmy Chandler. Altidore, a striker, has been on the outs with Klinsmann due to his poor performances with the national team. He was not named for the roster with recent friendlies. However, Altidore`s form in the Dutch Eredivisie has been hard to ignore. So far this season, he is the second-leading scorer in the league with nine goals and has scored 12 goals overall in 15 games in all competitions. Chandler has been on the outs due to his reticence to commit to the U.S. national team over Germany, with whom he also qualifies to play. However, it appears he is pledging his allegiance to the U.S. now. Notable absences from the largely European-based squad are Tottenham`s Clint Dempsey and Steve Cherundulo, who plays in the German Bundesliga. These are solid, established starters, however and their absence is likely due to Klinsmann`s desire to evaluate other players. To keep track of the U.S. national team, your favorite pro soccer team or teams in other sports, check out SofaScore livescore.