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On the eve of what could be the Los Angeles Galaxy's first MLS Cup title since 2005, the man who led LA to its last championship looks ready to return to MLS.

Steve Sampson is set to be hired by Chivas USA as head coach, sources have told SBI.

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The U.S. men's national team had plenty of bright spots and highlights in 2009, but the final game of the year had few moments worth remembering.

With most of the team's top stars unavailable, Bob Bradley handed opportunities to several players to show that they deserve more playing time.

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The U.S. men's national team had plenty of bright spots and highlights in 2009, but the final game of the year had few moments worth remembering.

With most of the team's top stars unavailable, Bob Bradley handed opportunities to several players to show that they deserve more playing time.

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The Dayton Dynamo were, I now realize, far from a high-quality team. But in Southwest Ohio in early 1990s, there were few better options. European soccer on television would come later that decade, but growing up the only live option was the Dynamo.

The Dynamo did not even play the true 11-a-side game seen around the world.

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Really good interview with Mark McCullers by Columbus Alive's Chris Deville. Are you watching, Grant Wahl? The whole thing is pretty good, particularly if you're a Crew fan, but the best part for me was the comment on youth development:

But if [the youth we develop] sign other professional contracts and they haven't signed a contract with MLS, then yes.

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After Warzycha benched the teams biggest threat for the teams biggest match (what a dope!), it should have sent warning shots in the minds of everyone associated with MLS.

Former All Star, MLS Cup Winner, Boca Jrs. Legend and league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto has just been asked to take a sizable pay cut by the Columbus Crew, to the tune of $400k.

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The CONCACAF 2009-10 Champions League Quarterfinals Draw was released recently. The quarterfinals are set to begin in March, with the semifinals in late March, early April, and the final in late April. Here's the full schedule. A video of the draw can be seen here.

QUARTERFINALS
First Leg March 9-11
Second Leg March 16-18
QF1: *Comunicaciones vs.

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After already winning the Honda MVP award for 2009's best US National Team player, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan is now Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player. This is Donovan's first MLS MVP Award, and the second time a member of the LA Galaxy has won. MLS Most Valuable Players 2009: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy 2008: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus Crew 2007: Luciano Emilio – D. Click to continue reading...

Nine months, 456 matches, and controversy aplenty. And it all comes down to to one game, one high-octane head-to-head for the title.

The fourteenth season of Major League Soccer is nearing its end and, while Seattle Sounders have skewed an otherwise worrying attendance picture, the action on the field has impressed.

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So what did I spend today doing? Bringing the rest of you up to snuff. First I had to correct Wilt on when Columbus Crew Stadium was built and how much it cost in his "Top 20 MLS Stadia" post (it was completed in 1999 at a reported cost of around $27 million [Ed. Although Wikipedia says $28.5 mil]). Click to continue reading...

Allow me to introduce, if you don't know it already, the very worthy Free Beer Movement. The goals and tactics of this movement are simple, but profound:

The success of soccer in the United States depends on a larger and more supportive network of fans that attend games, watch them on TV, and spread their love and knowledge of the game to others.

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Before the playoffs began, the consensus was that the teams in the Western Conference were more prepared to the lift the MLS Cup in Seattle on November 22nd. Little did we know then how prophetic that sentiment was, as we now have both entries in the Final representing the West. The Los Angeles Galaxy — the top seed out of the West entering the post-season — and Real Salt Lake — vanquishers of the best the East had to offer — face off at Qwest Field with the Philip F.

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Last week I wrote about the bottom half of my personal top 20 stadia (out of 31 total) in MLS history.� This week I share with you my top 10.� � My b0ttom seven were all larger stadia with capacities of 30,000+ and the next three were each smaller stadia.� Today's list reveals eight smaller soccercentric stadia and two of the jumbo variety.

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I have not been able to cover the Champions League as much as I did last year because of other demands on my time, and my own desires to have a life. But fortunately CONCACAF has been able to fill the gap with a very good Champions League website. Today was the draw for the knockout stage (the Championship Round, as CONCACAF calls it) of the Champions League. Click to continue reading...

I'm not a Columbus Crew supporter. I don't live in Ohio...but I do follow Major League Soccer and i've watched more than a few Crew matches over the past two seasons. I've seen the Crew go from laughing stock of the league to MLS Cup Champions. While there were several factors that helped turn the club around and change their fortunes, there is no doubt that Guillermo Barros Schelotto was a huge part of that success. Click to continue reading...

Quedó definido el calendario restante de la Copa de Campeones de la CONCACAF 2009-2010.

A continuación les dejo las fechas y las formas de eliminación.

Cuartos de Final ida 9-11 de marzo

Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs.

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Is to wait and see how this one plays out. To the Columbus fans, welcome to the silly season.
Lest we forget, everything in the transfer window is dramatic with Guille. Remember when he first came to Columbus? It took forever to get the deal signed, McCullers was back and forth, the deal was announced before it was finalized, and yours truly was beside himself:

So McCullers can introduce this guy to the press.

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Montreal inches closer to a MLS expansion bid.

By now we've all seen the lovely quote from MLS commissioner Don Garber yesterday about future league expansion.

"We've had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team," said Garber.

With all the issues going on with the USL/TOA crap you have to think that Montreal owner Joey Saputo is trying to figure out the best way to get his club into the top-tier league instead of a new breakaway league.

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Cuartos de Final ida 9-11 de marzo
Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs. Pachuca (México)
Columbus Crew (Estados Unidos) vs. Toluca (México)
Marathón (Honduras) vs. UNAM (México)
Árabe Unido (Panamá) vs. Cruz Azul (México)
Cuartos de Final vuelta 16-18 de marzo
Pachuca (México) vs. Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer announced the league's Best XI yesterday, as voted for by media, players, coaches and GMs. Here's what they came up with: GOALKEEPER (1): Zach Thornton (Chivas USA) DEFENDERS (3): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew) MIDFIELDERS (5): Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), [. Click to continue reading...

CONCACAF has released the schedule for the knockout stage of the Champions League. The Columbus Crew got meet Mexico's Toluca in the quarterfinals. All of the quarterfinal pairings have a Mexican club and that club hosts the second-leg. QUARTERFINALS First Leg – March 9-11 Second Leg – March 16-18 QF1: *Comunicaciones vs. Click to continue reading...

According to Goff, the Crew want him to take a massive pay cut:

In a meeting this week, the Crew told the 2008 MLS most valuable player that, in order to remain with the club, he would have to agree to cut his salary by at least 50 percent, the Insider has learned. The decision was apparently made by upper management.

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CONCACAF held its draw for the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday and the draw will pit defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew against defending Mexican League champion Toluca.

Columbus was eliminated from the MLS playoffs by Real Salt Lake in the first round, but will kick off 2010 in March with a home-and-home quarterfinal series against Toluca.

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CONCACAF held its draw for the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday and the draw will pit defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew against Mexican League power Toluca.

Columbus was eliminated from the MLS playoffs by Real Salt Lake in the first round, but will kick off 2010 in March with a home-and-home quarterfinal series against Toluca.

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Big Story
Detroit hasn't exactly been on everybody's lips as the next great MLS market (Don Garber announced that was likely Montreal in his State of the League address yesterday).

But news from the Free Press at least potentially puts the city back on the table: "A family-owned Toronto real estate company has submitted a winning bid of $583,000 for the Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions until they moved to Ford Field in 2002, and nearly 130 adjacent acres.

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There's all kinds of MLS and soccer lovin' going around this morning in our fine land. Devin Barclay, now a rock star on Ohio State's campus, played parts of five seasons in MLS from 2001-2005. He suited up for Tampa Bay, San Jose, D.C. United and the Columbus Crew before hanging up the cleats and--eventually--picking up some other cleats. Click to continue reading...

The USMNT list for the Aarhus party:G: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Troy Perkins (Vålerenga )D: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Edgar Castillo (Tigres), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)M: Michael Bradley (Borussia Click to continue reading...

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Real Salt Lake is heading to its first MLS Cup Final after beating the Chicago Fire on penalty kicks at Toyota Park on Saturday night.

Goalkeeper Nick Rimando stole the show, making three penalty saves to win the second playoff penalty shootout of his career.

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Nick Rimando saved three Chicago Fire penalty kicks to help Real Salt Lake win the Eastern Conference on a shootout after 120 minutes of soccer yielded no goals for either team. The victory puts RSL in its first-ever MLS Cup game where they will face the LA Galaxy, victors of a dramatic conference final of their own Friday, and completes a stunning late-season turnaround for the Salt Lake City side.

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Major League Soccer is now just one game away from the end of the season, and this weekend the two conference Finals were played to determine the two MLS Cup finalists. The two matches were devoid of goals over 90 minutes, and while the Western winners managed to conjure up a couple in extra time, a team from the West took it all the way to penalties in the Eastern final. Click to continue reading...

It's just not right is it? Somehow you look at this situation in the MLS Eastern Conference Final that Real Salt Lake, a club from the West came to Chicago and defeated them in a penalty kick shootout to take the Eastern Conference crown and will face fellow western club Los Angeles Galaxy at Qwest Field in Seattle for the League crown.

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The Chicago Fire will look to reach its fourth MLS Cup Final by beating Real Salt Lake in tonight's MLS Eastern Conference Final.

The winner of tonight's match will face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final. The Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo, 2-0, in overtime on Friday night.

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The Chicago Fire will look to reach its fourth MLS Cup Final by beating Real Salt Lake in tonight's MLS Eastern Conference Final (8pm, FSC).

The winner of tonight's match will face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final. The Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo, 2-0, in overtime on Friday night.

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Big Story
The American soccer blogosphere has been getting very hot and bothered in the past week, prompted by Jason Davis at Match Fit USA's tongue-in-cheek post questioning Columbus' suitability for remaining in MLS, following poor attendance in their last playoff game: a mere 10,109 showed up at Crew Stadium last week to see the defending champions crash out to Real Salt Lake.

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Flawless logic, no assumptions:

The 2008 MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew might seem like a team that is destined to return to the playoffs next year, but all it takes is a few decisions to turn any powerhouse into another team in the middle of the pack. Conversely, the expansion Seattle Sounders stand poised to return to the playoffs next year and a second good off-season of player moves could turn the Sounders into a serious title contender.

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