Big Story
In many ways, the opposing sides in tonight's 2009 MLS Cup final (8:30 PM EST) are
representative of the two faces of MLS.
Seattle's Qwest field will see Real Salt Lake, a team that stumbled into—and through—the
playoffs with the lowest wage bill in the league and no designated player to speak of, a symbol of
MLS' egalitarian, singe-entity structure; face the LA Galaxy, MLS' biggest spender with two of the
league's biggest names, one of them the world's most famous person, an exorbitantly-paid designated
player whom many in MLS credit for giving soccer a bigger profile in North America, for better or
worse.
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RSL to claim the prize? I believe so.
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SEATTLE – I was going back and forth on how I felt about this one ... until Tommy Hilfiger
gave me a tip.
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I thought I would add one more post before the big game this evening and add a bunch of links
for you to peruse at your leisure.
First, Diane added some insight into my posting from yesterday on the topic of who's really the
underdog here.
I personally think that the Galaxy should be considered the underdog because the team is older,
lacks depth after the 14th player, and will probably suffer on the turf.
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The Major League Soccer season comes to a close on Sunday, November 22, 2009 with the Los
Angeles Galaxy v Real Salt Lake. The two teams meet in the MLS Cup Finals at Qwest Field in
Seattle. The Galaxy feature David Beckham and Landon Donovan while Real Salt has had a great run to
make it into the finals.
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The Los Angeles Galaxy faces Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS Cup Final tonight (8:30pm,
ESPN/Galavision) in a match-up of teams that each seemed like MLS Cup long-shots at certain points
in the season.
The Galaxy looked far from a title team through the season's first two months, but Bruce Arena's
club came together during the summer and kicked into a new gear when David Beckham finally arrived
during the summer.
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Match Overview
It's the classic case of David and Goliath this weekend as Seattle hosts the MLS final between
the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.
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Former University of Denver and Colorado Rapids defender Nat Borchers will be playing in MLS Cup
2009 today in Seattle as his Real Salt Lake squad takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Game time at Qwest Field is at 6:30 p.m. MT.
RSL defeated the Rapids 3-0 on the final day of the season to qualify for the the playoffs with
an 11-12-7 record.
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The Footie 22 November @ 12:24 AM EST
Landon Donovan is celebrating a personal victory this week as he was awarded
the MVP for the 2009 MLS season. The MVP is the highest honour for any individual player. Well you
can't say he didn't earn it. Donovan almost single handedly carried his the LA Galaxy to the MLS
Finals this year, already winning for them the Western Conference Championship.
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The thought of writing this post after the opening day game against DC United never entered my
head. That was a slightly improved version of the meltdown season of 2008 defensive breakdowns, not
much stability in the middle and an attack that put two in the back of the net, but looked
frustrating doing it.
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By 11 Gunners When David Beckham curled one of his trademark free kicks at the 'Theatre of Dreams',
little he would have known that a nation was awakening into a sporting renaissance of sorts. The
day was 18th August and the year was 2001, when Premier League games were being aired Live for the
[.
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The MLS Cup Final is tomorrow at 8:30 on ESPN (nice coverage for Soccer here in the US) and we
still don't know if Becks is hurt or not. With Landon Donovan also being named the MVP of the
league and RSL chomping at the bit to get this thing on I will still ask the same question. Do
you trust L.
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David Beckham answering questions at Friday's pre-game presser at Seattle's Qwest Field
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SEATTLE – To say that RealSaltLake never traveled well is like saying most people aren't
exactly fond of cold sores.
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Footy Factor 20 November @ 06:31 PM EST
Liverpool v Manchester City? Tish tosh! The biggest match of the weekend is
actually taking place in Seattle and involves a certain Mr. Posh – as our MLS
correspondent Andy Taylor reports:
Sunday night's MLS Cup Final is set with an unheralded Real Salt Lake squad
squaring off against the LA Galaxy, David Beckham and his ever-growing
collection of tattoos.
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kenn.com 20 November @ 06:06 PM EST
I like the Galaxy to beat Real Salt Lake.
I asked my friend Dan Loney, who is a huge Galaxy fan but hates David
Beckham like people who really hate things hate things, "Would you be conflicted if Becks
scored the game-winner Sunday night?"
Dan said, "HE OWES US.
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WVHooligan 20 November @ 04:27 PM EST
Will David Beckham and Landon Donovan be celebrating on Sunday? (Getty Images)
This is a game I've gone back and forth with all week. Two western conference squads meeting in
the league final is going to be interesting. Not many had picked both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt
Lake to make it this far back at the start of the season.
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First things first: the Galaxy's Alecko Eskandarian is on Drew Carey's "The Price is Right at 10
a.m. on CBS (sorry for the late notice).
In other momentous MLS Cup related news:
*Seattle introduces - the Galaxy dog.
*Former Galaxy midfielder Ned Grabavoy is a hero in Salt Lake City after scoring the PK that put
them through to the final - but may not play Sunday against his former team.
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A long and exhausting season comes down to one game. On one side, you have the upstart Real Salt
Lake, the club that "shouldn't be here." On the other, the star-studded Galaxy, complete with the
world's most recognized footballer in David Beckham.
While MLS may have missed out on a marketing maven's dream match-up of Beckham vs.
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There's only one game left in the 2009 MLS Schedule and it's the big one; the MLS Cup Final.
This year's final, which will be played at Seattle's Qwest Field, pits Western Conference regular
season champs the L.A. Galaxy against the streaking Real Salt Lake.
The matchup offers some good star power with the obvious L.
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The Offside 20 November @ 10:59 AM EST
I asked for a Beckham vs Blanco, LA Galaxy vs Chicago Fire MLS Cup 2009. But my request was denied
when Real Salt Lake beat Fire on spot kicks in the Eastern Conference Final. Still, as MLS-based
attention grabbing events go, an LA Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake MLS Cup 2009 is up there. I'll
definitely [.
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Thierry Henry has backed calls for a replay of the Ireland-Italy World Cup playoff he helped
decide with his now infamous handball, even though FIFA has already rejected a request for a
replay.
"Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who
definitely deserve to be in South Africa," said Henry.
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Thierry Henry has backed calls for a replay of the Ireland-Italy World Cup playoff he helped
decide with his now infamous handball, even though FIFA has already rejected a request for a
replay.
"Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who
definitely deserve to be in South Africa," said Henry.
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Soccerblog 20 November @ 07:54 AM EST
Sports pundits and fans are going full tilt at Thierry Henry calling him a "cheat", "morally
reprehensible", "unsportsmanlike", "a snake oil salesman".
Richard Williams crosses that line when as a Brit he forgives Maradona's hand of God goal saying
it amounts to breeding.
"To rank the incident in Paris alongside Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" in 1986 is
misleading.
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Two things to talk about this morning that affect my entire sports weekend. First, let me say
that I am very glad that my wife (who is going on a mission trip to a far-off land for about a
week) is not flying through France or Ireland to get there because right now someone is probably
screaming their head off in the streets of Ireland.
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Soccerblog 20 November @ 03:09 AM EST
Author Randall Barfield sends us 10 questions from his
Little Soccer Quiz Book.
See how many you get right >>
1. Sir Alex Ferguson is boss of which UK team?
2. In what city is the Santiago Bernabeu stadium located?
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SoccerLens 20 November @ 02:47 AM EST
In the wake of Ireland's heartbreaking aggregate defeat to France, where Thierry Henry's
handballed assist for William Gallas to score an equaliser in extra time denied a team who had
performed magnificently to haul themselves level, we pay tribute to five of the greatest
footballing heartbreakers in recent memory.
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adidas Predator, regresa nuevamente a los aparadores como la mejor opción para
el jugador de futbol que busca el ajuste perfecto, un agarre superior en el campo, y tecnologÃa de
avanzada que se traduce en confort inigualable y un diseño único.
Desde su salida en 1994, Predator se convirtió en el favorito de futbolistas alrededor
del mundo por marcar estándares de calidad nunca antes vistos, en un zapato deportivo que
está hecho a la medida de cada deportista – Predator de adidas es el zapato de futbol más
vendido en todo el mundo.
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After that cesspool of a result in Paris on Wednesday, it is nice to turn our attention to a
league where the sportsmen are pure, the referees are beyond reproach and the game is always played
with a spirit of manly honor – the MLS. Or something like that.
Sunday's game will feature the best team in the west this season against the best team in the
west right now.
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The 2009 MLS Cup his hitting Seattle this weekend, and SBI will be there to cover it, as well as
to cover all the MLS-related activities associated with MLS Cup weekend.
Real Salt Lake takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, but the weekend should be filled with
much more as reps from all the league's teams converge on Seattle to talk deals (and in some cases,
look for head coaches).
Click to continue reading...
The 2009 MLS Cup his hitting Seattle this weekend, and SBI will be there to cover it, as well as
to cover all the MLS-related activities associated with MLS Cup weekend.
Real Salt Lake takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, but the weekend should be filled with
much more as reps from all the league's teams converge on Seattle to talk deals (and in some cases,
look for head coaches).
Click to continue reading...
KICKETTE 19 November @ 11:40 AM EST
Victoria Beckham, her short trousers and fabu shoes, go for a stroll in London.
Cristophe Metzelder, his (ex) Julia Goteke and their daughter spotted at the airport.
Sacha Kljestan (of USMNT and Chivas fame) has a girlfriend in the semi-finals for the Victoria's
Secret angel's competition.
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KICKETTE 19 November @ 11:40 AM EST
Victoria Beckham, her short trousers and fabu shoes, go for a stroll in London.
Cristophe Metzelder, his (ex) Julia Godicke and their daughter spotted at the airport.
Sacha Kljestan (of USMNT and Chivas fame) has a girlfriend in the semi-finals for the Victoria's
Secret angel's competition.
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In the first part of our 2009 MLS Cup Final preview, the Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy
players were assessed and compared, with a slight advantage being measured for the Galaxy. In this
continuation of our analysis, attention is paid to the coaches and intangibles for both clubs.
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Mujer Futbol 19 November @ 01:40 AM EST
adidas Predator, regresa nuevamente a los aparadores, como la mejor opción para el
jugador de futbol que busca el ajuste perfecto, un agarre superior en el campo, y
tecnologÃa de avanzada que se traduce en confort inigualable y un diseño único.
Desde su salida en 1994, Predator se convirtió en el favorito de futbolistas alrededor
del mundo por marcar estándares de calidad nunca antes vistos, en un zapato deportivo que
está hecho a la medida de cada deportista – Predator de adidas es el zapato de futbol
más vendido en todo el mundo.
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This weekends MLS Cup final in Seattle is David Beckham's biggest game in the U.S. So how is
Becks preparing for the game? In a cast of course!
I was shocked when I saw this picture from Splash News of Beckham with a cast on his foot, a la
Tom Brady before his last SuperBowl game. And we all know how that turned out for Brady.
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It is not just that Real Salt Lake's captain, Kyle Beckerman, has been working on his
dreadlocks longer than the LA Galaxy's David Beckham has been coifed with an under-cut resembling a
mullet with a racing-strip, that leads me to predict RSL as the 2009 MLS Cup winner.
Rather, it is that RSL is peaking at the right time and relishes the underdog role.
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