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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Count RealSaltLake owner Dave Checketts as one who favors a major format change in MLS Cup – as mentioned in the previous post – where the higher seeded side will host the final.

"I've told [MLS Commissioner Don] Garber all along that the championship game should be at the highest seeded team in the game," Checketts told me said Saturday morning as RSL was finishing its training.

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How is this guy one of the best regarded soccer writers in America? He's sure as hell not a good interviewer:

SI.com: Without being too self-conscious about it, I wanted to ask you what you thought of my book, The Beckham Experiment?

I mean, honestly. And check out the picture Wahl posted on twitter:
Does Wahl not look creepy as fuck, and does Don Garber not look as though he's contemplating calling the police? 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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The Montreal Impact felt like they were duped when they withdrew their bid for a MLS franchise after finding out that the MLS is charging a $40 million expansion fee. The Impact could have been playing in the MLS by 2011 had they followed through with the deal. However, not all is lost for the Canadian soccer team.

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With a soggy forecast in Seattle for MLS Cup Sunday the Galaxy's thoughts have turned to the one drawback to Qwest Field - the artificial turf.

Meanwhile, former Galaxy striker Robbie Findley is looking forward to a championship clash against his former club.

Notable: This is David Beckham's first game in Seattle since joining MLS (although he played there in 2006 with Real Madrid).

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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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Via telephone conference call yesterday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual "State of the League Address" in which he covered all manner of issues related to Major League Soccer and took...

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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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With J Hutcherson -- Let's set aside the grandstanding that goes along with anything advertised as a "State of...." Nobody in that position is going to start riffing on trends and topics. It's a no risk, some reward scenario even when questions are taken. So what did we learn from Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber's State of the League? Click to continue reading...

Via telephone conference call yesterday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual "State of the League Address" in which he covered all manner of issues related to Major League Soccer and took...

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Let's talk about Don Garber's remarks from yesterday. First, expansion:

"We've had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team," Garber said. "We have not put a timetable as to when that team would join the league if we're able to reach agreement with them. We do not have any active discussions going on of note for the 20th team and certainly don't have any timetable for the 20th team.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber appears ready for a work stoppage, should talks with the players' union not lead to a new deal by the Jan. 31 deadline. Speaking on a conference call with reporters Nov. 16 as part of his annual State of the League address, Garber said the league was not willing to yield on any of the principles that it felt had driven its growth the past 14 years.

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Garber sees growth in MLS. (Getty Images)

I've spent a good portion of the day collecting my thoughts on a couple subjects and then it happen to be the same day that MLS commish Don Garber had his State of the League address. Yeah, let's just say some of his comments just made my head go nuts (and your's too judging by some emails).

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Press release from the Rapids today. Good to see further recognition of Casey's talents. Does anybody else think that having only three defenders nominated is a bit weird?
MLS Commissioner Don Garber today announced that Colorado Rapids forward Conor Casey has been named to the 2009 MLS Best XI during his annual State of the League address. Click to continue reading...

No, there isn't thing officially saying that MLS is coming to Detroit, and I'm not insinuating that it is.

Today the Pontiac Silverdome was sold for peanuts, really. $583,000 for an 80,000-seat stadium. The Silverdome certainly has aged, and it hasn't aged well, but it could always be upgraded and when it's all said and done this firm, which at the moment is still anonymous, got it for a steal.

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Pity poor Don Garber.
No, not because he has to put up with reporters all the time; he handles himself pretty well amongst the unwashed, freeloading, neck-plastic wearing keyboard bangers of the world:
YouTube- Don Garber comments nd gets into shouting match with reporter YouTube- Don Garber comments nd gets into shouting match with reporter
But so far, the Conference Championship weekend, one of the biggest TV ratings grabs of the MLS season, has been, if not a disaster then the next best thing to it. Click to continue reading...

The floodlights have just failed here at the HDC. (No kidding). It's the 18th minute of the game.

Updated: Since we have a few minutes here it's worth pointing out the Dynamo are keying on the soft spot just inside the left back position of the inexperienced A.J. DeLaGarza and to the left of sluggish central defender Gregg Berhalter.

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On May 26th, 2009 the whole world found out that this player would be available on a free transfer:

For those of you not familiar with him, Juninho Pernambucano is probably the world's best free kick taker. Give him a free kick within 35 yards and you're facing a very dangerous situation.

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We are down to the final 4 teams with LA and Houston battling for the Western Conference crown while Chicago and Real Salt Lake fight for the Eastern crown. The broadcast schedule is below:

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 on ESPN2
LOS ANGELES-HOUSTON, Western Conference Final, 10 pm.
Sunday's hard-earned 1-0 victory against Chivas USA in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals was everything Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena thought it would be.

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by Matt - US Soccer Daily It seems like Jim Mora and many fans around MLS have been on the same page lately. Five playoff matches have been played, and the crowds have been unimpressive, to say the...

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Feel the passion!

Thanks to the dozens of you who entered the first ticket contest with prizes courtesy of the Galaxy.

The winners: Mike Crandall of Glendora and Kristinne Uy of Rosemead, who win a pair of tickets each to Sunday's big game.

They correctly answered the question: who is the only player to score for both the Galaxy and Chivas USA this season?

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On this week's Match Fit USA Soccer Show, Jason and Zach talk about the MLS playoffs, cover the USL-TOA saga with David Fellerath of Triangle Offense, and debate the fine handed down to DC United's...

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When Don Garber finally assented to allowing the Chivas USA franchise to call Los Angeles its home in 2004, it was a sacrifice. The MLS cares about geographic expansion, and was looking to grow into Canada, the Northwest, and back into Florida. Adding a team into a well-established market, and have that team plant itself at the Home Depot Center was not part of the long-term plan.

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Houston and Seattle played a classic match last night on national television. The unsporting Freddy Montero was unable to hand the physical pounding Dom Kinnear and the Houston defenders had in store for the much hyped, but little regarded (at least in Colombia) forward. Montero's solution: whine and go to ground easily.

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So once again, right here on the cusp of the playoffs, when we should all be feeling good about MLS and the competition and the soon-to-be champion, we get reality smacking us in the face that this is a league that is run by a bunch of marketing executives who think that selling toothpaste is the same as running a sports league. Click to continue reading...

There isn't much tonight for the evening links and thoughts. Got some USL-TOA talk and a brief thought about Kevin Payne's fine from the league earlier today.

But first there we gotta go back into the TOA-USL talk that we've been going around and around with for the last few weeks. Reports tonight suggest the TOA and their clubs could very well soon be forming their own league, even as soon as TOMORROW.

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There are a few things that have been detrimental to the image of MLS this week, including Alexi Lalas' face appearing every time I open the MLS homepage. High on my list would have been MLS moving the Fire's away playoff game at New England to Sunday from Saturday, just two days after they had scheduled it for the original date in the first place.

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I've written that Garber keeps his ideological cards close to his chest, but in fining DCU Prez Kevin Payne $5000 today for calling a spade a spade—that the onfield product in MLS is not good enough and won't draw in more fans until it is—means that the guy isn't hearing what needs to be heard.
This is really not good, especially in light of the fact Payne didn't even mention bringing better players with more money, everyone's favourite MLS bugbear. Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has fined D.C. United President Kevin Payne $5,000 for public comments about the Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and the New England Revolution, which Garber deemed detrimental to the public image of the League.

Payne's comments appeared in the Soccer Insider blog by The Washington Post's Steven Goff:

"We don't want to play like Colorado or New England, which most of the season sat with eight or nine guys behind the ball.

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Jozy Altidore made headlines last week for the wrong reasons with his Twitter outburst after inexplicably showing up late to a match. This saw the striker, who is on his fourth club in fifteen months, suspended.

Altidore's skill set may be impressive but his body of work both at the club level and as an international is hardly Premiership caliber, at this point.

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Though the rain may have followed it's way over from Giants Stadium to Red Bull Arena, and the sky was as gray as ever, it could not dampen nor cast a shadow on today's accomplishment. Ladies and Gentlemen, say goodbye to plastic turf; the final piece of sod is in place, and the Red Bulls Kentucky Blue Grass pitch is finally complete.

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MLS PLAYOFFS
Who you pickin' to win in this round?
dN
Steve Davis at Soccernet gives us an initial preview of the teams who made the playoffs.
dN
Greg Lalas at Sports Illustrated is pretty fired up about the LA-Chivas series!
dN
First Round playoff matches, home and away series:
1st Leg
WESTERN CONFERENCE
-Thu Oct 29
Seattle Sounder FC (3) v Houston Dynamo (2) - 9pm central on ESPN2
Venue: Qwest Field - Seattle WA
-Sun Nov 1
Chivas USA (4) v Los Angeles Galaxy (1) - 4pm Central on ESPN2
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson CA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
-Sat Oct 31
Real Salt Lake (4) v Columbus Crew (1) - 5pm Central on Direct Kick
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy UT
-Sun Nov 1
New England Revolution (3) v Chicago Fire (2) - 12pm Central on FSC
Venue: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough MA
dN
2nd Leg
EASTERN CONCERENCE
-Thu Nov 5
Columbus Crew (1) v Real Salt Lake (4) - 7pm Central on ESPN2
Venue: Crew Stadium - Columbus OH
-Sat Nov 7
Chicago Fire (2) v New England Revolution (3) - 7:30pm Central on FSC
Venue: Toyota Park - Bridgeview IL
WESTERN CONCERENCE
-Sun Nov 8
Houston Dynamo (2) v Seattle Sounder FC (3) - 2pm Central on Telefutura
Venue: Robertson Stadium - Houston TX
-Sun Nov 8
Los Angeles Galaxy (1) v Chivas USA (4) - 6:30pm Central on ESPN2
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson CA
MLS
Brian Strauss of Fanhouse comments on commissioner Don Garber's appearance last night on Fox Football Fone In. Click to continue reading...