The first team to reach MLS Cup six times, the Los Angeles Galaxy will take on a team that
didn't exist until the season of their last appearance in Major League Soccer's championship game
Real Salt Lake in MLS Cup 2009. The Galaxy lost their first three appearances in the league title
game before winning their last two, both coming in extra time by 1-0 scorelines against the New
England Revolution.
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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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Dear Seattle, it's been quite a year for you all up there. After all, an
expansion team is not supposed to do what you all did. I have to give you "props' big-time!
Seriously, out of the box the Seattle fans came out and supported a well-designed and well-staffed
team, hammering all MLS attendance records.
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By now you've heard that the MLS has dropped their official Best XI. And while we'll get to that
at the end of this bit, there's a better way to do that. Some players in the mix didn't belong
there. Hence the reason to build OleOle's own version of the best XI.
Without further adieu, here we go.
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Here, let me help all of you with my short interview with the Creeper today:
On the Sounders FC inaugural season . . .
"Obviously at the end of the day when you look at the whole thing it was a pretty special
year.
I made a lot of money.
It was a special year from the standpoint of what went on in Seattle in terms of the
fans, the enthusiasm, the connection to the sport, the unique atmosphere that got created on a game
and game basis and I think it was a special year for our team.
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United States National Team assistant and director of the National Team's youth setup John Hackorth
has left the program to join fellow former National Team assistant Peter Nowak's staff at
Philadelphia Union. Nowak left the National Team at the end of May to become the expansion team's
head coach. "The reason I made the move here and now is simple.
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Last week, we reported on exhibit A in how to alienate fans in Australia by A-League expansion
team Gold Coast United's billionaire owner Clive Palmer. The club closed three
sides of their stadium, Skilled Park, and capped capacity to just 5,000, forcing supporters out of
their usual position in the stadium.
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The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league
sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General
Meetings that will take place in Tampa Florida in a few weeks.
According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners
representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in
attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and
Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.
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The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league
sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General
Meetings that will take place in Tampa, Florida in a few weeks.
According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners
representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in
attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and
Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.
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Big Story
The future of Rafa Benitez dominates the British press this morning, as
Liverpool slumped to their sixth defeat in seven games and fingers are being
jabbed once again: former Liverpool star Ronnie Whelan suggests Rafa does not care about the
Premier League; Sam Wallace concludes that Rafa is too clever for his own good; John Ley looks at
the facts unnecessarily needed to prove Liverpool have had a poor start; and David Hytner looks at
the club's growing injury crisis, the one mitigating factor that seems to be saving Rafa.
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Clive Palmer, owner of Gold Coast United
Gold Coast United, an expansion team in Australia's premier A-League, have already generated
negative headlines it takes some teams decades to generate: "A-League may hit rock bottom thanks to
the Coast," says Adrian Musolino in today's Roar, which also features another piece titled "Gold
Coast "United" – How to lose fans and alienate people".
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Fredy Montero hopes for better success in front of goal in Houston
The Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo played a highly contentious match on Thursday evening to
a 0-0 draw. A capacity crowd of 35,807 at Quest field in Seattle saw a match that contained 6
yellow cards (3 for each side) and countless missed opportunities on both sides.
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Houston visits Seattle in MLS Cup playoffs
Our reward for enduring through 32 weeks of regular season matches is a fascinating final four
in the Western Conference playoffs. While the Chivas USA versus Galaxy doubleheader in Los Angeles
stacks up to be a tough defensive struggle for both squads, expect fireworks from the Houston
Dynamo and the Seattle Sounders FC.
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If you've been anywhere near Major League Soccer this season you will have heard of the Seattle
Sounders FC, the league's newest club. Not so much for what they've done on the field--this being
MLS most clubs do pretty much the same thing--but for the attention they've attracted locally.
The team is a massive hit in the Pacific Northwest, where it has become a pop culture phenomenon.
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World Series? Hey, you pre-empt "Glee," you're dead to me.
AND NOW...THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER 2009 REGULAR SEASON - A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
Well, that happened.
THIS HAS BEEN THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER REGULAR SEASON
AND NOW, THE COMPREHENSIVE 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYOFFS PREVIEW
Dunno.
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WVHooligan 28 October @ 01:05 PM EST
Ryan Johnson was one of the few bright spots for San Jose in 2009. (Getty Images)
It's hard to decline as a club after being an expansion team in 2008 but the 2009 version of the
San Jose Earthquakes did just that. They became the first team to lose more in their second season
than in their expansion season.
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No surprise there, then: in a tanking economy where even the nation's most popular league, the
NFL, has had trouble selling tickets and Major League Baseball's attendance fell 6.9%, it's not a
shock to learn that as Soccer America reports, MLS' attendance fell overall by 2.9% in the regular
season just concluded, falling from 16,460 in 2008 to 16,037.
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On every sports program today, pundits make plentiful picks. But, no one ever goes back to see
how close those so-called experts came to correctly calling the outcomes of games. Well, here at
STO, we like to hold ourselves accountable. Thus, I will now compare my preseason predictions with
the real results.
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So did you enjoy the MLS regular season?
Were you compelled to watch not only your own team's games, but others as well since they all
mattered?
Are you looking forward to some exciting playoff games?
If so, Richard Snowden wants you to know that every time New York loses a CONCACAF Champions League
qualifier, God kills a kitten.
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The field is set for the run to MLS Cup 2009 with Major League Soccer playoff action kicking off on
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 when former champions the Houston Dynamo meet expansion team the
Seattle Sounders. Most games will be featured on nationally available television networks
(including ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox Soccer Channel) within the [.
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WVHooligan 26 October @ 01:50 PM EST
The regular season is done, over, finished or whatever other adjective you want to use. For the
second straight season WVH got to participate in the league's media vote for the season awards.
Voting is now over and I felt it was time to share my votes with you all.
I'll have to admit some awards were tougher to vote on than others but I tried to span the
entire season's body of work as much as I could for these awards.
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It might be one of the easier categories to vote for, but the 2009 MLS coach of the year race
has more than just one worthy candidate.
Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena is the clear front-runner for the award, as he should
be, but some other coaches have also enjoyed quality seasons.
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MIKE JACOBS 05 October @ 02:53 PM EST
Sigi Schmid has been a tremendous role model for coaches to follow, both on and off the field.
José Miguel Romero of the Seattle Times sheds some insight into the man behind the success in
Seattle.
For Sigi Schmid, life has been a series of challenges.
The Sounders FC coach faced each hurdle like a soccer opponent to be studied, dissected and
conquered. Click to continue reading...
Just a short post tonight. Man is it weird being back. The reporters are going nuts. Both Sean
Michelle and Creepy Jose did retrospectives and interviews with me on the topic of coming back.
From Sean Michelle's:
Schmid on the continued success of the Crew:
"I'm really happy for Robert (Warzycha).
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And now it is time to check in once again on my new hometown football club, the Atlanta Beat.
That's the Atlanta Beat of the recently formed league known as 'Women's Pro Soccer' (WPS). Yes, I
support a women's team. Got a problem with that? I hope not.
The Beat are what is called an 'expansion' team, meaning that they are currently being created out
of whole cloth to compete in the WPS's second season beginning in Spring of 2010.
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And he's all like, Sigi, are you ready for the game on the weekend?
I'm like, Robert, what the hell happened last night against Saprissa? A goal in the last minute,
and now you have to hoof the team down to Puerto Rico?
Yes, Robert says, it is true that this happened, but if I were you, I would only concern yourself
with Saturday's game.
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By L.E. Eisenmenger - BOSTON, MA (Sep 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- After the first season success
of the Seattle Sounders, the USL-1 2008 Champions Vancouver Whitecaps FC have a hard act to follow
as they prepare to enter MLS as a 2011 expansion team. The Vancouver ownership group consists of
Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash.
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SoccerLens 28 September @ 08:01 AM EST
US soccer has progressed to the level where like the rest of the world, MLS clubs should
considering paying modest youth transfer fees to local clubs that develop the young players they
select for their U16 and U18 academy teams.
Reimbursement in the form of scholarships would encourage local clubs to develop complete
players instead of focusing on wins and also to invest in low-income players, further improving the
vision of youth player development in the US.
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the yorkies 22 September @ 05:21 PM EST
First came Toronto FC, then Vancouver Whitecaps got an expansion team and now Montreal L' Beckhams
are trying to join MLS. Throw in further interest from Ottawa and Major League Soccer has a sudden
influx of Canadiana! Don't tell our friends to the south that a whole list of possible expansion
clubs are lining up as we speak.
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1) Various records to watch for:
- Eric Avila has made 16 subs without a start. Needs four more in the final five games to break
the record, or three to tie.
- The worst Supporters Shield winners in MLS history were the 2004 Columbus Crew at 1.633 PPG.
Somebody will need to finish with 50 points to surpass them.
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Amos Magee
I've known Portland Timbers Director of Soccer Development and Assistant Coach Amos Magee for
15 years. He played for me both with the A-League Minnesota Thunder and several times as a call
up with the Chicago Fire. Amos was one of the most tenacious and savvy players I've ever
known.
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MLS Rumors 02 September @ 09:05 PM EST
View from the crowd...
There was a lot of trash talking in the month or so in the run up to this game by fans, and owners
of both teams but in the end the game was decided on the pitch.
If there was a defining moment in this game it was the first Seattle goal and Josh Wick's losing
his cool once again after it.
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So yeah, it's go time. I can't tell you how much DC United have me up for this game. The "We Win
Trophies" ad campaign is typically smug stuff from an outfit that somehow equates itself with being
a massive club. Hey DC, do the Ray Hudson years mean anything to you? How about the Tom Soehn ones?
Ooh, too soon?
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On Monday, Inside Minnesota Soccer, in conjunction with Kartik Krishnaiyer, released the first
of a three part series on the United Soccer Leagues. The series describes where the league has
come from, where it might be going, and some of the behind-the-scenes events that have taken place
over the last several years as the league and its USL-1 owners struggle for control and
direction.
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