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. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

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 [. Click to continue reading...

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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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. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

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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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. Click to continue reading...

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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• 2-1 win over DC United RT @ussoccer Seattle Sounders have won their first trophy! The 2nd expansion team to win the US Open Cup!! #
• Sat night! RT @ussoccer The #USMNT is 13-1-5 all-time vs El Salvador, 43 goals scored and 12 surrendered #USMNT unbeaten (4-0-3) in WCQ #
• RT @MissouriStBears Women's Soccer to Face Final Road Test before Home Opener http://bit.

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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. Click to continue reading...

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? Click to continue reading...

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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