Angelina-Jen: A Derby for the Ages I'm staunchly opposed to the Americanization of football. I don't want overtime, shootouts, substitutions on the fly, bigger goals or shorter fields. I don't want instant replay, playoffs or field turf.
There's a lot of don'ts and won'ts in there. There are also exceptions to every rule.

After the Saturday three-nil loss the game is merely at halftime. Leg two involves odds stacked against Seattle, but there are a few reasons for hope. While the Seattle Sounders will have to change things up tactically, changes are being forced on Real Salt Lake Coach Jason Kreis by injuries to the best center defensive pairing in MLS.

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The age-old debate about playing on natural grass versus an artifical surface doesn't seem to be as controversial as it was 10-years ago.
A large part of that may be with the new technological advances in the new field turf, as well as the large growth of artificial fields all over the United States.

Hans Backe said that last week's home draw was a step in the right direction. Well after a good week of training at Montclair State University, you would think that this would be the case. A trip to a house of horror's in Gillette Stadium was in store as New England Revolution is always prepared to take on a New York Red Bulls side.

Henry: Cut Out to Be a Captain?Perusing Twitter yesterday I came across an article by Alex Labidou on Goal.com in which Thierry Henry expressed frustration with a number of different aspects of Major League Soccer, including travel and the continued presence of Field Turf in several markets. I can sympathize with Henry on both points.

Solér: Pulling No PunchesAs the Red Bulls prepare for Thursday's nationally televised game against the Sounders at Seattle's newly-christened CenturyLink Field, they face a real dilemma at the forward position. Deprived of Luke Rodgers - the victim of an ongoing plantar fasciitis condition that will keep him out for at least several more games - and the suspended Thierry Henry (more on him below) - it appears that Hans Backe will opt for a Dwayne De Rosario/Dane Richards partnership up top.

Hannah Peterson's second half goal was enough to keep the Colorado Rush close to the Pali Blues on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to close the gap on the visitors from California.

Defender Elizabeth Eddy and midfielder Mariah Nogueira gave the Blues a two-goal first half cushion. While Colorado staged a comeback in the second half, generating four corners and two shots on goal during the second 45 minutes, the Rush was unable to close on the Blues.

It's a pretty sad day all around. The weather here in the Sound is rainy and gloomy which matches my mood on this Monday morning. I'm sure I'm not the only soccer fan of the same mindset as it was a brutal weekend for fans of the beautiful game. The league has lost two of its most dynamic, creative players to severe injuries.

Sounders Have Commissioned Study on Viability of Permanent Grass Pitch

Very interesting article by Joshua Mayers at the Times. Looks like the Sounders will be playing on either grass or a new field turf surface before too long. A grass pitch would be fantastic if they can find a way to drain it adequately.