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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8 p.m. Western Conference Final Galaxy-Houston Dynamo Home Depot Center or ESPN2.

Tickets are still available.

Required reading:

* Game preview.

* How the Galaxy got here.

* How the teams match up.

* The dynamic Dominic Kinnear.

* The Galaxy counter with the MLS Coach of the Year.

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What: Galaxy-Chivas USA Western Conference Semifinal second leg
When: 4:30 p.m. today
Where: Home Depot Center on the campus Of California State University, Dominguez Hills or live on ESPN2.

Looks to be tickets still available at a variety of prices (I just did some cursory checking on Ticketmaster) including $20 spots on the grass berm.

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This has been billed as win or bust by a lot of people especially United fans. Not since the era of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea (at their peak) have we gone into a match against Chelsea with the billing of underdogs. And for good reason.

Most fans as is their wont as fans hope their side will come good somehow against Chelsea.

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Darren Fletcher is expected to return to a side beset with absentees to injuries and personal reasons. The manager took time out to shower yet more praise on Fletcher.

"Most people now recognise Darren Fletcher as a big-game player," said Ferguson. "We have been aware of that for quite a while.

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After the effective, if not inspiring, performance of the second string in the Carling Cup earlier in the week, normal service resumes this weekend as United face Blackburn in the Premier League.

Rovers enjoyed a relatively safe passage into the quarter finals of that competition that none of the big guns tend to take very seriously the League Cup themselves on Tuesday night although Saturday should prove a much tougher hurdle for Sam Allardyce and his swine flu-hit charges to negotiate.

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Briefly:

*The MLS playoffs begin tonight and Seattle Sounders fans will demonstrate the right way to support a team - by going freaking nuts in the stands. Hope Galaxy and Chivas USA fans are taking note. The Dynamo-Sounders game is on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. Game preview here.

*Incidentally, the U.

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You're only as good as your last game and following eleven without defeat, Sunday proved something of a wake-up call. United certainly need to up the ante and fortunately they won't have to wait very long to attempt to put things right. A little over 50 hours to be precise as a trip to Barnsley in the Carling Cup will hopefully lift spirits, if ever so slightly, following the depressing result at Anfield.

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Could there really be a better time to beat Liverpool? If there is, I'd like to know the scenario. The struggles of our bitter rivals have certainly been well documented over the past few days as they endure their worst sequence of results for some 22 years.

Victory for United at Anfield on Sunday would signify Liverpool's fifth straight defeat and would open up the gap between the two sides to 10 points in the Premier League.

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When the schedule came out it was obvious that this was going to be the biggest game of the season regardless of thee standings. There was a pretty good chance that at least one team would be fighting for the playoffs, plus you add in the rivalry and the Rocky Mountain Cup and its was always going to be an important game. Click to continue reading...

It's been quite a week! From beach balls to touchline brawls and slack marking to summit embarking. Now Moscow and the artificial pitch awaits for Ferguson and his charges where three more points would go even further to sealing United's progression into the next phase of the Champions League.

It's worth noting that trips to the Luzhniki Stadium haven't been too unkind in recent years either, although CSKA certainly won't be a proverbial walk in the park synthetic grass.

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As far as regular season MLS games go, they don't get much bigger than the one scheduled for noon on Fox Soccer Channel between Houston and the Galaxy: sole possession of first place in the Western Conference is on the line with only two games left in the regular season.

Galaxy game preview

Glenn Davis chronicles the reasons to watch for the uninitiated.

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In 2002, 2005, and 2006 Colorado traveled to Dallas and knocked them out of the playoffs (In 1997 we knocked Dallas out in Colorado). In 2009 Dallas faces a must win game at home to Colorado to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Colorado has a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win. While not an actual playoff game, its essentially a do or die game. Click to continue reading...

International week is finally over and at last we can look forward to the return of the Premier League. The international break probably couldn't have come at a better time in fairness as most of the lads were afforded the opportunity to escape from the club environment following the pedestrian performance against Sunderland.

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A former United stalwart returns to Old Trafford this weekend (along with a few other familiar faces), bringing along with him a Sunderland team that have endured something of a yoyo start to the season. Yes Steve Bruce skippered the Reds to three Premier League titles once upon a time but he will be desperately hoping to outwit his former mentor in the opposing dugout come Saturday.

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On October 3rd 1777 the American revolutionary army under George Washington began its march to Germantown to face the British. On October 3rd 2009 the Revolution under Steve Nicol will march into Commerce City to face the British-led Rapids. The battle of Germantown was a victory for the British, let's hope history repeats itself tomorrow night. Click to continue reading...

Matchday Two of the Champions League is fast approaching and one thing for sure is that VfL Wolfsburg should provide something of a tougher test than United's previous opponents in the competition. Yes while Besiktas were plucky and persistent, the German champions are a far more accomplished outfit and you've probably heard that they're not too bad up front either.

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Having edged into the fourth round of the Carling Cup, albeit with an ultimately monotonous performance, the Premier League returns for United on Saturday and a somewhat tricky trip to the Britannia Stadium awaits.

Stoke have started the season in a pretty decent fashion having picked up seven points already and been extremely unfortunate not to have come away with something more last weekend against Bolton and previously against Chelsea too.

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I'm sure many of us are still riding high on the peak of cloud nine following the last gasp events of Sunday afternoon and who in their right mind can blame us! In fairness, you could even be forgiven for allowing this evening's fixture against Wolves to have slipped the mind and altogether dipped off the radar.

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After the draw last Friday against San Jose the Rapids get right back at it tomorrow night...against San Jose. The Earthquakes are in town for the second half of the home-and-home series. This is the 'game in hand' the Rapids have been holding for most of the season, so a win here would be huge, while a loss would leave us in right in the middle of the playoff battle we've been trying to avoid. Click to continue reading...

This has to be the most eagerly anticipated derby in years, nay decades. Well certainly in my lifetime anyway.

City's start to the season, culminating in the 4-2 defeat of Arsenal last weekend, will have surely seen United supporters with even the deepest of hatred towards our city neighbours at least acknowledge that they have, thus far, looked impressive.

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Your assigned reading.

Chivas USA-Seattle Sounders Noon FSC:

* Former Galaxy midfielder Vagenas on facing Chivas USA.

* Sounders-Chivas USA: Advantage Goats.

* The Cuban connection.

Galaxy-Toronto 7:30 p.m. FSC

* Game preview from Phil Collin.

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A very unusual Friday night game this week as the Rapids find out if they know the way to San Jose. This is the first matchup between the teams this week, with a second coming up in less than a week as both teams will head back to Denver after the match. The Earthquakes are pretty much out of the playoff race already and are looking ahead to 2010 so these are 3 points the Rapids could pick up on the road. Click to continue reading...

Memories of that dismal night in Rome some four months ago undoubtedly still linger among United fans, players, coaching staff...well anyone even remotely connected with the club. Surely the perfect tonic to banish those memories would be to repeat that feat and have another bash at a third consecutive Champions League final.

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Tottenham away has never been a stroll in the park. Saying that, our last eight Premier League visits to White Hart Lane have yielded six wins and two draws. Easy pickings then, or so one may be led to believe. Well if you're that naive then I'd advise you to stop reading here as Saturday's trip to the capital will certainly be a massive test for a United side that have hardly stormed out of the blocks so far this season.

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Last week the Rapids faced Toronto. This week the Rapids face Toronto. Next week the Rapids will face San Jose, the week after the Rapids will face San Jose. If this seems familiar its because the USOC games earlier in the season had us play LA back-to-back, then Seattle back-to-back. This time the Rapids are in the Great White North to try to keep their roll going. Click to continue reading...

Briefly:

*See the previous post for the full lineup of today's games and their implications.

*The U.S.-Trinidad & Tobago game kicks off at 4:11 p.m. Pacific on ESPN Classic with a 30-minute pre-game show preceding it. Game preview.

*Meanwhile, here's a column bemoaning the celebrity of David Beckham and its effect on England.

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Steven Goff is reporting that Casey did not go to Salt Lake City due to his wisdom tooth extraction but he is in good enough shape to play for the Rapids tonight. Hopefully he's good enough to start and add some continuity to a team that can use all they can get this week.
A decision will be made tomorrow on if he will join the Nats team for the midweek game in Trinidad & Tobago or not. Click to continue reading...

That's right, the boys from the 51st state are in town to face Colorado. Its the first of a double-header, the Rapids will head to the Great White North next week to face Toronto on the road. Because of the U.S National Team game and the Fox Soccer Channel coverage the game will start 30 minutes later at 8pm. Click to continue reading...

8pm Pacific, ESPN2 (HD baby!) and Deportes. Are you watching? Or will you be there?

Houston owns the Western Conference at this time with 40 points. Chivas is in third place with 33 points, and the Galaxy is in second place with 35 points. Chivas needs points tonight to secure a playoff spot.

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The Rapids host the Dynamo in their only home Sunday match tomorrow. At halftime former Colorado striker and current Houston assistant coach will be inducted into the Gallery of Honor where he'll join Rapids legends Marcelo Balboa, Paul Bravo, and Chris Henderson. A well-deserved honor for one of the all-time fan favorites. Click to continue reading...

So here we are then. With just three competitive (if you prefer not to count the Community Shield as meaningful) games of the season played, we face our first big test in the shape of Arsenal.

While last season's meeting at Old Trafford in the Premier League was hardly of massive significance, tomorrow's encounter will certainly provide a decent benchmark to how we are shaping up in terms of our title credentials this campaign.

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The Women's Professional Soccer championship is on at 1 p.m. on Prime. Alternatively, wander over to Carson and catch the game for $20.

It's a giggling global game for the Sol.

Game preview.

The Sky Blue perspective.

It's unusually muggy today in the South Bay.

I'll blog from the game.

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Colorado heads into Chicago on Sunday hoping to avenge only their second ever Independence Day loss last month. The Rapids have a chance to move up to 3rd with a win and be only a point out of second with a game in hand while the Fire are chasing the Crew in the Eastern Conference race so its a big game for both sides. Click to continue reading...

For this week's preview of Seattle Sounders Vs. New England Revolution, I have teamed up with Sounders Offside blogger Stephen Rosenshein to bring you the latest information from behind enemy lines. You can check out my answers to his questions about the revs at his blog, Seattle.theoffside.com.

Daver: So did Fredy molest that chick or what?

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