In the first part of our 2009 MLS Cup Final preview, the Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy players were assessed and compared, with a slight advantage being measured for the Galaxy. In this continuation of our analysis, attention is paid to the coaches and intangibles for both clubs.

Jason Kreis and RSL are the most frustrating duo in MLS. Former listeners to the American Soccer Show on CSRN will know that I have a soft spot for the club, not because of any geographic tie, but because of the presence of former Miami Fusion players up and down the organization, starting with GM Garth Lagerway.

The season is over and, after a wild weekend, we have our playoff teams. The first round of playoffs looks like this:

West

LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA

Houston Dynamo vs Seattle Sounders

East

Columbus Crew vs Real Salt Lake

New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire

Before we start previewing this first round of the playoffs, let's spend a moment looking back at how we got here:

For the last month, the MLS essentially had a single table, and it was great!