BY ADAM SERRANO
Friday's scrimmage between the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy may have been a rematch
of the 2011 MLS Cup, but last November's match was far from the minds of all involved.
The Dynamo defeated the Galaxy 1-0 after Nathan Sturgis scored the lone goal of the match on a
header from a looping cross from Josue Soto in the 68th minute.
By ADAM SERRANO
CARSON, Calif. -- For months, people have awaited Brian Ching's first match against the Houston
Dynamo.
After being left unprotected by Houston in the expansion draft, Ching threatened retirement
before eventually being selected by the Montreal Impact.
Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
The Houston Dynamo are still actively trying to improve their forward options, and they took a
step in that direction by swinging a trade Wednesday night.
The Dynamo traded a conditional 2014 draft pick to the Colorado Rapids for Macoumba Kandji,
adding the athletic, Senegalese striker to a stable that currently has Calen Carr, Will Bruin, Cam
Weaver and rookie Colin Rolfe.
Harry Redknapp is a free man.
Redknapp and Sheffield Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric were acquitted of tax evasion charges
after being found not guilty of avoiding to pay taxes on payments made into an offshore account in
Monaco between 2002 and 2007, when both men were at Portsmouth.
photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
Richard Eckersley will be calling Toronto FC home for the foreseeable future.
Eckersley was signed to a permanent move with the Reds after joining the club on loan from
Burnley last April, the club announced on Thursday.
Juventus and Italian national team legend Alessandro Del Piero has long been linked with a move
to MLS, and despite recent reports having him wind up with the Montreal Impact, the club's
president set the record straight on the matter.
Joey Saputo admitted to having discussions with the 37-year-old Del Piero's representatives on
two occasions -- last April in Montreal and last June in Italy -- while discussing a potential move
to MLS, but offered that Del Piero has his eyes on the league's two major markets should he come to
America.
Photo by Patricia Giobetti/ISIphotos.com
D.C. United's wing options got a little more intriguing on Friday.
The club acquired midfielder Danny Cruz from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a partial
allocation, adding an up-and-coming player to the team's already up-and-coming nucleus.
photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com
After uncertainty clouded his future with Toronto FC, Joao Plata is staying right where he
is.
One of MLS's most technically-gifted players, Plata has agreed to re-sign with Toronto FC on a
multi-year deal.
Veteran MLS goalkeeper Jon Conway has decided to hang up his cleats and gloves.
Conway, 34, was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in this past December's re-entry draft to
compete for a backup spot behind Josh Saunders, but he instead elected retire after a 12-year
career.
Dom Kinnear has enjoyed one of the strongest coaching careers in MLS history, and the Houston
Dynamo have assured that he will be sticking around for a while.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Dynamo have signed Kinnear to a three-year contract
extension.
Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com
Almost six years ago, Nathan Sturgis was a Generation adidas signing, a U.S. youth national team
prospect and a player with a bright MLS future.
Five teams later, he hopes to have finally found a long-term home.
Sturgis was dealt to the Houston Dynamo from Toronto FC for a conditional draft pick in the 2014
MLS SuperDraft on Wednesday, marking his second trade in 13 months.
Houston Dynamo fans have been waiting since the club's inaugural 2006 season for a
soccer-specific stadium they could call their own, and, come May, that dream will be realized.
According to the Houston Chronicle, that stadium will be named BBVA Compass Stadium at an
official ceremony slated for Wednesday afternoon.
Photo by ISIphotos.com
Lee Nguyen's long journey is leading back home.
Nguyen, a Texas native, signed a multi-year deal with MLS on Tuesday, bringing a one-time U.S.
attacking prospect to the league after six years overseas. Nguyen appeared three times in 2007 for
the U.
The opening weekend of the 2012 MLS season will feature a Canadian derby.
The Vancouver Whitecaps will host the Montreal Impact at BC Place on March 10 as part of MLS
First Kick, the league announced on Tuesday, as bits and pieces of next season's schedule begin to
be released.
It remains to be seen whether the 2022 World Cup will be played in the summer or the winter, but
one high-ranking FIFA official has a solution to ensure a winter World Cup gets played without a
problem: Move the two biggest competitions in European club soccer.
Ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 draw in the Ukraine, UEFA president Michel Platini said that he is
open to moving the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in order to accommodate a
winter World Cup in Qatar.
photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Geoff Cameron's switch to centerback was one of the key ingredients in the Houston Dynamo's run
to the MLS Cup, and that's why head coach Dominic Kinnear has made the move permanent.
Cameron will serve as a center back in 2012 after he and Kinnear had a discussion following the
end of the season.
By FRANCO PANIZO
CARSON, Calif. -- Minutes before the Los Angeles Galaxy blasted music and opened bottles of beer
in their locker room at the Home Depot Center, the Houston Dynamo sat in theirs with glum faces and
blank stares. The silence that filled the air spoke volumes.
CARSON, Calif. -- No Major League Soccer team with a Designated Player had won an MLS Cup prior
to Sunday night.
In one moment, three DPs combined to buck that trend.
Landon Donovan finished off a pass from Robbie Keane in the 72nd minute to break a scoreless
deadlock and deliver the MLS Cup to the Los Angeles Galaxy following a 1-0 result over the Houston
Dynamo in front of 30,281 at the Home Depot Center.
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo will do battle tonight as they each search for their
third MLS Cup titles in tonight's 2011 MLS Cup Final (9pm, ESPN).
The Galaxy come in as the heavy favorites, playing at home in Home Depot Center, where they
haven't lost in MLS all season.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
CARSON, Calif. - Ever since the participants in Sunday's MLS Cup booked their tickets to the
season's grand finale two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Galaxy has been widely pegged as one of the
biggest favorites the final has ever seen.
Photos by ISIPhotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
CARSON, Calif. -- It is no secret that the Houston Dynamo will need to slow down the Los Angeles
Galaxy's star-studded attack if it wants to win the MLS Cup.
That may seem like a tall task when the Galaxy have players like Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan
and David Beckham, but it is a task that Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell are ready for.
BY ADAM SERRANO
CARSON, Calif. -- Long derided for being injury prone, Calen Carr is used to be written off, but
for Carr, redemption could be only 90 minutes away.
Since returning to from a concussion suffered in preseason while he was with the Chicago Fire,
Carr has earned a starting spot alongside Dynamo captain Brian Ching, with his fast paced play
adding a cutting edge to the Dynamo attack.
Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
CARSON, Calif. - If there was any doubt as to whether David Beckham was going to play in the
MLS Cup final, it should be gone now.
Having missed training the last couple of days with a cold, Beckham squashed any concerns over
his health following the Los Angeles Galaxy's practice session inside a chilly Home Depot Center on
Saturday afternoon.
By AVI CREDITOR
CARSON, Calif. -- While the Houston Dynamo's Luiz Camargo and the Los Angeles Galaxy's Juninho
will spend much of Sunday's MLS Cup Final matched up directly against each other, it won't be the
first time the two Brazilians will have shared the field together.
By JOSE M. ROMERO
Practice had a calm, almost stoic feel to it for the Houston Dynamo Friday on the fields near
the main Home Depot Center stadium.
So said forward Carlos Costly, who added that he's anxious for Sunday when the Dynamo face the
L.A. Galaxy for the MLS Cup.
BY ADAM SERRANO
Robbie Keane is looking is to cap off one of the best weeks of his career with a championship.
Keane led Ireland qualify for their first appearance at the European Championships on Tuesday
with a convincing playoff victory over Estonia. Now, the Irish striker will look to cap off his
impressive week with an MLS Cup title when his Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo on
Sunday.
The 2011 MLS Cup Final is being considered in most circles as a mis-match between the strongest
team in the league and a team that road a hot streak into the post season. The Los Angeles Galaxy
are the heavy favorites to lift the trophy in their home stadium, but the Dynamo aren't ready to
just play the role of punching bag.
By JOSE M. ROMERO
The big man in the middle has quietly become a star for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but there's one
more thing for standout centerback Omar Gonzalez to achieve this season to go with his Defender of
the Year and Best XI honors.
He needs to win the MLS Cup.
By ADAM SERRANO
The Houston Dynamo may be without their MVP candidate, but the Los Angeles Galaxy are keenly
aware that the Dynamo will still have another key weapon in their attack.
Dynamo captain Brian Ching has enjoyed a stellar season since battling back from injuries that
limited him to just 20 regular season games.
By GARRETT DAVEY
When Brad Davis was carried off the field late in the first half of Sunday's Eastern Conference
Final, it felt like the Houston Dynamo's chances of going to the MLS Cup Final were being carried
off with him.
The Dynamo didn't see it that way, and instead of folding without their team MVP (and arguably
the MLS MVP), Houston stood strong defensively and capitalized on two second-half chances to knock
off Sporting Kansas City.
Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo will be playing for the first place in the 2011 MLS Cup
Final today as they square off at LiveStrong Sporting Park in the Eastern Conference Final (5:30pm,
Fox Soccer Channel).
Sporting KC comes in as the No. 1 seed and will look to continue their stellar home form against
a tough Houston side that has rattled off an eight-match unbeaten streak since dropping a 3-0
decision in their last visit to face Sporting KC.
Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
By AVI CREDITOR
Sporting Kansas City's attack has proven to be just fine without Designated Player Omar Bravo,
and the club may have to maintain its level of play without him for Sunday's MLS Eastern Conference
final against the Houston Dynamo.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
After seven months and hundreds of matches, the 2011 MLS campaign has been whittled down to just
three games.
The two conference finals Sunday will determine the participants in the MLS Cup, to be held
Nov.
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
By Sunday's end, the MLS playoff field will be narrowed down to two clubs.
No wild card teams remain in the postseason picture after the overall top seed Los Angeles
Galaxy disposed of the New York Red Bulls Thursday night.
By JOEY SAMUEL
Coming into the second leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal clash with the Philadelphia
Union, the Houston Dynamo knew all they needed to do to advance was to keep a clean sheet.
They did that and more Thursday night, as Brian Ching got on the end of yet another Brad Davis
free kick and the Dynamo defended brilliantly to seal a 1-0 win and a spot in the Eastern
Conference final.
The Houston Dynamo play their final match at Robertson Stadium before moving to their new
stadium in 2012, and if they want to christen that new stadium with an MLS Cup trophy, they will
need to hold off the Philadelphia Union in their Eastern Conference semifinal second leg (8:30pm,
Fox Soccer Channel).
Somewhat overlooked in the build-up to tonight's Western Conference semifinal second leg between
the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake (10 p.m., ESPN2) is the fact that it could very well be
Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller's last game as a professional.
Between the injuries to key players and the size of the deficit, there's plenty of pregame
fodder on which to focus, but the fact that Keller's playing career is on the cusp of ending is
perhaps the most significant development in play.
