Photo by ISIPhotos.com
The tradition of holding a January camp for mostly MLS players looking to break through into the
U.S. naitonal team is going to be maintained during the Jurgen Klinsmann era and the German manager
will be putting together his first January camp very shortly.
Mexican clubs have dominated the CONCACAF Champions League in recent years and Monterrey CF kept
up that trend when winning their maiden title this year. Monterrey, therefore, will enjoy their
first appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup with a quarter-final tie against the winner of the
qualifying play-off between Oceania champions Auckland City and the J-League champions (as yet
undecided).
MLS announced today their Best XI today in a teleconference where Don Garber read the names. MLS
Reserves had similar names on the list, but not quite an exact match. The MLS Reserves set up its
own criteria and considered all players under it.
Considered these selections was the effect these players had on their team, their individual
efforts, statistical prowess, presence in the locker room and ultimately how good they were
throughout the season.
There were plenty of standout defenders in MLS this year, and several who could make cases for
being the top defender in the league, but it is tough to argue that there was a better defender in
2011 than Omar Gonzalez.
The LA Galaxy centerback was the leader and foundation for the best defense in MLS, improving
his game in every facet and going from being an All-Star caliber defender to a dominant force who
was key to LA winning the Supporters Shield and reaching the MLS Cup Final.
Now that the finalist for the 2011 MLS Awards are out, it's time I share how I voted with
everyone. I'm a firm believer in the need for transparency in award voting if for no other reason
that if you submit a crazy ballot, you should be accountable for your choices.
We were allowed by MLS to select two choices for each category from a pre-selected list.
The ballots have been tallied and we now know the finalists for the various end-of-season awards
for Major League Soccer.
Last year it was easy to find some fault in the various finalists but this year, every award was
fairly open enough.
2011 Major League Soccer Awards Finalists (Listed in alphabetical order by
last name within each award category) Rookie of the Year Finalists –
Winner to be announced Nov.
Brad Davis, Dwayne DeRosario and Brek Shea were named finalists for the MLS MVP Award on Monday
as the league announced the finalists for all the season-ending awards.
Here are all the finalists for the awards, with winners set to be announced over the course of
the next two weeks, starting with MLS Rookie of the Year on Tuesday:
2011 MLS AWARD FINALISTS (announcement date in parentheses)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Tuesday)
Michael Farfan (Philadelphia Union)
Perry Kitchen (D.
RSL is done for 2011, now Jason Kreis faces the tough task of protecting 11 players. (Getty
Images)
Expectations were high going into 2011 for Real Salt Lake. The club was closing in on a historic
CONCACAF Champions League win and everyone in the league was supporting their efforts. But
injuries, suspensions and the gutting loss in the CCL final to Monterrey changed the course of the
season for RSL.
BY ADAM SERRANO
The Los Angeles Galaxy continued their methodical push to the MLS Cup as they advanced to the
league championship with a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center.
The victory put the Galaxy in their second final in three years as they will take on the Houston
Dynamo on their home soil on November 20th.
One of these two teams will meet Houston at MLS Cup in Carson after the Dynamo, who lost MLS
assist leader Brad Davis to a first half injury, beat Sporting Kansas City 2-0 earier this
afternoon in the Eastern Conference Final.
It's a cool, but dry evening at Home Depot Center as the Galaxy host this fixture for a third
consecutive year.
The two strongest teams in MLS over the past three seasons square off tonight for a chance to play
in the 2011 MLS Cup Final as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center
(9pm, ESPN).
The Galaxy come in as Supporters Shields winners and the favorites against an RSL side that
struggled late in the regular season, but showed against Seattle in the playoffs that they were
back to the form that helped them reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final last spring.
Today's conference finals see a battered Real Salt Lake team visit the unbeaten at home Los
Angeles Galaxy while the stalwart Houston Dynamo will have to see off the dynamic attack of
Sporting Kansas City at Livestrong Park. In each of the last two years the winner of the MLS Cup
has been the lowest ranked team in the playoffs.
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
By ADAM SERRANO
Robbie Keane seems healthy and ready to contribute for the Los Angeles Galaxy's run to MLS Cup.
Now all he needs to do is find the back of the net.
Keane was appearing in just his second match since an adductor strain cost him the last three
weeks of the season as well as a number of important matches for club and country.
By AVI CREDITOR
If there's a theme prevalent throughout the last round of the MLS postseason, it's that
proficiency off of dead-ball situations has been vital to staying alive.
Out of the four remaining teams, only Real Salt Lake has yet to benefit from a set piece during
its playoff run.
Real Salt Lake carried a three goal lead into the second leg against the Seattle Sounders and
they would need the whole thing before the end of the night. Seattle attacked from the first
whistle and kept pressure on RSL until the final whistle. The home team controlled the game and
almost all of the possession but were held back by some early injuries.
No Olave, No BorchersReal Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders squared off in what had to be one of
the more exciting playoff matches in recent years. Those on the east coast who stayed up and those
on around the country who watched bore witness to a near astounding comeback by Seattle that fell
just short of triumphant.
The task is an extremely difficult one, but not an impossible one for the highest-scoring team
in MLS.
The Seattle Sounders must find a way to erase a three-goal deficit in tonight's Western
Conference semifinal second leg against Real Salt Lake after suffering a 3-0 loss in the first leg
(10pm, ESPN2).
Our various writers here had a little discussion about what lineup changes we'd want to see. The
thought was to make a lineup card for you that would show a Sounder at Heart preferred lineup and a
Real Salt Lake likely lineup due to the injuries to Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers. With Jason
Kreis not sharing the status of those two besides the decision being held until tonight their side
of the card would be incomplete.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
You might have noticed, but there are three other playoff series going on besides Philadelphia
Union's face-off with Houston. Normally, we might not watch them, but each series has high
entertainment value, for different reasons in each case.
Here's a quick preview of the three.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
You might have noticed, but there are three other playoff series going on besides Philadelphia
Union's face-off with Houston. Normally, we might not watch them, but each series has high
entertainment value, for different reasons in each case.
Here's a quick preview of the three.
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.
There's no good way of putting this: The Seattle Sounders are in a ridiculously deep hole right
now. How deep? Since Major League Soccer went to its current playoff format in 2003, no team has
ever trailed by three goals and only seven teams have trailed by two after the first leg. Heck,
only eight teams have ever trailed by three goals at any point in the entire two-legged conference
semifinals.
Fantastic weekend of footie:
• MLS Playoff Odds
Big changes in the little schematic we put together last week:
• Seattle Sounders (now: 12 to 1) vs. Real Salt Lake (remains 6 to 1)
Beckerman wants you to believe...
Mauro Rosales are no Mauro Rosales, Seattle now looks dusted.
So here we are again. First round of the playoffs after a exciting season. The Seattle Sounders
get a tough draw and proceed to get schooled like an earnest, but inexperienced freshmen. Sure,
Real Salt Lake has been one of the best, if not the best, team in the league since they won the MLS
Cup in 2009.
It really doesn't get much worse than that folks. And, yet, as Seattle Sounders coach Sigi
Schmid said in postgame comments, they were lucky they didn't lost 6-0. The Sounders were outplayed
every bit as bad as their 3-0 scoreline suggests, and probably even worse than that.
Just going through the stats, there are signs of Real Salt Lake domination everywhere.
Quite possibly the worst performance that the Seattle Sounders ever occurred in the chilly, high
air of Utah as Real Salt Lake netted three goals. Only Kasey Keller prevented that scoreline from
being even greater. To list all of the mistakes that were made will take some time, but sadly it
will happen.
The MLS playoff schedule was set late Sunday night (it's down below here).
We'll review with a thorough handicapping later this week, but for now...here's our quick odds,
brief summary and the schedule.
Please lend your voice to the odds and we'll republish on Wednesday or
Thursday:
Evans for Seattle (and previously for Columbus)
TSG's MLS Playoff Odds:
Seattle Sounders: 3 to 1* (pending Rosales injury update)
Los Angeles Galaxy: 4 to 1
Real Salt Lake: 6 to 1
Philadelphia Union: 7 to 1
Sporting KC, FC Dallas: 8 to 1
Colorado Rapids: 10 to 1
Houston Dynamo: 14 to 1
New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew: 15 to 1
-
TSG's Pick (may change by Thursday): Seattle
TSG Skinny: There are a just few basic things you need to reach the MLS Cup
Finals after journeying through its playoff gauntlet.
LA's defense has been on top form this season. (Getty Images)
I am moving on in my look back at my preseason positional rankings. Yesterday we looked at the
keepers, today we're diving into the folks in front of those keepers the defense.
Again these rankings are all about the starters and the depth behind them.
By ALAN LEDBETTER
With most of the playoff spots spoken for, the final week of MLS is sure to be
unpredictable.
Coaches are more likely to rest key players, which makes picking a fantasy team very difficult.
Since lineups lock for MFLS on Wednesday, you will have to set your lineup with some uncertainty
this week.
Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando "tweeted" out this pic tonight from his Instagram account of
himself, Kyle Beckerman, and Nat Borchers rocking some sweet Beckett & Robb suits.
Insert your own joke about a dread-locked Beckerman donning a suit.
Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt!
By ADAM SERRANO
CARSON, Calif.-- An own goal proved decisive as the Los Angeles Galaxy continued their pursuit
of the Supporters Shield by overcoming their first halftime deficit of the season in a 2-1 victory
over Real Salt Lake.
RSL was able to put the Galaxy on their heels in the 45th minute when Fabian Espindola opened
the scoring, but a goal by Chad Barrett and an own goal by RSL's Nat Borchers gave the Galaxy the
victory.
Seattle's 2-1 win over the New England Revolution earlier today means the Galaxy can't clinch
the Supporters Shield tonight, but a win or a draw would eliminate Real Salt Lake from contention
for the regular season title.
The Galaxy need five more points from their four remaining games, including this evening's
contest, and the title will belong to them no matter what any other team does.
Marco Pappa scored a hat trick starting with a goal in the 9th minute of play. Less than a
minute after his first goal, Daniel Paladini provoked Kyle Beckerman into a vicious headbutt that
lead to Beckerman receiving a red card. The quick Fire score and Beckerman red card gave the game
the same momentum as a red card/penalty kick scenario.
Real Salt Lake might be the most dangerous team in the MLS playoffs. If they keep their recent
form, situations likely come about that have them as the team to beat.
The impending return of Javier Morales and the continued excellence of leaders like Beckerman,
Rimando and Jamison Olave also raise the likelihood that RSL contend for the cup.
Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com
By ALAN LEDBETTER
With only five weeks left, now is the time to use your remaining transfers and prepare for a
strong ending to the fantasy season. With six teams playing two games this week, there are plenty
of fantasy points up for grabs.
In their first away game in about two months, Sporting KC looked strong against one of the
strongest home teams in the league, but couldn't capitalize on their possession and ended up
falling to RSL 1-0 at Rio Tinto. KC tried to set the tempo for the game early on wiht much of the
early play taking place in RSL's half of the field.
In a match-up that could wind up being an MLS Cup Final preview, Real Salt Lake and Sporting
Kansas City played a physical match that left little doubt about two things.
There isn't that much separating two of the best teams in MLS, and those two teams really don't
like each other.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By ALAN LEDBETTER
A high scoring week in MLS left many fantasy points up for grabs last week. One of the more
surprising fantasy performers was Charlie Davies, who notched a hat trick on the road vs.
Real Salt Lake was missing several key players, such as Alvaro Saborio, Will Johnson and Nat
Borchers, when they took on the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night, but there was still enough
quality in the RSL lineup to keep the team climbing toward the lead pack in the Western
Conference.
Two goals in the first 26 minutes from Real Salt Lake sealed a home win over the Philadelphia
Union at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.
Sebastien Le Toux's fine volleyed strike in the 30th minute was only half what the Union needed
as they fell to another Western Conference opponent on the road.
