WVHooligan 20 November @ 04:27 PM EST
Will David Beckham and Landon Donovan be celebrating on Sunday? (Getty Images)
This is a game I've gone back and forth with all week. Two western conference squads meeting in
the league final is going to be interesting. Not many had picked both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt
Lake to make it this far back at the start of the season.
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Match Fit USA 20 November @ 03:36 PM EST
Guest Post by Matt - US Soccer Daily After the France-Ireland game on Wednesday, I knew exactly
what I wanted to write about. The swirling amalgam of anger, frustration, and disappointment made
me...
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A long and exhausting season comes down to one game. On one side, you have the upstart Real Salt
Lake, the club that "shouldn't be here." On the other, the star-studded Galaxy, complete with the
world's most recognized footballer in David Beckham.
While MLS may have missed out on a marketing maven's dream match-up of Beckham vs.
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After that cesspool of a result in Paris on Wednesday, it is nice to turn our attention to a
league where the sportsmen are pure, the referees are beyond reproach and the game is always played
with a spirit of manly honor – the MLS. Or something like that.
Sunday's game will feature the best team in the west this season against the best team in the
west right now.
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Photo by ISIphotos.com
Almost eleven months ago, during a sunny week in South Florida, you could tell the 2009 MLS
Draft Class had the potential to be special.
During the rough days of the MLS Combine, even as player struggled with fitness and playing with
their new teammates, there was a sense that this year's crop of talent had the potential to provide
MLS with a serious infusion of talent.
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Photo by ISIphotos.com
Almost eleven months ago, during a sunny week in South Florida, you could tell the 2009 MLS
Draft Class had the potential to be special.
During the rough days of the MLS Combine, even as player struggled with fitness and playing with
their new teammates, there was a sense that this year's crop of talent had the potential to provide
MLS with a serious infusion of talent.
Click to continue reading...
WVHooligan 18 November @ 07:31 AM EST
The mix of young and old make the Galaxy a tough team to figure out for the expansion draft.
(Getty Images)
We are quickly working our way through the 15 MLS clubs as we gear up for next week's expansion
draft. The new kids on the block, the Philadelphia Union will get to select 10 players from the
list of unprotected players that each club will have to submit by next Monday.
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While most of them may be a bit young to have a realistic chance of playing in the 2010 World
Cup, a team of MLS Generation adidas players are about to take a trip to South Africa for an
experience they won't soon forget.
Stefan Frei, Patrick Nyarko and Chris Pontius headline a team of 18 MLS players that will
travel to South Africa to participate in a series of friendlies and other events later this
month.
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By now you've heard that the MLS has dropped their official Best XI. And while we'll get to that
at the end of this bit, there's a better way to do that. Some players in the mix didn't belong
there. Hence the reason to build OleOle's own version of the best XI.
Without further adieu, here we go.
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MLS marketing mavens, your dream final is secure. Star power vs. star power as David Beckham and
Kyle Beckerman will face each other next Sunday in Seattle. Ok, that concept is a bit of a stretch,
as the best draw when comparing those two players is their unique hairstyle -- one consistent in
his recent career, the other just bizarre.
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And those words are: Western Conference Champions!
In another step in the worst-to-first journey that MLS Coach of the Year Bruce
Arena has taken the team on, the Los Angeles Galaxy turned away a stiff challenge from the
Houston Dynamo in 30 minutes of extra time with a 2-0 scoreline.
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The Western Conference Finals was a long, hard slog between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the
Houston Dynamo. With an 8:30 starting time to accommodate ESPN2's college football schedule, two
blackouts that interrupted play in each half, and a half hour of overtime, the Galaxy did not
trudge off the pitch with their Western Conference trophy until almost midnight.
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Galaxy 2 Houston Dynamo 0
Who would have thunk it at the outset of this season?
Two extra time goals by Gregg Berhalter (!) and Landon Donovan - his 17th postseason goal, the
most in MLS (he was tied with Carlos Ruiz previously) - has given the Galaxy the win before an
energized 25,373 even though it's past 11:30 p.
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The goal came from a David Beckham free kick. Omar Gonzalez got a head to it at the far post, it
rebounded off Eddie Robinson and came to Gregg Berhalter for his first Galaxy goal - ever - in the
103rd minute.
Update: The half is over with the Galaxy up by one. Fifteen minutes until MLS Cup beckons.
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Bayern Munich forward Miroslav Klose is being told to stay home.
His kids have swine flu, so the team is putting the 31 year old on quarantine.
Is that virus still around? Glad I missed it (knocks on wood).
To the links:
- Sir Alex gets two-game sideline ban.
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What can I say? Stuff is goin' on all over. It's relentless. You can't fight stuff...#1 - I've
posted a capsule preview of the four UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs over at S365. Who is my
upset pick this time? Bosnia, baby. And in case you missed it yesterday, my chat with Houston
Dynamo ace Geoff Cameron.
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The Major League Soccer season heads down the final turn this weekend, and with just three games
remaining, the stakes are high. Friday night at the Home Depot Center, the Los Angeles Galaxy host
the Houston Dynamo with a trip to Seattle and a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line.
It's a tale of two clubs over the past four-five seasons: one has been a proven winner, and is
in search of their third cup in the past four years.
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This match promises to be a dogfight. The season series between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the
Houston Dynamo featured exactly one goal and a lot of physical defending. If that sounds a lot like
what Chivas and the Galaxy went through for the bulk of their five games this season, its not
coincidence.
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Los Angeles Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez won Major League Soccer's Rookie of the Year Award.
Gonzalez started every game in his rookie season, scoring a goal and registering an assist. He
joined the club from the University of Maryland as the Galaxy's third overall pick in the 2009
SuperDraft. Gatorade Rookie of the Year Winners 2009: Omar Gonzalez - Los Angeles Galaxy 2008: Sean
Franklin - Los Angeles Galaxy 2007: Maurice Edu - Toronto FC.
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Photo by ISIphotos.com
The Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo were two of the best teams in MLS all season, and on
Friday night they will play for the right to play in and be the favorite in the 2009 MLS Cup Final.
The Western Conference Final (11pm, ESPN2) features some of the league's best talent, and is
loaded with juicy individual match-ups both on the field and on the sideline.
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Photo by ISIphotos.com
Los Angeles Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez was named the winner of the 2009 Rookie of the Year
Award on Thursday, beating out Toronto FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei and D.C. United forward Chris
Pontius for the honors.
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Galaxy central defender Omar Gonzalez, the club's top draft pick out of Maryland didn't miss a
game for the Galaxy this year and was literally head and shoulders above other candidates.
From the Galaxy press release:
The 21-year old defender from Dallas, Texas, becomes the second consecutive Galaxy
defender to win the award.
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WVHooligan 12 November @ 02:43 PM EST
Omar Gonzalez was named Rookie of the Year today. (Getty Images)
Another season award came down today, this time it is the league's Rookie of the Year. For the
second straight year a LA Galaxy defender has won it as the honor went to Omar Gonzalez today.
Gonzalez helped a defense go from one of the worst in league history to one of the better ones
this season.
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Being a rookie in MLS is quite different than young players in any other sport around the world.
First off, if you're part of the select few deemed not talented enough, your salary won't be near
six figures. That being said, with smaller rosters and bargains a necessity in MLS, getting a shot
your first professional season isn't out of the question.
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The best of brightest of a youthful MLS
View full size photo »
Major League Soccer will announce its Rookie of the Year today. And while I expect big L.
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The University of Denver women's soccer team will face Portland on Friday in the opening round
of the NCAA tournament at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex in Oregon.
Pioneers (17-5-1) earned their unprecedented fourth-straight Sun Belt Conference championship by
beating Arkansas-Little Rock 1-0 on Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida.
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WVHooligan 11 November @ 02:48 PM EST
No a real shocker for most folks out there, Major League Soccer has announced the 2009 Coach of
the Year is LA Galaxy front man Bruce Arena.
The turnaround in LA this year has been nothing short of remarkable. Arena found a way to get
everything on board with stars like Landon Donovan and David Beckham by plugging in solid veterans
and excellent young stars like Omar Gonzalez and Sean Franklin.
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In a little over a year, Bruce Arena transformed one of the worst teams in the league into a
contender for the 2009 MLS Cup. As a result of the remarkable turnaround, Arena was named as the
2009 Coach of the Year.
Hired to replace Ruud Guillt on August 18, 2008, Arena looked to change a Galaxy squad seen by
many as in disarray.
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In a little over a year, Bruce Arena transformed one of the worst teams in the league into a
contender for the 2009 MLS Cup. As a result of the remarkable turnaround, Arena was named as the
2009 Coach of the Year.
Hired to replace Ruud Guillt on August 18, 2008, Arena looked to change a Galaxy squad in
disarray.
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And those words are: Meeting the challenge.
Right. So before the first playoff leg I predicted a series score of 2-1. Then before the second
playoff leg, seeing the kind of chaos the two teams were creating and the resulting goals, I
predicted 2-1 for the game on Sunday.
So, looking at a 3-2 aggregate and a 1-0 second leg scoreline, you can see that I bloody well
can't predict anything when it comes to these two teams.
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Soccerblog 09 November @ 09:14 AM EST
David Beckham switches attack with a swerving long ball down the left to Donovan. The Galaxy
skipper crosses into the box to Mike Magee who is brought down by Yamith Cuesta's challenge.
Ricardo Salazar points to the spot as Magee writhes in pain. Donovan converts the PK after an
interminable wait.
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I, too, am removing my name from consideration for DC United's head coaching position.
Bill has his own take on the nominees. That reminds me, I need to fill out my MLS awards
ballot.
Quote: Voting will close on Monday, October 26 at Noon ET. Oops.
Well, the good news is, you won't be able to blame me for any of this year's winners.
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1) I've updated the home/away records for each MLS team in each season through 2009:
Check them out here.
2) If Omar Gonzalez wins the Rookie of the Year award, he'll be the youngest winner ever. He was
20.72 years of age as of July 1st. The current record-holder is Carlos Bocanegra in 2000, at 21.
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