Standing on a rooftop overlooking the site of the Philadelphia Union's future stadium, I couldn't help but see the pieces being put into place for a club that should help revitalize soccer on the East Coast.

As cranes lowered ten-ton cement blocks into place to piece together the Union's stadium, you could stand inside the unfinished building and see the vision.

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Standing on a rooftop overlooking the site of the Philadelphia Union's future stadium, I couldn't help but see the pieces being put into place for a club that should help revitalize soccer on the East Coast.

As cranes lowered ten-ton cement blocks into place to piece together the Union's stadium, you could stand inside the unfinished building and see the vision.

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Mayor Bill White has proclaimed today as Dynamo Day. Are you wearing orange?

Mayor Bill White today proclaimed that Friday, November 6th, will be recognized as "Dynamo Day" in Houston. In observance of the day, the mayor encourages Houstonians to wear orange, the color of the Dynamo.

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Two days until the Galaxy-Chivas USA Western Conference semifinal from Carson's Home Depot Center (4:30 p.m. ESPN2) and the Galaxy blog reports tickets are going fast and the club is considering opening up the grass berm.

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Suggested reading/listening/viewing:
*Reporter Phil Collin has more on the game here.

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The second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs has the two higher seeds in each conference hosting their opponents from last week's match-ups. In the four matches from last week, the home teams either tied or won leaving the seeded favorites with work to do if they hope to advance to the conference finals.

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The list of former Wizards currently playing is getting smaller and smaller as more of the American team's seasons come to an end. The first round of the MLS playoffs are half over, so next week will be the end for even more former Wizards.
MLS
Taylor Graham - Seattle Sounders FC - Did not dress in Seattle's 0-0 draw with Houston. Click to continue reading...

One day (presumably), MLS will get to the point where which clubs progress to the MLS Cup final doesn't really matter. By then, it will be all about the competition, and no matter who is playing,...

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The big Zach attack. (AP Photo)

Readers of this blog didn't agree, but Chivas USA's Zach Thornton was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year today, 11 years after first taking the honor with the Chicago Fire.

That time span between awards was undoubtedly one of the reasons the 34-year-old took the honor, beating out the Galaxy's Donovan Ricketts and Seattle Sounders veteran Kasey Keller (both in their first MLS seasons).

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The regular season is over and the playoffs are the order of the day in Major League Soccer. Surprise qualifiers Real Salt Lake made themselves known in the first leg of their tie with Supporters Shield winners Columbus Crew, while all four conference semi-finals were even matches with little to separate the sides. Click to continue reading...

The United States
The 2009 MLS Playoffs got underway last Thursday when Seattle Sounders FC hosted Houston Dynamo before a crowd of approximately 36,000 soccer fans. Although the end result was 0-0, it was a thrilling match with both teams battling hard to find the goal. The teams meet for the second leg of their first round tie at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas at 2:00 pm local time this Sunday, and fans should expect a nail biter of a match. Click to continue reading...

We'll soon officially announce that United's six-year relationship with Tom Soehn has ended. United's one-time Assistant Coach (2004-2006) and its Head Coach for the last three seasons (2007-2009) has removed his name from consideration for the club's head coaching position ahead of the expiration of his three-year contract at the end of the calendar year.

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Big Story
The dramatic failure of Toronto FC this year, after a struggling season was concluded as the club blew its chance of making the playoffs by getting torn apart 5-0 by Red Bull New York, has thrown the entire direction of the team up for debate as well as the future of general manager Mo Johnston.

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Here's the full list as released today by MLS:

Goalkeeper of the Year
Kasey Keller - Seattle Sounders FC
Donovan Ricketts - Los Angeles Galaxy
Zach Thornton - Chivas USA

Fair Play Finalists - Individual
Kasey Keller - Seattle Sounders FC
Pat Onstad - Houston Dynamo
Steve Ralston - New England Revolution

Comeback Player of the Year
Brian McBride - Chicago Fire
Ben Olsen - D.

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I thought this deserved its own post. The full MLS awards list and announcement schedule is in the article, listed below are the glamour prizes, with my balloted winner marked by an asterisk:Goalkeeper of the Year FinalistsKasey Keller – Seattle Sounders FCDonovan Ricketts – Los Angeles Galaxy*Zach Thornton – Chivas USAComeback Player of the Year FinalistsBrian McBride – Chicago FireBen Olsen – Click to continue reading...

Seattle's Kasey Keller is a finalist for numerous Major League Soccer awards, including goalkeeper of the year. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Major League Soccer released the finalists for the league's 2009 awards today. The winners will be announced starting Wednesday and ending Nov.

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Landon Donovan, Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Cunningham are the finalists for MLS MVP honors and just three of the MLS players identified as finalists for season-ending awards by Major League Soccer.

Donovan is one of several members of the Los Angeles Galaxy to be selected as finalists for honors.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Landon Donovan, Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Cunningham are the finalists for MLS MVP honors and just three of the MLS players identified as finalists for season-ending awards by Major League Soccer.

Donovan is one of several members of the Los Angeles Galaxy to be selected as finalists for honors.

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Major League Soccer will be announcing the 2009 award winners over three weeks in November. The League announced the schedule and the three finalists in each category on Monday. Jeff Cunningham, Landon Donovan, and Shalrie Joseph are in the running for the Most Valuable Player award, with the announcement set for Thursday, November 20th. Click to continue reading...

Catching these four match-ups in the middle, so each will be half analysis/half prediction...
Seattle Sounders FC v. Houston Dynamo (0-0 aggregate)
After tying 0-0 in Seattle for the first leg, the finale will take place Sunday. The story of the first game was 90 minutes of physical brawling, I think the second leg will be the opposite: some entertaining soccer. Click to continue reading...

The Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo playoffs got the MLS playoffs to a raucous start with their edge of the seat performances even it ended in a goalless draw. Seattle also boasts the highest home attendances in the MLS. It all looks promising.

Except as this article points out, there is enough deadwood in the MLS.

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One hell of a soccer match took place in Seattle last night. The MLS playoffs got off to a flying start as the Houston Dynamo and Seattle Sounders battled to a scoreless draw at Qwest Field in front...

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Fredy Montero hopes for better success in front of goal in Houston

The Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo played a highly contentious match on Thursday evening to a 0-0 draw. A capacity crowd of 35,807 at Quest field in Seattle saw a match that contained 6 yellow cards (3 for each side) and countless missed opportunities on both sides.

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In an ill-tempered but entertaining affair last night at Qwest Field in Seattle, the Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo battled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their home and away MLSÂ Western Conference Semifinals series. The teams will meet again in Houston on November 8th to determine who plays the winner of the L. Click to continue reading...

In a match that featured intense physical play, defensive dominance and a near-brawl, the Seattle Sounders drew 0-0 with the Houston Dynamo on Thursday night at Qwest Field. Seattle defender Patrick Ianni, a last-minute replacement in the starting lineup, came closest to scoring by hitting the crossbar, but the home side also needed a few clutch saves by Kasey Keller to salvage the draw.

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There was plenty of huffing and puffing in Seattle Thursday - here former Galaxy striker Nate Jaqua and Houston's Geoff Cameron challenge for the ball - but no-one blew anyone's house down in the scoreless draw. (AP Photo) The first game of the MLS playoffs are over and neither Chivas USA nor the Galaxy are any closer to knowing who the winner of their semifinal will face in the Western Conference Championship.

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So let's start the discussion. Here are some of my initial thoughts from tonight:
1. The Onstad Bump: After the game, Alexi Lalas showed the smarts that made him the GM he was when he said that Onstad should have gotten a red card for that contact. "99 times out of 100, that's a straight red," ranted his Gingerness. Click to continue reading...

The Major League Soccer playoffs began on Thursday, October 29, 2009 with the Seattle Sounders FC hosting the Houston Dynamo. It was a sold-out and very loud crowd of 36,000 at Qwest Field in Seattle for the match. Here's a full recap of the match along with video highlights.

Seattle Sounders FC draw with the Houston Dynamo 0-0 Video Highlights (will be added later)

1st Half

Houston had the first great chance of the match as Stuart Holden sent a corner into the box and Andrew Hainault headed the ball just wide of goal.

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The Seattle Sounders will make their MLS playoff debut tonight against the two-time MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the opening match of their Western Conference playoff series (10pm, ESPN2).

The Sounders are new to the playoffs as a club, but have plenty of experience across the board, from two-time MLS Cup-winning coach Sigi Schmid, to European soccer veterans Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.

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The Seattle Sounders will make their MLS playoff debut tonight against the two-time MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the opening match of their Western Conference playoff series (10pm, ESPN2).

The Sounders are new to the playoffs as a club, but have plenty of experience across the board, from two-time MLS Cup-winning coach Sigi Schmid, to European soccer veterans Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.

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Will Fredy Montero deliver?

Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo, Thursday, 29th October (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, Deportes)

Who is rooting for Seattle in the playoffs? C'mon Seattle! Today, Qwest Field sold out with 35,700 in attendance to watch the Sounders play the Houston Dynamo in the MLS playoffs.

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The Major League Soccer Playoffs start tonight with the Seattle Sounders FC hosting the Houston Dynamo. It will be the first playoff match for Seattle who's been very successful in their inaugural season. The match should be very competitive and feature two of the stronger teams in the league.

Seattle will be led by goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfiedler Freddie Ljungberg while Houston is led by Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

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Anybody casually tuning in to Major League Soccer's Week 32 action and teetering over the great lake of MLS fandom will have jumped right in. The final week of the regular season began with a cluster of teams fighting it out to take up the final three playoff spots. The results and their impact on the playoff bracket were hugely surprising and entirely unpredictable as slip-ups and upsets allowed an unfancied team to leap into the post-season from outside everyone's assumed candidates.

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Seattle Sounders midfielder Freddy Llungberg is Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for October. He had four assists as the expansion Sounders qualified for the MLS playoffs. Llungberg was the Player of the Week for Week 31. 2009 MLS Player of the Month Awards March: Fredy Montero – Seattle Sounders FC April: Brian McBride – Chicago Fire May: Conor Casey – Colorado Rapids June: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus Crew July: Landon Donovan –. Click to continue reading...

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

With apologies to the LA SuperClasico series, there is perhaps no MLS playoff series this year more intriguing and more tough to call than the Houston Dynamo-Seattle Sounders series.

The two-time MLS Cup champion Dynamo take on the expansion Sounders in a young rivalry that showed plenty of promise during the season.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

With apologies to the LA SuperClasico series, there is perhaps no MLS playoff series this year more intriguing and more tough to call than the Houston Dynamo-Seattle Sounders series.

The two-time MLS Cup champion Dynamo take on the expansion Sounders in a young rivalry that showed plenty of promise during the season.

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