Dear Seattle, it's been quite a year for you all up there. After all, an expansion team is not supposed to do what you all did. I have to give you "props' big-time! Seriously, out of the box the Seattle fans came out and supported a well-designed and well-staffed team, hammering all MLS attendance records.

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Colorado Caribous 1978 jersey. Can't wait to see this brought back!

"Party Like It's 1979″, says the usually stone cold sober Kenn Tomasch. "The future of American soccer appears to be the past of American soccer."

Kenn writes this because news broke today that the breakaway second-tier league made-up of nine former USL and new clubs may use the North American Soccer League name for itself, after Miami FC put in two trademark claims.

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We can't imagine Fredy Montero will be left exposed, who will join him in the protected list? (Getty Images)

Only a couple more clubs left to preview here for the expansion draft. Now we turn our attention to a previous expansion club, one that has set the standard for all expansion clubs to come, the Seattle Sounders FC.

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Will San Jose lose one of their players in the expansion draft? (Getty Images)

Today is the final day in our expansion draft coverage/speculation/etc. as we look at three clubs. First up this morning is the San Jose Earthquakes. Later on today I will have Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC to round out the lists.

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Yesterday, MLS released the rules for next week's expansion draft to help Philadelphia select their first 10 players. We must turn in our list of protected players Monday at 2 p.m. CT. Who do you think will make the list? Who would you protect?
Last season we lost Tyson Wahl to Seattle. The list of all players we have lost in expansion drafts is shown below. Click to continue reading...

There were some around the Sounders message boards and blogs that thought I underrated the USL players. At the end of the year though, none were starters. But one fell from being a starter (though likely just due to the health of other players) and another worked his way up from token nod to the past to becoming a key player on the club during the last third of the season.

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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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Nine months, 456 matches, and controversy aplenty. And it all comes down to to one game, one high-octane head-to-head for the title.

The fourteenth season of Major League Soccer is nearing its end and, while Seattle Sounders have skewed an otherwise worrying attendance picture, the action on the field has impressed.

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Next week, the Philadelphia Union will have their pick of the current MLS teams' unprotected roster players, today we learned the rules that those teams will use to choose the players that they will protect. The rules are very similar to the rules that were used last year for the Seattle Sounders FC draft. Click to continue reading...

-According to the Dynamo, Ricardo Clark, whose contract expires next month, has no intention to re-sign with Major League Soccer as he pursues opportunities abroad.

-Brian Ching underwent surgery Tuesday to address a meniscus tear in his left knee. He suffered the injury in Game 1 of the series against Seattle Sounders FC but is expected to make a full recovery during the offseason.

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Major League Soccer announced its all-star team today and a certain England midfielder was missing from the lineup.

The MLS all-stars (Best XI) are chosen by the media, MLS players, MLS coaches and general managers.

Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton earned his second career Best XI nod.

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How does this look for a best XI lineup. Â This is the group that was named to the MLS best XI for this 2009 season. Â Only a single player from the best XI will be represented in the MLS Cup this Sunday. Â That is of course Landon Donovan US player of the decade.

Conor Casey Jeff Cunningham

Dwayne De Rosario Landon Donovan Stuart Holden Shalrie Joseph Freddie Ljungberg

Geoff Cameron Wilman Conde Chad Marshall

Zach Thornton

So what do you think, is this a good lineup?

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Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber appears ready for a work stoppage, should talks with the players' union not lead to a new deal by the Jan. 31 deadline. Speaking on a conference call with reporters Nov. 16 as part of his annual State of the League address, Garber said the league was not willing to yield on any of the principles that it felt had driven its growth the past 14 years.

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Press release from the Rapids today. Good to see further recognition of Casey's talents. Does anybody else think that having only three defenders nominated is a bit weird?
MLS Commissioner Don Garber today announced that Colorado Rapids forward Conor Casey has been named to the 2009 MLS Best XI during his annual State of the League address. Click to continue reading...

Union Home Kit.

Things are coming along very nicely in Chester, PA currently for Major League Soccer's newest expansion club. Since my last update back in September, the stadium has come on leaps and bounds with being close to 50% complete, open tryouts in New Jersey have just taken place, the home kit has just been shown to the public officially with the jerseys making their way to retail stores by the end of this week and the first three opponents of the Union have been announced.

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MLS Cup 2009

vs

Real Salt Lake (#4 East) vs LA Galaxy (#1 West)

The semi-final tonight between Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire was a wild one. Â Some people might say 120 minutes with no scoring is a boring game but this was far from boring.

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GBS helped lead the Crew to a second straight Supporter's Shield trophy. (Getty Images)

We all expected big things in 2009 for the Columbus Crew. Anytime you win a MLS Cup and retain the bulk of a lineup that got you that title you expect to repeat or come extremely close to do so. As we saw last week the Crew fell short of that this year as they lost to Real Salt Lake at home in the semi-finals of the eastern conference.

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The former Wizards season in MLS continues to wind down and while there weren't a lot of goals this week by players, there was some news involving former Wizards. First I've added two new players to the list, as the Jermaine Hue and the Jamaican league started up a little bit ago. And the Wizards 4th round draft pick this past year, Akeem Priestly is now playing in the top division in Azerbaijan. Click to continue reading...

Freddie Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso were huge additions to Seattle and to MLS this year. (Getty Images)

Everyone knew going into the 2009 season that the new kids on the block would make a splash. Just the kind of splash the league needed in some folks eyes. The Seattle Sounders FC came into the year not as a typical expansion club.

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Galaxy Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Arena, ably assisted by Assistant Head Coach Dave Sarachan, revitalized the fortunes of the once-moribund Galaxy this season and has the team in the Western Conference Final against the Houston Dynamo at 8 p.m. Friday at Home Depot Center.

And deservedly so after leading the Galaxy from worst to first in MLS and adding a second MLS Coach of the Year honor a dozen years after first claiming the award with D.

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- Photo by Nigel Brooks
On Sunday November 8th, a crowd of over 27,000 football fans watched the Houston Dynamo battle Seattle Sounders F.C. to a 1-0 victory, giving the Dynamo their first playoff victory since winning the MLS Cup in 2007. The goal came from Dynamo's Brian Ching in the 6th minute of extra-time. Click to continue reading...

The season has got to end sometime. And for the Seattle Sounders, the script could have had a better ending on a dream season -- one that would have culminated hoisting the MLS Cup in front of the Sounders faithful at Qwest Field on November 22. Unfortunately for the Emerald City, it was not to be, as Brian Ching and the Houston Dynamo had other plans.

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The MLS playoffs resume on Friday with the Western Conference final, but the playoffs are already over for the four teams eliminated this past weekend. How those teams respond to their first-round exits, and how they deal with very important off-seasons, will determine if they are back in the post-season in 2010.

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The MLS playoffs resume on Friday with the Western Conference final, but the playoffs are already over for the four teams eliminated this past weekend. How those teams respond to their first-round exits, and how they deal with very important off-seasons, will determine if they are back in the post-season in 2010.

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Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero won the Newcomer of the Year award and Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton won the Comeback Player of the Year Major League Soccer announced on Monday. Thornton also won the Goalkeeper of the Year award. MLS Newcomer of the Year Winners 2009: Fredy Montero – Seattle Sounders FC 2008: Darren Huckerby – San Jose Earthquakes 2007: Luciano Emilio – DC United MLS Comeback Player of the Year Winners 2009: Zach. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

In one of the easier results to see coming, Seattle Sounders striker Fredy Montero was named MLS Newcomer of the Year. He beat out Sounders teammates Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg for the honor.

Montero scored 12 goals and added seven assists in helping lead the Sounders to the playoffs.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

In one of the easier results to see coming, Seattle Sounders striker Fredy Montero was named MLS Newcomer of the Year. He beat out Sounders teammates Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg for the honor.

Montero scored 12 goals and added seven assists in helping lead the Sounders to the playoffs.

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Wow, great strike! Loved this announcers!

JM

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After Real Salt Lake's stunning upset of Supporters' Shield winner and defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew Thursday, the favorites prevailed in all other playoff matchups over the weekend. It took overtime before Brian Ching's inspired effort broke a scoreless deadlock and put the Houston Dynamo past the pesky Seattle Sounders in Sunday's first game.

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Seattle Sounders FC v. Houston Dynamo
As Kevin Calabro might say, the magic-carpet ride is over. The inaugural season for the Sounders FC is over after an overtime strike by Brian Ching gave the Dynamo a 1-0 aggregate win.
Can't say Seattle didn't turn heads in their first year. Click to continue reading...

Galaxy 1 Chivas USA 0

Game story

The Houston Dynamo are up next at 8 p.m. Friday in the Western Conference Championship. (live ESPN2).

Notable: This will be the first ever postseason meeting between the Galaxy and Dynamo (the former Earthquakes, of course), which advanced to the Conference Championship today with a 1-0 aggregate goal series win over the Seattle Sounders.

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Sure, it was a loss. It doesn't feel good. About 100 people traveled, and they are hurt just a bit more maybe. It was a performance that could not be called a good loss. Seattle Sounders FC was outplayed in nearly every aspect of the match. If not for Leo Gonzalez and Kasey Keller this could have been a 5 to nil thrashing.

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The two remaining MLS Conference Semifinal series were decided today, with the Houston Dynamo and the L.A. Galaxy earning their places in the Western Conference Final. The teams booked their tickets to the final -- which will be played next Friday at the Home Depot Center -- courtesy of two 1-0 victories.

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The 2009 MLS regular season saw overall average attendance drop to an average of 16,037. Down from last years 16,459. It did, though, see a new record for attendance set by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC, who averaged 30,897 over the course of the season. Here are the averages of all the teams in the league this year. Click to continue reading...

Landon Donovan's second-half penalty kick proved to be the difference as the Los Angeles Galaxy edged Chivas USA, 1-0, on Sunday to take the series by a goal.

Mike Magee drew the vital penalty when he ran onto a Donovan pass before being crashed into by Chivas USA defender Yamith Cuesta.

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