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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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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I don't even want to talk about it.
Not cool, guys. 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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LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena has been name Major League Soccer Coach of the Year, beating out Sigi Schmid and Robert Warzycha. Arena wins the award for the second time, joining current US National...

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Here are a few links to get your day started...
The 'Players Only' section of the Chicago Tribune did a fun little piece with Fire midfielders John Thorrington and Logan Pause the other day. Thorrington interviewed Pause for the entry, asking Logan all sorts of things in rapid-fire format. Click to continue reading...

Goalkeeper of the year -- Nov. 4
Nominees: Kasey Keller (Seattle), Donovan Ricketts (L.A.), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)
Who will win: Thornton. Veteran might have put up his best year in the league.
Who should win: Thornton. This team overachieved and its MVP is the reason why.
Fair Play Finalists -- Nov. Click to continue reading...

Hot off the presses from the league front office. Major League Soccer has announced the finalists to their season ending awards today. Only a few shockers jump out at me here with these but I'll get to that in a moment.

Keeper of the Year (to be announced Nov. 4)
Kasey Keller, Seattle
Donovan Ricketts, Los Angeles
Zach Thornton, Chivas USA

Defender of the Year (Nov.

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This may seem like an odd departure during the Playoffs, but if the team does it why shouldn't we. Coach Schmid found a way to get his Reserves and Subs more playing time by getting together with the Seattle Wolves. He did this even while his senior side is smarting from the nil-nil [...] Click to continue reading...

Houston and Seattle played a classic match last night on national television. The unsporting Freddy Montero was unable to hand the physical pounding Dom Kinnear and the Houston defenders had in store for the much hyped, but little regarded (at least in Colombia) forward. Montero's solution: whine and go to ground easily.

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Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

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The regular season is done, over, finished or whatever other adjective you want to use. For the second straight season WVH got to participate in the league's media vote for the season awards. Voting is now over and I felt it was time to share my votes with you all.

I'll have to admit some awards were tougher to vote on than others but I tried to span the entire season's body of work as much as I could for these awards.

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The season is over and, after a wild weekend, we have our playoff teams. The first round of playoffs looks like this:

West

LA Galaxy vs Chivas USA

Houston Dynamo vs Seattle Sounders

East

Columbus Crew vs Real Salt Lake

New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire

Before we start previewing this first round of the playoffs, let's spend a moment looking back at how we got here:

For the last month, the MLS essentially had a single table, and it was great!

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That line is from Sigi Schmid, but I think it relates to so many of us after this first season. I know it personally feels that way. Last night, with all of the pomp, with the win, it was one of my favorite days of my young life that didn't involve family (yes, [...] Click to continue reading...

The Seattle Sounders shut down any hopes for the F.C. Dallas winning the Major League Soccer Cup this year by eliminating them from the playoffs. Saturday night's game at the Qwest Fields in Seattle was a saddening loss for Dallas when they let in two goals, ending the game 2-1.

Sigi Schmid waves to the fans, in a 3-0 Seattle Sounders victory over the New Your Red Bulls, Thursday, March 19, 2009.

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For most folks out there the Coach of the Year debate is a three person race. Depending on the how the final week goes we could include one or two others into the discussion.

Some coaches have lead their clubs from loads of draws early to the top of their conferences, one has lead an expansion club to the playoffs for the second time in league history, while others have just done what they always do.

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One week to go, and this is where we stand:

As the table stands now, this would be the playoff matchup –

WESTÂ

Los Angeles vs Seattle

Houston vs Chivas

EAST

Columbus vs  Colorado

Chicago vs Toronto

Remember, the first tie-breaker is head to head competition, not goal difference.

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Like many fans around the nation, Sounders Fans will be raising the number 9 in support. Tonight at viewing parties (including the George & Dragon Fundraiser with Sigi and Chris Henderson) during the 9th minute, as well as at the final home match v FC Dallas. The idea originated with the ECS, but they do [. Click to continue reading...

GBS misses a PK Gaven hits the post Marshall saves a certain goal Sure Alonso nearly scored as well (Or Montero could have slid that in after). But the fact is that the Crew had more opportunities and did not capitalize. Their moments of strength were stronger, and this was a match where luck, Tyrone Marshall [. Click to continue reading...

Ah, Columbus Ohio land of great sushi? While this is a home coming for Sigi, Ezra and Brad. It is also in ways a homecoming for myself. While I did not travel, I have some Ohio roots, but more importantly my MLS roots are with the Crew and Brian McBride. During MLS [...] Click to continue reading...

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Sigi Schmid makes his return to Columbus this weekend in one of the biggest storylines heading into MLS Week 29.

Schmid and his Seattle Sounders head to Crew Stadium to take on the red-hot Columbus Crew in Schmid's first visit since guiding Columbus to the 2008 MLS Cup title and leaving to take the Seattle job.

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Sigi Schmid makes his return to Columbus this weekend in one of the biggest storylines heading into MLS Week 29.

Schmid and his Seattle Sounders head to Crew Stadium to take on the red-hot Columbus Crew in Schmid's first visit since guiding Columbus to the 2008 MLS Cup title and leaving to take the Seattle job.

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Last week, I discussed the decline in beat reporting on American sports, which is hitting the less popular sports leagues such as Major League Soccer particularly hard. My particular example came from the city I know best, Chicago, where we've seen the major daily here cut its beat reporter for the Fire this year and replace him with an enthusiastic but inexperienced blogger, whose work rarely makes the print edition.

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Week 26, and Columbus Crew have finally reached the summit. DC United had a mixed week, while LA Galaxy and New England Revolution stumbled unexpectedly.
The action got underway on Wednesday. DC United hosted Kansas City Wizards and picked up a slightly fortunate 1-0 win courtesy of Luciano Emilio, who found an empty net after a Chris Pontius header had beaten Kevin Hartman but cannoned off the post. Click to continue reading...

Sure, it feels like we've all been here before, maybe because of that great US Open Cup Win! But it is not Groundhog Day. This is a league match against an opponent that is ahead of the Sounders on the current table and are now pacing for 5th and 45 points. A win would also [...] Click to continue reading...

Next year the Sounders will compete for four major trophies Supporters Shield (30 regular season games), MLS Cup (30 + 4 Playoffs), US Open Cup (up to 6) and the CONCACAF Champions League (up to 14). There will be significant issues with balancing the roster and lineups for this run. The depth of MLS [. Click to continue reading...

DC United proudly display the word "tradition" on their back collars. There isn't another MLS club that could do so. They have earned it. There was an idea that they carry 12 trophies means that they deserve the 13th and that expansion franchises will never deserve respect propagated on the net, somewhat [. Click to continue reading...

¡La Noche de Copa... Campeones! SIMMS 89´                           MONTERO 67´ WICKS-Tarjeta Roja 69´               [...] Click to continue reading...

Remember back in the giddy days? The days of 4-2-0 and 12 points in six? The days of Nine Goals in 6, only 3 sacrificed and none of those by Keller! Remember the days when the Supporter Shield was a goal, and not a dream? Remember the days of Sigi's Game, that nice [...] Click to continue reading...

Seattle is teetering now on the brink. As of this writing both DC and Salt Lake are winning as away teams and earning points that will change the outlook of the playoffs. Sure, this technically wasn't a must win, but there are now only 6 points available at home. This was as important a [...] Click to continue reading...

Let's test something this week. Sounders FC has a recent (last 5) form of 0-4-1 (0/8) and Houston has a 2-2-1 (7/7) form in the same stretch of league play. Recent form would make you think that Houston is a mid-table team and Sounders a bottom of the barrel expansion club. Recent form would be [... Click to continue reading...

Below coaches Bruce Arena of the LA Galaxy and Sigi Schmid of the Seattle Sounders FC discuss their post-match thoughts on Donovan, cards, and playing in LA. Apparently, Bruce Arena thought the red card on Beckham was appropriate but the rest of the cards were not.
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This is something that people have been asking me offline and via email "What is a Rotational player?" It made so much sense to me that I have answered it on a one off basis, but the question has come up often enough that I feel it is time to answer it here. As a [...] Click to continue reading...

I didn't expect to write anything from the Barcelona match. It was a friendly, which to me screams exhibition with a bigger price tag. But I think we actually learned a little bit about the Sounders and Sigi last night. Sure the crowd set a record, sure we saw Lionel Messi work his magic, [...] Click to continue reading...

If you need a penalty kick converted to win a tournament there aren't many players you would rather have standing at the spot than Alessandro Del Piero. The World Cup winner and Juventus legend figured to have the edge when he faced off against Aston Villa goalkeeper and U.S. International Brad Guzan with one kick to make to secure a Peace Cup title.

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