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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Qwest Field in Seattle will be rompin' and stompin' Sunday. Could it be this way at MLS Cup more often ...?

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How would everybody feel about a championship match at the site of the highest seeded team involved?

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Now we start entering the realm of players with playing time. Of guys that may have value to other clubs in trade, and quite possibly seeing the guy that Philadelphia takes in the Expansion Draft later this month. This collection of players are in two sets.

The first set are two USL Sounders, and the second two players are young talents with promise, but who have lacked the playing time to showcase their reputations in competitive matches.

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Took some time this weekend and added tags to the blog. So now you can look for articles by topic as opposed to just searching or looking by time frame. It should make it easier to find some topics and see what I write about the most. I hope to finally get my act together with tags moving forward. Click to continue reading...

Here, let me help all of you with my short interview with the Creeper today:

On the Sounders FC inaugural season . . .
"Obviously at the end of the day when you look at the whole thing it was a pretty special year.

I made a lot of money.

It was a special year from the standpoint of what went on in Seattle in terms of the fans, the enthusiasm, the connection to the sport, the unique atmosphere that got created on a game and game basis and I think it was a special year for our team.

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Lots of fallout from the tragic Robert Enke suicide. Here were the main stories from yesterday.
The guy was depressed, he left a good-bye note and Germany called off its friendly with Chile.
Oh and Goal.com caught up with Clint Mathis, an ex-teammate of the goalkeeper.
Now the links:

• Soccer violence extends to college men now.

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In case you didn't know, or hadn't read, the L.A. Galaxy have been a bit of a mess in the last couple years.
No longer.
Ex-USMNT coach Bruce Arena took over the job in August last year and given one full season he's turned them from a laughing stock to a title contender. For that reason, he's MLS coach of the year. Click to continue reading...

Thanks to Sports Media Watch for this nugget:

ESPN2 averaged a 0.2 U.S. rating and 254,000 viewers for its first two MLS Playoff telecasts. In particular, Dynamo/Sounders on October 29 drew a 0.2 and 274,000, while Galaxy/Chivas USA on November 1 drew a 0.1 and 233,000.

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These are the young gentleman who saw time against Chelsea and Barcelona, and sparse minutes during the Open Cup, but did not see time in league play. Impressions of these players are strongest for those that have the opportunity to see practice, or have talked to those that have. As Developmental Players their small contracts don't count against the cap, but they also tend to have second jobs as well.

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The Conference Championships are now upon us, and I must say: "Could we have asked for anything more?" After all, these two games have more storylines than a Tarantino film (and they could end up being as violent). But, before I further tease this week's monumental matchups, I want to first take a look back at last week's amazing results.

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Many who read this blog know me personally. They know my past, my passions and my current job. Those that don't might not understand that the reason that I will be working on arrangements for the Supporters Summit, and contacting people in the TOA, the USL and MLS concerning the drama of pro-soccer in North America is because I don't work on Veteran's Day.

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1. Sounders FC get champions welcome -- via Jose's blog.
2. Arsenal mascot dudes? -- via ??? Russian static diary?
3. Dynamo dancer girl (Ana Faris) -- via The Original Winger
4. Owner in a bear suit? -- via Dirty Tackle
5. Is this guy a giant? Click to continue reading...

It happened right in front of me, and by the lack of reaction on Keller's face it took me a sec to even realize what had happened!
If you check the highlights page on the Dynamo site, you get the Telefutura call ("QUE GOLAZO!!") and then the Dynamo radio call, with James Clarkson yelling so loud I think it knocked them off the air for a second or two. Click to continue reading...

Weekend brought some good stuff.

• First off, Chelsea had it's transfer ban suspended.
  
• Totti re-signs with Roma.
  
• Liverpool stars not for sale.
  
• Aguero price too steep for the Blues.
  
• Foreign-player market declining?
  
• Dilly Duka to sign with MLS.

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Pat Onstad deserves a medal. Keeping two own goals out. The second one was a sequence of goal line saves in the 42nd minute as Freddie Ljungberg's free kick was helped along by Ricardo Clark with Onstad backpedaling to parry it out before it crossed the goal line and then falling down to bat the ball away from Fredy Montero's opportunistic foot.

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The playoff numbers look like this...

5 year comparison Conference Semifinals 1st Leg  Avg +/- Home Teams  2005  12,147 NA  Chicago  NY  Colorado  Los Angeles  2006  9,533  -21.52%  Chicago  NY  Colorado  Chivas USA  2007  14,245  49. Click to continue reading...

The Houston Dynamo will look to take a step closer to a third MLS Cup title in four years today when it hosts the Sounders in Game Two of their Western Conference first-round series (3pm, Telefutura).

The Dynamo held off Seattle's dangerous attack in Game One, posting a scoreless draw in a sold-out Qwest field.

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So again, we take a look at the Orange Crystal Ball moving from the unidextrous to bidextrous results.
The first weekend, I have to say, was more than a little strange. From the sublime of the Dynamo/Seattle match to the ridiculous of Warzycha sitting Moreno AND Schelotto to the utterly predictable of a Steve Nicol-team being Lucy to the Chicago Fire's Charlie Brown to the completely surreal of the HDClasico draw. Click to continue reading...

I turn my back for one minute and Creepy Jose Romero turns into a 14-year-old dick. On Houston selling lots of tickets for the weekend:

No Sounders FC practice today, but thanks to the Dynamo press crew that really does a nice job, I've learned that Houston's home field is down to upper level end zone and sideline seats.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Four matches, zero wins and four tough tasks to accomplish heading into the second set of first-round MLS playoff games. That is the reality facing the top four seeds in the MLS playoffs as they return home to host game two of their respective series.

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More than a week has passed since the end of the Toronto FC season and it honestly still hurts. It is heart wrenching to have hope and faith in your team so deeply shaken. To go into a game hoping for the best and to have the all time worst handed to them, I am still recovering from the shock. Click to continue reading...

The first leg of the MLS Playoffs Conference Semifinals occurred over the last week, and the games proved to be worth the long wait. While some international players and foreign fans may not understand the need for playoffs, the excitement this year's games have provided so far could very well make them all converts.

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Dear Mr. Goodell,

What has been witnessed all season long at Qwest Field in Seattle is the potential of professional Soccer in the U.S. Interestingly, it has all taken place at a football stadium. Who would have ever guessed, 14 years in, that MLS would make its biggest impact in a football stadium.

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Columbus needs a big game from Robbie Rogers at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Getty Images)

While last night's game in Seattle got the playoffs started with a 0-0 bang, the rest of the playoff clubs get ready to join the Dynamo and Sounders in the fun. One series kicks off tomorrow night while the other two wait it out for Sunday.

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I've also been meaning to put in my own take on the 2009 MLS regular season attendance numbers. Tom over at PI looks at the issue in terms of expansion teams versus older clubs, but I'm not sure that's a complete analysis. This won't be either, but here's a few brief points:
1) Outside Seattle, no team saw more than a 1% increase in attendance - except San Jose because of the Barcelona double header. Click to continue reading...

Halloween is a spooky holiday. Born out of Celtic pagan traditions and All Saints Day, Halloween has become perhaps the most secular holiday in the US (even more so than two of my favorite "Saints" holidays, Valentine's and Patrick's). Thus, as the picture to the left displays, it has become yet another excuse for the young women of the US to dress like whores.

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Major League Soccer's playoffs begin tonight -- in less than ten minutes, as a matter of fact -- with the Sounders hosting Houston Dynamo, or Dynamo Houston. Here are the other matchups: East: Columbus vs. Real Salt Lake Chicago vs. New England West: LA Galaxy vs. Chivas USA When I look at the playoff matchups, any of the eight teams can appear at MLS Cup next month, and it's possible to see a path to a league championship for all eight sides. Click to continue reading...

By Graig Carbino - ALBANY, NY (Oct 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- It's that time of year again. The leaves are falling along with the temperature, the holiday season is right around the corner, and the Major League Soccer playoffs are about to begin. Big match-night one takes place in Seattle this evening, and what better stage for the first game of the 2009 playoffs? Click to continue reading...

Great Scott! It's me, Marty, Doc Brown, and I am again back...

From the future!

If my calculations are correct, when the MLS Playoffs start soon, you are gonna see some serious shit. Eight teams have qualified for the Big "Enchantment Under The Sea" Dance, but some will soon be fading from the playoff picture.

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World Series? Hey, you pre-empt "Glee," you're dead to me.
AND NOW...THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER 2009 REGULAR SEASON - A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
Well, that happened.
THIS HAS BEEN THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER REGULAR SEASON
AND NOW, THE COMPREHENSIVE 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER PLAYOFFS PREVIEW
Dunno. Click to continue reading...

   Photo by ISIphotos.com

The 2009 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award was far from an easy one to vote for, with the only clear aspect of the voting being that it should probably go to a keeper from the Western Conference.

Kasey Keller looked like he might run away with the award early in the season, but neither he or the Sounders could keep up that early pace.

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In an effort to get even further hyped up, to meet more of the people who voted me onto the Council and just enjoy good beer I will be hanging out at Elysian Fields on Thursday. Probably from about 3:30PM until prior to kickoff, or so.

I'm inviting coworkers, people from the 214 and readers of the blog.

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I haven't done interviews for a while. My full time job had been at its peak, but now with a slight tailing off and the Sounders in the Playoffs I hope to get you a few interviews. First up is Steve Zakuani. Rookie of the Year candidate, fan favorite and a threat along that [...] Click to continue reading...

I haven't done interviews for a while. My full time job had been at its peak, but now with a slight tailing off and the Sounders in the Playoffs I hope to get you a few interviews.

First up is Steve Zakuani. Rookie of the Year candidate, fan favorite and a threat along that left side. We talked via phone and any errors in the conversation are due to my efforts at transcription.

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On a night that the Sounders FC organization honored their record-breaking fans, the team on the field gave the crowd something to appreciate.
The Sounders beat FC Dallas 2-1 on second-half goals by Nate Jaqua and Brad Evans Saturday night, terminating the playoff dreams of the Texas team in the last match of the regular season. Click to continue reading...