FanHouse

Seattle the Real Star of MLS Cup

Brian Straus — 2009-11-25T13:30:00 00:00

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- If the scene occurred in Buenos Aires, London or Istanbul, it would prompt the sort of story you told your friends back home when you wanted to make a point about the difference in passion between foreign and American sports fans, or about soccer's unique ability to unite and galvanize people.

Except it occurred here, in the United States, in a city that has embraced the world's game with a colorful fervor that left an impact on everyone who attended Sunday's MLS Cup final. Fans in Seattle have set a standard that even the visiting supporters worked hard to match (see Real Salt Lake's effort above) and definitely have earned the right to hold their "No Equal" scarves aloft.

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Don Garber on Montreal, Beckham Ownership, New MLS Cup Format

Brian Straus — 2009-11-24T12:10:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- David Beckham could be an MLS owner in 2012 and the league is considering letting the higher-seeded finalist host MLS Cup as early as next year, Commissioner Don Garber said at halftime of Sunday evening's championship game at Qwest Field. Meeting with journalists, including FanHouse, during what he called "a very memorable night for soccer in America," Garber touched on those issues, the designated player rule, expansion and more. Take a look at his comments after the jump.

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Real Salt Lake Proves Its Worth

Brian Straus — 2009-11-23T13:20:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE - Major League Soccer's new champion lost more games than it won during an up-and-down regular season that featured a winless May, a winless September and just two victories on the road. In 240 minutes of play in the MLS Cup semifinal and final, it managed to score just one goal.

Yet Sunday night at Qwest Field, Real Salt Lake confidently proclaimed it was a deserving winner. And nobody really was arguing with them. Despite the unflattering statistics and the absence of the kind of star power that filled the Los Angeles Galaxy's somber locker room down the hall, RSL managed to convert the nonbelievers with an uncanny ability to dictate the flow of their playoff games regardless of the obstacles. Sunday night was the biggest test, and best example, of them all.

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Real Salt Lake Beats the Odds Again, Wins MLS Cup on Penalties

Brian Straus — 2009-11-22T23:02:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- Real Salt Lake's playmaker, Javier Morales, was lost in the 22nd minute, the victim of a hard tackle from David Beckham. Nineteen minutes later, Beckham and Landon Donovan combined to create a goal by midfielder Mike Magee that put the favored Los Angeles Galaxy ahead. It was hard to imagine then that there was any way the upstarts from Salt Lake City could find their way back into Sunday night's MLS Cup final.

But Morales' replacement, American soccer's prodigal son, Clint Mathis, and striker Robbie Findley led the way. Real Salt Lake has been beating the odds for more than a month now, qualifying for the postseason on the final weekend despite an 11-12-7 record and defeating two heavily-favored playoff opponents on the road. On Sunday they again made the impossible possible, tying the game at 1-1 on a second-half goal by Findley and riding goalie Nick Rimando and Donovan's stunning miss to a 5-4 win in the penalty kick shootout.

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Real Salt Lake Seeks Upset Ending

Brian Straus — 2009-11-22T07:14:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- If David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the Los Angeles Galaxy are the focus of this Sunday's MLS Cup final (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET), then Real Salt Lake is the afterthought. The relatively anonymous, five-year-old club from the nation's 49th-most populous metro area could not be more different than the star-studded team whose presence forced organizers to release several thousand more tickets to fill the increased demand.

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The Supporters Sing, MLS Listens

Brian Straus — 2009-11-21T15:35:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- It's common knowledge that soccer fans are a bit of a different breed. They care less about comfort and more about spectacle. The sight of a whole section of supporters singing, waiving enormous flags and lighting flares would be shocking at Yankee Stadium or Heinz Field, yet it's expected at soccer venues around the world and is becoming relatively common in MLS. That passion also affects change -- executives know it's not a good idea to upset these people.

More so than any other American sports league, MLS has embraced that relationship. While fans elsewhere struggle with nonsense like the BCS, personal seat licenses and Daniel Snyder, MLS supporters have driven the league's evolution (speaking out against gimmicks like the shootout), have worked directly with clubs on ticketing and marketing and enjoy an annual audience with the commissioner that is unimaginable in any other league.

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Donovan, Beckham: From Rivals to BFFs

Brian Straus — 2009-11-21T11:17:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- Landon Donovan's MLS goal of the year was remarkable on two levels. First, the curling volley was an incredible strike, with a beyond-the-post bend reminiscent of Roberto Carlos' famous free kick against France 12 years ago. Second, it was David Beckham who was the first to jump into Donovan's arms.

The feud and reconciliation between the league's two most recognizable players has been the story of the 2009 season, and there can be little question that the Los Angeles Galaxy would not be here for Sunday's MLS Cup final had the pair failed to resolve the differences that became public over the summer. Beckham's genuine excitement over Donovan's goal, and the club's run to the final, are clear indications that the two are on the same page. On Friday, FanHouse had the opportunity to ask them how they did it.

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Beckham Demonstrates Commitment

Brian Straus — 2009-11-20T21:30:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- David Beckham continues to claim he's committed to both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer, and on Friday afternoon seemed to back that up with a promise to play in Sunday's MLS Cup final despite pain in his foot that will require pre-game injections, to return to the team following next summer's World Cup and even to involve himself in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the players and MLS owners.

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A Decade Later, RSL's Clint Mathis Seeks Return to Glory

Brian Straus — 2009-11-20T15:38:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE - Remember Clint Mathis? He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2002 behind the headline "America's Best." He played in the World Cup that year sporting an awesome mohawk, and scored that critical (and technically impressive) goal against South Korea that kept the U.S. national team alive for a second round berth. He also scored five goals in one game for New York, conjured this Maradona-esque effort against Dallas and for a couple of years, thanks to his skill and ability to produce the spectacular, was considered a huge part of American soccer's future.

Then it all just unraveled. A knee injury, a row with his coach at Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga and a less-than-disciplined lifestyle reduced Mathis to an afterthought. He returned to MLS in 2005, played for four clubs in four anonymous years then went to Greece. Real Salt Lake brought him aboard 15 months ago and now, 10 years after playing in an MLS Cup final as a rising star for Los Angeles, his odyssey has returned him to American soccer's biggest stage.

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Donovan's MLS Resume Nearly Complete With MVP Nod

Brian Straus — 2009-11-19T17:58:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

SEATTLE -- Surely Landon Donovan is now just 90 minutes away from tying up just about every loose end remaining in his Major League Soccer career. He is the player of the decade, but before Thursday never had been named player of the year. Perhaps a victim of his own consistency, Donovan raised the bar in 2009. He brought his fractured team together and captained the club to first place in the Western Conference, tallying 12 goals and six assists.

It is slightly ironic, however, that Donovan was not here in Seattle to accept the award. The Galaxy were not scheduled to arrive until later in the day, meaning the player who has been the real face of American soccer for the past nine years was unavailable to smile for the cameras. It is something the league may have to get used to. Rumors of a winter transfer have been circulating for months, and if Los Angeles completes its climb from the basement to the MLS Cup penthouse on Sunday, Donovan certainly has nothing left to prove.

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Real Salt Lake Crashes MLS Cup Party

Brian Straus — 2009-11-14T23:32:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

For those who think the MLS Cup playoffs are too brief, the four teams involved in this weekend's semifinals (along with Southern California Edison) did their best to draw them out as long as possible.

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Months of Work Come Down to 90 Minutes in MLS Cup Semifinals

Brian Straus — 2009-11-13T11:10:00 00:00

by Brian StrausIt took 225 games played over seven months to separate the eight MLS Cup playoff teams from the seven also rans. Then, with just 10 additional matches, the league determines which two teams will play for the title. To call that a sprint would be an understatement. It's a hiccup, an almost random exercise that offers scant reward to the clubs that demonstrate consistency over the long-haul.

But those are the rules for now, and the league and ESPN undoubtedly are hoping silently that this weekend's roll of the dice sends the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chicago Fire to the Nov. 22 final in Seattle. Beckham v. Blanco. Donovan v. McBride. The markets are large and the subplots compelling. In the way stands the two-time champion Houston Dynamo, who simply don't yield goals, and a relatively anonymous Real Salt Lake side that may have figured something out about MLS's curious competition format.

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USL Split Could Benefit MLS

Brian Straus — 2009-11-11T15:15:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

The rumbling that has been shaking the base of the American soccer pyramid since United Soccer Leagues was sold to an Atlanta-based group in August finally has split it in two. On Tuesday, the 'Team Owners Association', a consortium comprised of several existing and potential clubs, announced their secession from the league that has controlled this country's second and third divisions for a dozen years.

But with TOA ringleaders in Montreal and Vancouver eyeing MLS, it makes sense to question how a new minor league (which already has applied for Division II status with the U.S. Soccer Federation), is going to work. The answer, according to sources and a bit of common sense, may be to serve as the true feeder system that MLS has never really had.

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Charlie Davies Leaves D.C. Hospital

Brian Straus — 2009-11-10T23:30:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: U.S. Men's National Team

One month after a late-night car accident that killed a young woman and shattered his World Cup dreams, U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies was released from a Washington D.C. hospital Tuesday. The 23-year-old said he's committed to returning to the field, although his doctor said the forward has a long road ahead.

"I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has dealt with me in the [Washington] Hospital Center and [National Rehabilitation Hospital] for really putting in the time to help me get better as a person and as an athlete," Davies said in a statement. "I continue to improve every day and I look forward to getting back on my feet and attacking rehabilitation. Thank you for everyone's support, it really means a lot to me."

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Mercurial Cunningham Returns to Nats

Brian Straus — 2009-11-09T12:21:00 00:00

by Brian StrausWith the Major League Soccer playoffs quickly hurtling toward their climax and with David Beckham, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and several key Americans still involved, the U.S. national team will have to take a rare spin in the back seat as it prepares for upcoming friendlies in Slovakia (Nov. 14) and Denmark (Nov. 18).

It's always interesting to see how the national team fares on foreign soil, and while the opponents may not be household names, they are bound for South Africa. But with the World Cup still seven months away and with the spotlight on the MLS Cup pursuit of BFFs Becks and Landon Donovan, what makes the upcoming friendlies worth following? Two words and 17 goals: Jeff Cunningham.

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MLS Playoffs: Preparing for the Quarterfinal Climax

Brian Straus — 2009-11-04T14:41:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

David Beckham will spend the spring in Milan and Tom Soehn preemptively dumped Kevin Payne and D.C. United. The timing on each announcement may have been a bit surprising, but the end result certainly was not. So with those issues out of the way, it's time to focus on the second legs of the MLS Cup quarterfinals, and what we learned last week that may have been a little less inevitable.

The most intriguing developments certainly occurred in Utah, where Real Salt Lake's 1-0 defeat of Columbus left the champion Crew with 90 minutes to save their season and raised serious questions about coach Robert Warzycha's sanity.

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Consistent Columbus, Distracted Chicago Face Challenges in MLS East

Brian Straus — 2009-10-30T14:54:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

Leave it to deceptive diva Cuauhtemoc Blanco (right) to steal a bit of the spotlight from the Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo, who opened the MLS Cup playoffs Thursday night in an ill-tempered 0-0 game that, unfortunately, did not feature finishing worthy of the atmosphere or occasion.

As Seattle and Houston were battling at Qwest Field, news broke that the Fire's playmaker had abandoned his "hope" of another season in Chicago and opted instead to spend next spring with Veracruz, the third-placed club in Mexico's second division. The episode marks yet another hurdle for a Fire team that was the league's preseason favorite and will serve an additional subplot in its annual postseason confrontation with the New England Revolution. In the other Eastern Conference semi, the Columbus Crew will begin their title defense against hard-to-read Real Salt Lake. Here is a short preview:

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MLS West Features Marquee Matchups

Brian Straus — 2009-10-29T14:00:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

Four clubs separated by just three points in the standings, Seattle's raucous crowd, Houston's thirst for redemption, the league's only genuine derby and the first postseason appearance by David Beckham: They add up to produce the most compelling quarterfinal quartet in MLS history. The Western Conference playoffs begin Thursday night as Houston visits Seattle (10PM ET, ESPN2) in the first game of their two-game, total goals series. The Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA kick off their Southern California Superclasico on Sunday. Here is a short preview:

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MLS Right to Stand by Its Playoffs

Brian Straus — 2009-10-27T13:55:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS

Watching MLS Commissioner Don Garber try to answer questions about the league's competition format on Monday night's Fox Football Fone-in felt like watching an art teacher give painting lessons to the color blind.

To his credit, Garber maintained his composure as hosts Nick Webster and Eric Wynalda and a few inarticulate callers threw out terms like "single table" and "European calendar" without ever explaining what it was they were after. Every year at this time, MLS faces cliched criticism from "hard core" fans who insist "our" league should be just like those in Europe, without ever explaining how or why. The truth, however, is this (and Garber knows it): Playoffs are the fairest and most exciting way to determine a champion, and this year's MLS Cup tournament promises to be one of the most balanced in some time.

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Endless Playoff Possibilities Promise Intriguing MLS Conclusion

Brian Straus — 2009-10-22T15:14:00 00:00

by Brian Straus

Filed under: MLS, US Soccer

Maurice Edu made news not for playing, but for running across a couple of racist idiots in Glasgow. The Houston Dynamo lost to previously winless and goalless Isidro Metapan on Wednesday night and was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League. Oguchi Onyewu had surgery on his torn left patella tendon and will be out an estimated six months--50 percent longer than originally thought.

Thankfully, a lousy week for American soccer is about to get better. On Thursday night, the Chicago Fire will host Chivas USA (8PM ET, ESPN2) in the first of a half-dozen games that will impact the MLS playoff picture. The competition for postseason spots is unprecedented, with seven clubs vying for three berths on the final weekend. We'll save the criticism of the league's ridiculous playoff format for another time, and instead will enjoy the fact that with 14 relatively even-matched teams (and New York), MLS at last has produced a meaningful regular season.

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