Major League Soccer

playoff teams:

LA Galaxy
Real Salt Lake
Red Bull New York
FC Dallas
Seattle Sounders FC
Columbus Crew
San Jose Earthquakes
Colorado Rapids

Match-ups will be finalized after this weekend's games. If LA wins, they take the Supporters' Shield (best record overall, what *should* be the championship imo). Salt Lake can still win it if LA ties/loses to Dallas and they can beat Colorado.

Sucks to be watching this take shape from the outside :(

Right now my money's on RSL or RBNY to win it all. They're the most complete teams and haven't been at all streaky or inconsistent during the season. LA had a very strong start but has been mostly shitty since the WC break, Dallas is also a good team but seems to only know how to not lose, and the rest are pretty much meh.

Also RBNY has gone worst-to-first.

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/red-bulls-stunning-turnaround/

With a Sven acolyte nonetheless!

I'm keen on a huge upset by the Sounders, but betting it will be Red Bulls all the way.

Couldn't be happier. Don't think of us as some kind of winning behemoth just because we're New York. This team has been a laughable underdog for its entire history.

The Supporters' Shield is LA's to lose tonight if they can't get at least a tie against Dallas. Anyone excited about this? I'm only emotionally invested as far as I hate Dallas... but I hate them a lot so I'm a fair bit invested emotionally.

I think Salt Lake deserves it more, they have been more consistently good (fuckin' unbeatable at home) for a long time.

(becks just tied it at 1 btw)

lol mls refs

LA beat Dallas 2-1, win Supporters' Shield

Playoffs:

LA v. Seattle
RSL v. Dallas
New York v. San Jose
Columbus v. Colorado

http://ui29.gamespot.com/252/fireworks01_2.gifCONGRATULATIONS Drew Moor (COL), Tim Ream (NY) YOU PLAYED EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY LEAGUE GAME THIS SEASONhttp://ui29.gamespot.com/252/fireworks01_2.gif

http://usasoccer.blogspot.com/2010/10/otfatt-2010-final-update.html

Ream has a future with the usmnt allegedly. Moor, not so much.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5995/mlsflowchart791x1024z.png

"Do you know what the 'Real' means?" is funny because it's true.

end of season attendance breakdown
http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?p=3609

i hope i'm wrong but i can't see any of 5-8 upsetting 1-4

My guys are out so I actually kinda sort hope for an NY/LA final, it would bring a huge spotlight on the league.

"I will definitely have one or two (more) years playing football," Frings said in an interview with Die Welt newspaper. "Werder Bremen is for sure my first choice (but) if I leave, it will not be for another German club.

"The United States, it excites me. I am fan of America, and New York is my dream city."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=836289&sec=transfers&cc=5901&cc=5901

Saw a little kid wearing an Henry RBNY jersey on the corner of Lexington today. Brightened me right up.

xp are you fucking kidding me

he'd instantly be one of the top 3-5 most hated players in the league

I have a crazy theory that mpls gets an expansion team next

2010 all-rookie team

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/mls/gallery/2010-MLS-All-Rookie-Team#sport=MLS&photo=21484007

some pretty good prospects in here, props to SeanJohn

Columbus looked pretty lame last night imo, how the mighty have fallen.

glad for sean johnson, he seems like a good guy. i've got high hopes for him.
on that list, lloyd is the one i've not noticed at all.

Yeah at the start of the season there was a fan q&a thing with Fire mgmt and I remember Frankie Klopas saying that Johnson was the next Tim Howard. Everyone was like "they all say that" and then when the kid got to play suddenly they're all CAP HIM NOW.

quite a strike from buddle, very impressive

yeah it was a lovely goal. sounders frustrating to watch esp. in the 2nd half. do they always play like that (knocking it long at every opportunity and wasting posession)or were they just getting desperate?

The playing surface may have had something to do with it.

do any mls teams play on astroturf?

Seattle. It looks awful in HD.

New York did until this season/new stadium.

New England still does

Toronto did until this year as well

;_;

the playing surface situation is actually improving, although I can't see either team that has NFL-affiliated ownership (and therefore shares a stadium w/ NFL teams) changing any time soon

recap iirc

Colorado 1-0 Colubmus
Dallas 2-1 Salt Lake
San Jose 0-1 New York
Seattle 0-1 LA

good its moving in the right direction tho

Considering that a good number of DPs are aging world stars who'd like to get a few more years of play in, it hardly seems in the league's best interest to blow out all their knees within 6 months of arrival.

why does bouma not take GKs?

yay for juan agudelo http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/agudelo-a-fresh-face-has-the-red-bulls-smiling/
getting his first mls start at age 17, on the road, in the playoffs. nice work dude

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/11/twellman-set-to-announce-retirement.html

as much as brain injuries are terrible and as much as a career cut short is terrible, I personally hate this guy as a player and won't miss him on the field one bit

that's a beautiful tribute

speaking of lovely tributes, here's an email from alejandro moreno.

Columbus was my home. It was my family's home. Leaving was difficult, and so was coming back. I will not apologize for being emotional. I care. My memories of the great times I had in Columbus will always be with me. My relationship with Crew fans, at least from my end, will not change. I understand they will support their team, and I may become more and more unpopular as time goes by; but I will acknowledge them because they took me in, they supported me, they cared, and the memories will always remain.

“So as I walked towards the fans, one more time, like I did for the last few years, it felt like the right thing to do-- like the only thing to do. I was not sure what the reaction would be, but I felt in my heart that whatever connection I had back in my Crew days was alive once again. As they serenaded my name, I was humbled, flattered, and touched. While I walked away, there was a certain realization that one must appreciate these sorts of moments, because they represent the real achievements of one's career. Not goals; not assists; not wins and losses. My grandfather used to call these moments Life Diplomas. Such rewards are only intended to benefit the heart and the mind. Well, my heart and my mind are in a good place today.

GK of the year: Donovan Ricketts
Rookie of the year: Andy Najar <---- leading scorer of DC United at 17, tho DC United has been dogshit for 2 years. still could be destined for big things.

I like that 'who to support' flowchart :D

Who'd you end up with?

TFC hires Klinsi as a consultant, maybe he can magic up some good Canadian players

what flowchart

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5995/mlsflowchart791x1024z.png

I so wish I were going to the game tonight....