Major League Soccer

i am going to my first non-sounders MLS game this weekend, portland at RSL. looking forward to it. grass!

Hope you have lots of fun carstens!

How was RSL? I saw several alleged PTFC aurora borealis pics.

it was a lot of fun. lovely field, very intimate, way out in the suburbs. espindola's footwork up close had some dazzling moments.

beyond kenny cooper's crappiness, the timbers army had to be the most impressive thing there. at times they outshouted 20k rsl fans. loooved the half-dozen flares at the end. and they got a result. way to travel, TA.

playoff predictions? i'm hoping for anybody but LA and trying to remember that supporters shield winners don't have that great a record of winning the cup

cbus and colorado might play in the snow. stoked for the orange ball.

just for reference's sake:

Wild Card

FC Dallas vs New York Red Bulls – Wed, Oct 26th – 9pm ET (FOX Soccer, TSN2)

Colorado Rapids vs Columbus Crew – Thurs, Oct 27th – 10pm ET (Altitude 2, ONN, TSN2)

Eastern Conference Semifinals

First Leg

FC Dallas vs Sporting Kansas City – Sat, Oct 29th – 7.30om ET (Fox Soccer, TSN)…. OR… Colorado Rapids / Columbus Crew vs Sporting Kansas City – Sun, Oct 30th – 7pm ET (Fox Soccer, TSN2)

Philadelphia Union vs Houston Dynamo – Sun, Oct 30th – TBD (ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3)

Second Leg

Sporting Kansas City vs FC Dallas / Columbus Crew / Colorado Rapids – Wed, Nov 2nd – TBD (Fox Soccer)

Houston Dynamo vs Philadelphia Union – Thurs, Nov 3rd – 8.30pm ET (ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3, TSN2)

Western Conference Semifinals

First Leg

Real Salt Lake vs Seattle Sounders – Sat, Oct 29th – 10pm ET (FOX Soccer, TSN2)

Colorado Rapids / Columbus Crew / New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy – Sun Oct 30th TBD (ESPN or ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3, TSN2)

Second Leg

Seattle Sounders vs Real Salt Lake – Wed, Nov 2nd – TBD (ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3, TSN2)

LA Galaxy vs Colorado Rapids / Columbus Crew / New York Red Bull – Thurs, Nov 3rd – 11pm ET (ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3, TSN2)

Conference Championships

Hosted by highest remaining seed – Sun, Nov 6th – 5.30pm ET (FOX Soccer)

Hosted by highest remaining seed – Sun, Nov 6th – TBD (ESPN or ESPN2, Deportes, ESPN3, TSN2)

I would be OK with anyone winning except LA, NYRB, and SSFC. Also if Columbus continues the way they were on Saturday night they aren't going to get far, players giving up on balls left and right and generally looking half-interested in a sold out game with a couple hundred of their own fans traveling.

Nicol out @ Revs

pleasedon'tcomehere pleasedon'tcomehere pleasedon'tcomehere

10 years is an impressive tenure. I don't recall enjoying watching NE much, though, in all those years.

Like Seattle, Revs are NFL-owned, but without the kind of actual investment that has made Seattle what it is. They made a few finals in the mid 2000s and Nicol definitely did a lot with not much resources, but the pieces are falling apart and the league's a different place now.

Personally, for a while I hated them more than anyone in the league, back when they and the Fire took turns knocking each other out of the post season.

cbus and colorado might play in the snow. stoked for the orange ball.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/321215_10150335651146091_11106436090_8674180_1321387112_n.jpg

<3ing pics like that when sepp and co. start bleating about MLS adopting a euro-style calendar

MLS players by place of birth (pdf)

double digits:

usa 280
canada 23
colombia 16
brazil 15
england 12
jamaica 12

wonder how many of the colombian players are in the league because of diego guiterrez? such a shame he's not working w/ the fire

just watched the 3rd division (nasl) championship 2nd leg, yay NSC Minnesota!

not finding a good stream for rsl/seattle, hmph

got a stream, it hurts me in my fire place to see CJ Brown celebrating goals on the sidelines with RSL

shitty poop butt team

i'm starting to irrationally hate alvaro fernandez.

rosales is missed.

it's been a successful season but to go out again like this is just

a team always goes on a run in the playoffs, could be rsl this time. deserved if it happens

RSL did it two years ago, could definitely again

then again it could just as likely be SKC

why not change the subject god damn it

@peterhirdt: See an #MLS first: 5 players on field who've scored in World Cup match—Henry/Marquez/Donovan/Beckham/Keane. ESPN2, 3pm ET

NY's field looks like a herd of wildebeasts made trails across widthwise.

Also by bringing in Alejandro Moreno as a pundits there is someone to despise on ESPN more than Lalas.

uh oh, DCU...

MLS gauging interest in club playing in Baltimore

Soccer fans in the Baltimore area have begun receiving an MLS-commissioned survey to gauge their interest about a team playing there through expansion or relocation.

...

The survey also asks fans: If you could influence any of the following MLS teams to relocate to Baltimore, which team would you rather move to Baltimore?

Columbus Crew

D.C. United

FC Dallas

New York Red Bulls

Philadelphia Union

No preference

aw DC :(

If they could finally build a stadium and get out of shitty old RFK maybe things would be different.

Yeah, but I can't see anyone justifying the funding for it, even with the snappy Metro posters which gives the players names like "The Engine".

There must be a place for it somewhere in greater DC. Throw it out in Gaithersburg or something.

Dallas' home field is out in Frisco, 30+ miles from downtown and nobody seems to mind too much.

30 plus miles from DC is Baltimore, though.

also things people don't seem to mind in Dallas is not a good barometer for anything

I'd feel less guilty about not going if they were playing Baltimore. But I'd also like the option to casually stroll over to the metro and then ride the train for 30 minutes to see them.

I thought Dallas had shitty attendance?

This whole thing makes me nervous if only 'cause DC is one of the more historic, better-supported teams in the league and if they're on the verge of moving it could happen anywhere. Teams with their own stadiums are definitely more secure, though...

http://woodlandparkzblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/seattle-sounders-fc-recruits-zoo-animal.html

^^^^^relevant to my interests

I used to ride the train from Baltimore to DC for work. Nice ride. Occasionally went the other direction when I lived in DC and took the train up to see the Orioles.

I've lived in Dallas for a month so have no idea about it beyond my friend who goes regularly. Quick google puts them below average but growing:

http://mlsattendance.blogspot.com/2011/10/final-attendance-update.html

A finals run last year and a talent like Shea seem to be helping.

I have this tendency to get evangelical about MLS: if you live near Dallas, you should go to some games!

I am hoping the Fire are in the same spot Dallas was like 2-3 years ago. They were utter crap for most of the season then gelled all of a sudden and went on a run, barely missing the playoffs. Since then the coach (whom most everyone had been calling to be fired) has been slowly adding pieces and developing youth players, and they've been perennially solid contenders the whole time.

I'll go next year. Hopefully I'll have sold my house in Maine by then and be able to afford some fun now and again.

i really don't think anybody in favor of the dcu-to-baltimore idea realize how suicidal it is, no matter who'd pay for a stadium up there, and that's good ol' MLS for you in a nutshell

If it moves the fans will get together and start AFC DC and they'll have loads of national goodwill and credibility.

what was being sung during each goal at Jeld-Wen Field this year

good goal by saborio in the playoffs wasn't it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX3YzdaKZFs

beautiful.

LA are the most boring team to watch, guess that's why they never lose at home.

I have to say, the Guardian's MLS playoff coverage has been pretty good, low on the snark-o-meter which is a bit of a departure from previous seasons.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/nov/04/la-galaxy-sporting-kc-houston-dynamo

and... we're #3, we're #3!

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201111/nba-no-longer-3rd-best-attended-us-sports-league

And now elevated to Guardian MBM status!

Enjoyed the second leg of LA-NY quite a bit, looking forward to tonight's game even more.

pretty good so far imo

my mans saborío scored again. like wayne gretsky somehow, according to my commentator. feel good abt this bc LA's first was never a penalty.

disquieting to see robbie keane playing a few days before ireland's crunch euro qualifying playoff, even tho a bunch of dudes who'll be there played 12 hours ago in england.

saborio plays a flavorful game

HOT POCKETS HALFTIME SHOW gets me every time you guys, fuckin lol