Philadelphia Union Expansion Draft

I don't think there is any pundit/blogger/reporter/physic out there that can lay claim to saying that the Union's expansion picks were as expected. While not necessarily curious picks (there is certainly some attacking presence in Le Toux and Moreno, defense in Thomas and hope in an up-and-comer in Zimmerman) overall, the Union went young and inexpensive.

While contracts can be negotiated up or down, as it stands, the total salaries of the players is approximately $700,000. Assuming the Salary Cap goes up, even marginally, and given the allocation money the Union will receive as an expansion team, these picks set the table for a DP selection and trades/moves for several top tier players (i.e. players making $300,000+).

Considering Novak's history and success in MLS, expects those moves to be solid ones. Philly fans might not be wowed by today's draft but, they should be excited about what's likely to come.

Real Salt Lake Wins MLS Cup - And Deserved the Win!

Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup the way they won all of their games in post-season play - they gutted it out and never gave up. The players that Jason Kreis brought together and utilized to form the RSL team took on Kreis's personality during the course of the season, and that was the plan all along. Kreis is a hardworking, pragmatic coach, and he has one rule when it comes to who plays on the pitch: Play the individual who is perfoming the best and wants to win.

Another reason RSL won the MLS CUP - RSL is a "true TEAM". Simply, RSL is made up of 20+ players that all contribute. The team is not built around one or two star players who make salaries larger than the bulk of the team; rather, RSL has parity among its players as far as pay and expectations. That is why when Javier Morales was forced out of the game with an injury, and Will Johnson had to leave due to illness at the half, Kreis could bring in Ned Grabavoy and Clint Mathis and be confident they could get the job done.

Every year you build a new team, that is just the way that MLS and most professional leagues work. This year RSL had something special and the team was very much a reflection of Jason Kreis. That said, there is a reason the team got where it did and toughed it out to the final PK. Congratulations RSL... enjoy the moment and rest up for next season. Everyone in MLS now understands just how tough you are.

A Handball for the Ages

Can you believe it! Once again, officiating, not soccer, is the focus of a highly anticipated World Cup Playoff. Today, France managed an undeserved 1-1 draw in order to seal its place in the 2010 World Cup. However, should the goal have counted?

Malouda's free-kick to the back post was obviously controlled by the left-hand of Henry, who then placed the ball on a tee for Gallas to finish. The dismay of Ireland's defense and goal keeper Shay Given did little to convince the referee of his horrific blunder.

In a game that saw Ireland dominate most of the proceedings, Henry's hand was able to save the day for France. I think FIFA needs to have a word or two with the officiating crew after this horrid incident.

My condolences to the Irish, who fought honorably and deserved a win and a place in South Africa.

Landon or Shalrie

This Thursday the MLS MVP will be announced. It's Landon versus Shalrie. This is one of those situations where you can argue for days but, when it's all said and done you're splitting hairs.

Take either player out of their respective teams and the teams would not have had the same success. I think the edge goes to the Shalrie only because he was working with less around him, especially once Ralston went down.

Either way they are both deserving although, given Landon's full trophy case, it would be nice to see this one go to Shalrie.

LA v RSL for the Cup

It's a clash of West vs East(?).

Well, at least on paper. It's a great "worst to first" story for both teams. LA being the wort team in the West last year and coming back to take the Western Conference crown.

For RSL, the phrase is a little more recent as they were the last team to sneak into the playoffs and now find themselves battling for the title. I think we're in for a great game this weekend.

Houston in thanks to Ching

The Houston Dynamo have made their annual appearance to the Western Conference finals after defeating a very game Seattle Sounders team 1-0 in Houston.

Old veteran Brian Ching came through for the men in Orange, who will now face the winner of tonight's Super Clasico in Los Angeles.

Hats off to Sigi Schmid and his team for an incredibly successful first season both on and off the field.

Fire Move on to Eastern Conference Championship

Chicago came out last night with guns blazing. For ninety minutes they kept their foot on the accelerator and never backed off.

"El Cuah" was in rare form, picking on Jay Heaps all night long - On the first goal, he showed strength and guile in holding off the veteran defender before softly dishing off the ball, initiating the sequence of quick passes that culminated in Thorrington's goal. Then, late in the game, he showed his composure and skill, sidestepping Heaps before nestling the ball in the upper v and securing the Fire's place in the next round.

Credit the Fire backline for bending and not breaking, albeit some credit also has to go to the post for it's save on Jankauskas' header. Credit the Fire's strong offensive supporting cast for pushing for the win all game long (with bonus kudos to Nyarko for his part on the second goal - out hustling and out muscling Osei in the corner, rounding Reis and then the nutmeg pass to Blanco).

For the Revolution, all things considered, it's amazing they made it this far with so many injuries to key players and they shouldn't hang their heads. Despite a relatively quite game, Sharlie is still deserving of the MVP trophy

Champions League Action

Whose ready for the world's best clubs to go head-to-head today and tomorrow? I certainly am.

In my opinion, both the CONCACAF and the UEFA Champions Leagues are, perhaps, the most exciting leagues in the world. There's nothing better than watching clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Mexico and the U.S. square off against one another in these two wonderful competitions.

Here's my advice for all those soccer fans out there... call in sick, get situated on the couch or bar stool of your choice and get ready for two days filled with the best footballers the world has to offer!

Real Salt Lake Gives Columbus Crew a Fright on Halloween – Takes Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Robbie Findley, MLS’s Player of the Week during the last week of the regular season slipped a late goal past the diving Columbus Keeper from a beautiful Yura Movsisyan pass, and delivers the victory to Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semis. The score came late in the game, and it became apparent early on that Columbus would have been happy to get out of Rio Tinto with a nil-nil draw, but RSL was just as determined to get a win at home. I was lucky enough to be sitting on the front row of the game, just past the Columbus Crew Bench.

I was puzzled by Columbus’s strategy from before the game even started when I saw their star, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, not working that hard in warm ups and actually never taking his sweats off. I figured, as did the RSL coaching staff, that he would come in at the half or at least by the 60th minute, but other than running back and forth in front of me and dodging occasional tossed colored paper-rolls (I had nothing to do with that, by the way), Schelotto saw no action. The same was true for The Crew’s Alejandro Moreno, who rode the pine, as well. Turns out that this was all “strategy” by The Crew’s coach. He thought he’d have the two slightly built stars sit out in favor of larger, more physical forwards Emilio Renteria and Steven Lenhart. It seems the Crew was still remembering the 4-1 spanking they received during the regular season by RSL in Rio Tinto and thought that maybe the bigger guys would fare better. Maybe they did, because it sure looked like the game was heading for a scoreless draw until Movsisyan came in and became a nuisance along the Crew’s back line.

Movisisyan did not come into the game until late in the second half, but as soon as he was on the field you could see the disruption he caused in Columbus’s game plan. The Crew actually figured a draw was good, and then they could go home and win. Sure, that could work… maybe, but what if RSL actually takes the game and has momentum going into Columbus on Thursday night?

I’ve never thought that sitting back and trying to tie was a good idea. Better to just go all out and shoot for a win and see what happens. Maybe Columbus actually thought they were going to handle RSL better with the bigger team, but RSL’s fast, small midfielders and forwards seemed pretty tough. Now RSL has the momentum and all they need is a draw in Columbus to move on. The thing is, Jason Kreis won’t go into Columbus with a “strategy” to get a draw. He will take RSL into Columbus with a plan to win the game. That is always the way to go. Always.