As my fiance reminded me today, I have been neglecting the Major League Soccer (MLS) in my blog recently. Partly it is a subconscious protest after the devastating way the New England Revolution lost on aggregate goals to Chicago a few weeks ago (although not nearly as devastating as Ireland\’s loss), but it is also partly because I hate David Beckham. He is a washed up jerk, who thinks because he is a celebrity and his wife is gorgeous, that he can do anything at anytime, and it is true. The MLS brought him into the sport to draw attention to the high level of play right here in America, but instead, he has damaged the MLS reputation by yelling and starting fights with fans (see video below). Ok, I concede, he has brought in a ton of revenue for the league with the sale of his jerseys, but is it worth it? I digress.
On Sunday at 8:30pm EST on ESPN we can all witness history with the MLS Cup Final. The league MVP Landon Donovan will lead the LA Galaxy against Real Salt Lake (RSL) and their sharp shooting forward, Robbie Findley. The added intrigue of this game, is that it is being held in Seattle, this year\’s expansion team. QWEST Field has been packed with Seattle Storm fans all year, in one of the most impressive first years for an expansion team ever, in any sport.
As far as the game is concerned, these two teams are extremely evenly matched in terms of their play so far in the playoffs. Both goalies, Nick Rimando for RSL and Donovan Ricketts for LA, have played 3 games, 2 of which were clean sheets, and allowed 2 goals in the 3rd game. The scoring attacks for these two clubs are similar as well, with LA having 5 goals his postseason and RSL having 4. The one goal differential between the clubs was an extra penalty kick given to LA. During the regular season, the two teams matched up twice. The first meeting was held in May in Utah and resulted in a 2-2 tie and the second match was held in LA in June and resulted in a RSL 2-0 win.
What does all of this really mean? It means this will be one heck of a close game and you don\’t want to miss the excitement. I would not be surprised to see this game head into OT.
Prediction: RSL wins 2-1
Wow, don't hold back about Beckham! I have to say one of the things I'm most excited about is seeing the finals in Seattle. After observing only one season, I think Seattle's fan base can do a lot more for the future of soccer in the U.S. than Beckham can. However, many U.S. fans seem to have found a common ground by hating Beckham. I guess whatever works?
Agreed. Isn't it funny how people can come together based on a mutual disgust? I love it.
Yay for soccer! The way Ireland got eliminated was absolutely brutal. Too bad it wasn't televised (I was following it on ESPN Gametracker or whatever it's called).Looking forward to the World Cup draw in a couple weeks!