I Somehow Found Some Time

For what seems to be the fifth time in the past two weeks, I have just found out that I don't have all the necessary files to do my work. I had all intent to do work at home, but apparently I am a moron who can't remember everything I need. So instead, here I sit at Third Place Books with the youngest daughter asleep in her carseat (oh, yeah, I have a second daughter now) and the oldest playing contently with her mom and aunt. I can't think of anything better to do than make my post-baby return to the blog.

There has been a lot going on in the world of sports, but these are most on my mind.

-BountyGate. Ok, shame on me for adding 'gate' onto the end of this, but whatever, I don't care. When I got in the car and heard the news on the radio that Sean Payton had been suspended for a year, I was shocked. There was no way I saw that coming. We have seen players suspended in similar manner, but this is such a new concept that I'm not sure what to think. I mean, for all intensive purposes, Payton will be back in 2013. He will run the same type of offensive and defensive schemes, so the Saints are going to have to find someone willing to not just take the team for a year (with no intent of keeping the job longterm), but someone who is willing to do things the way Payton wants them done. The names being thrown around - Parcells, Dungy, Gruden - all make sense as they appear to have no ambition to get back into coaching full-time again. There is no way an up-and-coming assistant takes the position because it is essentially a dead end.

The other interesting aspect will be exactly how much contact Payton will be allowed. Will he be allowed to attend practice but not games? Will he be able to meet with interim coaches for film sessions? Will he be allowed to sit in the box with the owner during games? Will he be allowed to travel with the team and hold meetings in the hotel? Or will he be completed banned from any communication? Only time will tell, but I know this much for sure - the Saints will be the most intriguing team to follow in 2012.


-Tim Tebow in NYC is going to be a fiasco. I just don't get it from a football standpoint. I take that back - I get that he is the perfect guy for a Tony Sparano offense, but this is doomed to fail. As it is, there is tons of pressure and skepticism around Mark Sanchez. Now with Tebow in the fold, every incomplete pass will be scrutinized. Every 2 INT day will lead to fans chanting for Tebow. Sanchez will never feel comfortable and Tebow will never win games in NY. The only thing this signing does is take the spotlight off the defending champs and move it to their roommates. Oh, and of course, it will shut down the internet.


-The Sounders are 2-0 in MLS play, but I think things could start to get a little rocky for them in the near future. It appears that Jeff Parke is not happy with being benched in favor of Patrick Ianni the past two games. After practice, Parke talked to the media and finally broke his silence, essentially admitting that he is 'frustrated' and 'angry' with the benching. he says that he talked to Sigi after practice and that while there was no yelling, he did let him know he felt. Sigi apparently sat him because he felt Jeff's legs were tired from a long offseason.

I like Jeff and think he should be starting, but the fact remains that Ianni is a quality player and could be starting for many other teams in the league. He does not represent a huge dropoff - Parke needs to show Sigi that he is worthy of starting. As Sigi often says, competition is a good thing. It gets the guys working harder than if there status was unquestioned.

Here's the problem though - in order to have a healthy competition, you need to have players who are willing to compete and who don't sulk if they sit the bench. Again, I like Parke, but I often question his mental makeup. Let's quickly review his past. He got suspended by MLS for failing a drug test in 2008. He was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was chosen by the Sounders. He decided to test the European market but was unable to find a team and had to return stateside. He was unhappy with what he thought was an unfair offer by the Sounders and decided to sit out 2009 rather than play for less than what he thought he was worth. Since that time he has mostly said and done all the right things, but he never really seemed happy to me. He never said anything about not being happy, but I always got the sense that his ego was bigger than normal and that he perceived people to be constantly slighting him.

When the season is over, we might look back and laugh at this, but for now, consider me a little worried. We have never really had any problems off the field and it would be a shitty time for it to start.


-I am not a Tony Wroten hater. I am not a Tony Wroten lover. I am a guy who see his value but also a guy who sees all of his warts. I realize that this UW team needed Wroten in order to be successful, but I also know that he was going to have his share of groan-worthy moments.

Tuesday night in the NIT Semi-finals, Wroten had a performance he will be wanting to forget (not to mention one that all Husky fans will want to forget too). At the time, I called Wroten the stupidest basketball player I have ever seen. While I have definitely backed off that extreme opinion (afterall, the kid is still only 18 and from what I can tell has never really been coached before), I can't help but think how much he would benefit from another year in college. I know the big bucks will be enticing, but the fact is if he ever wants to fulfill his potential, he needs to stay another year in college to learn how to play defense and most importantly, to get meaningful late-game situations under his belt. These are not things he will learn in the NBA.

Point in case - 46 seconds left in the game against Minnesota (shot clock at 25). The Huskies have rallied back and now trail by either 2 or 3 points. I can't remember the exact number, but I know it was a 1-possession game. Regardless of the exact difference, any smart player should know that you don't need to foul. Instead, if the team can play solid defense and make their opponent take a bad shot, there is a good chance they will get the ball back with a chance to win or tie. It's basketball 101. Yet Wroten decided to be lazy and reaches in to go for a steal. The ref does what he does in 95% of those situations and calls a foul. He bailed the Gophers out. Oh, and did I mention that the guy he fouled set a record for highest FT% in one season? Ummm, yeah, that makes it even worse. Then the next time down the court he did it again. It was frustrating as all hell. Now ultimately the refs swallowed their whistles down the stretch and the Huskies were able to send the game to OT. But it should never have gotten to that situatoin. Wroten needs to do better than that. Period.


-Peyton Manning to Denver is the perfect marriage. He wanted to continue playing and get paid a lot. John Elway wanted to end the Tim Tebow Era and not get run out of town. It worked out perfectly as I'm pretty sure even the most irrational Tebow fan could not argue with replacing him with a 4-time NFL MVP. Manning is not Orton. He demands respect. Elway knew that and pulled the trigger. Time will only tell if he is even close to the same guy he once was, but I have a feeling that even though it was super convenient, Elway would not have signed him had he not been pleased with what he saw from Manning's throwing session as well as his physical. I think this has the potential to work out nicely, especially in a weak division.


-Now that they have lost, I will offer some mild congratulations to Lehigh. As you may all know, the 15th seeded Mountainhawks upset 2nd seed Duke in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. While I hate to admit it, it probably as impressive as Bucknell's win over Kansas a few years ago. Many BU alumni that I talked to were rooting for Lehigh to go far, saying it was good for the league. I get the thought, but can't fully support it. Before Bucknell ever beat the Jayhawks, I would have agreed. The Patriot League needed a win to gain some credibility and attention. When the Bison won, they not only got both, but the league did as well. No PL team had won since and I must admit that I enjoyed being cocky about it. I knew American and Holy Cross couldn't get the job done - only the Bison were good enough to win. Having Lehigh beat us in the PL Final and knowing that we should have been the one beating Duke did not and still does not sit well with me. It should have been Bucknell and I will not apologize for hating on Lehigh.


-Justin Dentmann recently signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs, bringing the total of former Huskies in the NBA to 6. I am really happy for all of them, but most happy for Dentman and his former teammate Isaiah Thomas. Thomas, who many thought was making a mistake by entering the draft after his junior season, was the last player selected in the 2011 NBA Draft but is now starting and averaging 12.2 points per game for the Kings over the past two months. Jimmer got all the press coming into the year, but Isaiah is having the better season by a landslide.


-My poor Nets. They wanted LeBron and he went to South beach. They wanted Carmelo and he went to NY. The traded for Deron Williams in hopes of getting Dwight Howard, but Howard (after much public flirting with the Nets) decided to stay in Orlando for another year. No one wants to come to NJ/Brooklyn. And it's a real shame.

Call me crazy, but right now I don't think they have the worst team. D-Will is a superstar. Kris Humphries is quietly having another monster season on the boards. MarShon Brooks looks like the biggest steal of the draft (not named Isaiah). Gerald Green has been a great find out of the D-League. Together the form a decent core and combined with newly acquired Gerald Wallace and I think they are solid. Notice I didn't even mention Brook Lopez who would make the starting five (Lopez, Humph, wallace, Brooks, D-Will) playoff worthy.

Too bad they are almost 20 games .500 and about to lose D-Will, Humph and Lopez all in the same offseason. Uggghhh...if there is an NBA God, please let us win the Anthony Davis lottery.


-Finally, I just bought tickets to a Sounders women's game in June. I wanted to go when they signed both Hope Solo and Alex Morgan, but what made me actually buy the tickets was the signing of Meghan Rapinoe. She might not get the press that the other two do, but damn she is a quality player who was my favorite during the 2011 WC. It is common knowledge that the trio will only play 8 games (3 exhibition, 4 home regular season and 1 away regular season games) so I am praying that they will be there for the match I bought tickets for.


UPDATE - I forgot one thing yesterday. Kudos to the Sounders Front Office for their brilliant idea regarding tickets for Portland and Vancouver games. It was recently announced that the team would be opening the entire stadium up for those games. It is a smart move because both games will definitely sell out. The problem of course is that the Sounders wouldn't be able to control who bought all those extra tickets. It is entirely possible that the Timbers Army could get their hands on 10k-15k tickets. So what did the FO do? Well, they included those games in a 4 game pack with games against LA and Chelsea. So that means unless you have season tickets, the only way to get your hands on Cascadia Cup tickets is to buy tickets for 3 additional games. I suppose it is possible that some Portland fans will take the hit and buy all 4 games, but I can't believe it will be an overwhelming amount. As for Seattle supporters, what a better way to spend your hard earned money than to see 2 Cascadia Cup matches, the star-studded LA Galaxy and one of the EPL's top teams, Chelsea. It doesn't get any better for non-season ticket holders wanting to get to some games this year.

Roger Levesque. Zach Scott.

Following Taylor Graham's retirement today, those are the only two remaining USL Sounders on the team. I'm not sure anyone would have seen that coming - surely the bets would have been on LeToux and Graham but at the end of the day, Graham could only do one thing...and he did that below average. Say what you want about Scott and Levesque, but the two continue to hold on because of their flexibility. Whether it is in the center or on the sides, Zach Scott has shown that he can fill a role. Whether it is as a forward, midfielder or defender, Roger Levesque has shown that he can fill a role. Neither are the best players in the league, but they are versatile. Versatility is a great thing in a league with a salary cap.

There are a lot of other news and rumors going on around the team. I will try to summarize them for those who get all your Sounders information from this site.

First, MLS's convoluted version of free agency, the Re-Entry Draft goes down on Monday. In a nutshell, when a team decides not to exercise an option or sign a player to an extension, the player then becomes available in a draft (because you know, free player movement is too crazy an idea right now). The Re-Entry Draft happens in two stages. In the first stage, players must be signed by the team that selected them at last year's salary (or better). Players that are not selected in Stage 1 are then available in Stage 2. At that time, teams can offer any salary to them that they feel. They have exclusive negotiating rights for a certain amount of time. If they cannot agree to a contract then they become a free agent.

Ok, so the Sounders released Nate Jaqua, Pat Noonan, Terry Boss and the aforementioned Taylor Graham. The same day, Terry Boss retired on his doctor's advice because of reoccurring concussions. I was sad to hear that it came to this, but kudos to him for stepping away before his brain turned to jelly.

As for Jaqua and Noonan being released, I'm not sure there has ever been a sentence involving those two that made more people happy. They have been punching bags for the past two years. Fans hated them and now they are gone. I personally think that they both served a role on this team and wonder if they will be missed. Again, they were not great players, but they allowed Sigi to mix and match his team late in the season without having a huge drop-off. I personally refuse to think that Nate is done - this is MLS. He can still get 5 goals a year. He just needs a change in scenery.

Moving away from the re-Entry Draft (which I personally don't think we will take part in), it appears Mauro Rosales has been re-signed, for a salary some are saying will be comparable to El Flaco and Montero. This is certainly well deserved after he received only 40k last year, but it will be tough on the salary cap. When I wrote my piece last week about not pulling the trigger on Braun for Riley, I said it would have been a straight up trade salary wise, but I forgot to mention that we actually needed to shed salary to re-sign Mauro.

I wondered what they would be doing with the Right Back position since Riley wasn't that highly priced. Some reports say they are looking at Heiner Mora, a RB from Saprissa and the Costa Rican national team. That is great, but I have to think his salary would be as much if not more than Riley's. So what gives. Well, the guys at SounderAtHeart held a chat tonight (check it out, there is a lot of great stuff in it) and suggested that Sigi will look at Evans as a possible starting RB next year. Personally, I think this makes tons of sense since the Midfield will be uber-crowded once Zakuani returns. It is possible that not only Evans would be on the bench, but Friberg as well. Finding an internal replacement for Riley not named Zach Scott would be amazing.

Also in the chat, the guys seem to indicate that Michael Gspurning is indeed going to be our starting keeper next year and that the team would be stupid to trade for Stefan Frei. (personally, I have never seen him the -play, but I really like Frei, regardless of how many goals he gave up last season). They also indicate that the team is looking at Honduras for some talent as well as keeping an eye on the Tanzanian trialist famous for his play in the Manchester UNited friendly.

I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen, but I do think that there is a lot of moves still to be made by Hanauer and company. I don't think it will be a big time signing like Nicholas Anelka or Didier Drogba, but I do see them making one final trade to gain some more financial flexibility. While they won't be giving up any of their core players, I do think there will be some movement. I do know one thing though - whatever they do, I am excited by the possibilities.

*****

Oh, and one final thing, best of luck to Arlo White in his new gig as the voice of MLS on NBC. I know he was only with the club for two years, but I am going to miss him. Even in losses, I would always go to the website Monday morning just to listen to his calls. Some of my favorite moments over the past 2 years included not just the players, but Arlo as well. He will always be etched in my memory for his calls on Fucito's stoppage time winner against KC and Montero's late game winner against Chicago.

I don't want to compare him to the legend Doc Emerick, but this is now the second announcer that NBC has stolen away from me. While I wish him the best, I can only hope that we don't get another Kevin Calabro debacle.

Sometimes I Amaze Myself

Ok, so this was a little shocking. Apparently I know a little bit about this league, or I got entirely lucky. In my last post, I gave a list of players that I would be interested if I was Montreal: Victor Estupian, Sanna Nyassi, Josh Gardner, Maykel Gallindo, Paolo Cardozo, Ryan Guy, John Rooney, Collen Warner (RSL), Ellis McLoughlin, Servando Carrasco, Soony Saad, Jev Brovsky. It wasn't the list that I thought they would select, but one that I would offer up assuming I was the GM (which would be really damn cool even if it was for Montreal). Then today, about 15 minutes before the Expansion Draft, I submitted a list to SoundersFC.com in hopes of winning some sort of Samsung smart phone thingy. For that list, I tried to think more about who they might take and came up with the following names: Blair Gaven, Sanna Nyassi, Paolo Cardoza, Mike Fucito, Seth Sinovic, Ned Grabavoy, John Thorrington, Jev Brovsky, Chris Seitz, Darrius Barnes. The only one I really spent a lot of time thinking about was Zarek Valentin of Chivas USA. I remember Ives saying that something could be up (ie - Chivas could have had a handshake deal with Montreal) because leaving Valentin unprotected was a crazy thought. I went with that logic and didn't put him down. I also decided that Montreal wouldn't select Brian Ching. For those who didn't know, Ching said he would retire rather than play in Montreal. While it would be a smart business move to select Ching and hold Houston hostage, I just didn't think they would do it. Finally, I went with Ned Grabavoy from RSL as it seemed like a he would be a player Jesse Marsch would love.

In the end, the following ten players were picked: Brian Ching, Zarek Valentin, Justin Mapp, Bobby Burling, Jeb Brovsky, Collen Warner, Josh Gardner, Sanna Nyassi, James Riley, Seth Sinovic. Combining my two lists, I got a total of 5 players right! I don't want to brag, but that is pretty amazing. I wish I had followed through with Warner and Gardner and I wish I had had the foresight to put Ching and Valentin down. If so, I might be sitting here next week with a shiny new phone!


Anyways, moving past how great I am, let's talk about how the Sounders were effected. It turns out that we just didn't lose Riley, but we then sent Tyson Wahl to the Impact for some allocation money. So that means in less than 5 minutes we lost 1.5 starters in our defense, leaving Leo Gonzalez and Zach Scott as our starting fullbacks if the season were to start today. It also means that we saved $150k plus whatever the allocation amount will turn out to be. I have to think that Seattle has a replacement for Riley already in place (as a certain friend of mine tells me all the time, it is super easy to find a serviceable RB). In my mind, there is no way they even make him available if they didn't have a plan. I know some people will debate me on who is more valuable to the team - Riley or Evans/Friberg, but in terms of depth, it is Riley. Simply put: there is no one on the team that can replace Riley at the current time. I know he is thought to be an ironman, but really it is out of necessity. Yes, he is in great physical shape and recovers well after games, but it's not like they had another viable option to put back there. As for Wahl, I think he will be missed, which is an amazing statement considering where he was a mere year ago. At that time, the thought of Wahl on the field was a nightmare, but he ended up being a very capable starter for us (apparently, he was a center defender his whole life and needed some time not only to adjust mentally to playing on the left but needed to change his body as well). His defense wasn't the best, but I really loved his crosses. That will be missed. Now it looks like Leo will be the full-time starter which is fine given who is currently in line to start at RB, but not ideal.

I have to wonder though if we got outsmarted on this one. Seconds after he was picked, we learned that Riley actually won't be going to Montreal but was instead traded to chivas USA for Gerson Mayen and Ryan Braun. I assume that if Montreal was able to pull off this trade that we could have done so too. Braun was on the hook for $87 in 2011 while Riley was on the hook for $97 which means it wouldn't have been a financial hit to the Sounders (of course it might be that Chivas was only willing to do a 2 for 1 trade to drop some salary). If Chivas was simply were down on Braun, then why the hell didn't we pull the trigger? Honestly, I would love to have Braun. Again, I have to assume that Seattle has something in place for RB, but what if they don't? What if they protected Fucito, Friberg and Evans because they assumed Montreal was more interested in attackers? What if they agreed to the Wahl deal before knowing Riley was on his way out? I doubt it's the case, but if so, then wow...

I am willing to hold back judgement on how much this will hurt until March when we take the field. However, if The Gymnast is starting at RB on opening night, then I will be the first to say that we officially got caught with our pants down.

****

Oh, and in response to Montreal picking Brian Ching, ultimately I think it was a smart move. Here's the thing- I think Ching totally effed this situation up by saying he would retire if picked. I honestly doubt Montreal picks him because of his salary ($400+k) and age (33) if he hadn't said a word about wanting to remain in Houston. In doing so, he totally gave Montreal some leverage. They now had a large bargaining chip in that Ching would have to call his own bluff and retire if he didn't want to play for them. At 33 years old though, you can't imagine he was ready to retire. Montreal is assuming this and is now putting the pressure on Houston to do something about it. They either need to trade something to Montreal to reacquire him or they will risk alienating Ching by not doing so. I'm sure Houston would love Ching to come back, but they will need to be smart with what they do. Yes, having him in the line-up is a good thing for the organization both on and off the field, but they can't risk their future by paying more for him than he is worth. There is going to be some price that will be too high - if Montreal asks for that then they will need to let him retire in Montreal. It's that simple. And yeah, its a dick move by Montreal to possibly force a wedge inbetween the player and the team he has been with for nearly a decade, but at the end of the day, it's smart business. They acted in a time of strength - a very smart move for a team that will find themselves on the other end for the rest of the season.

Use Some Protection, Volume 2

Now that we have the list of players that the Montreal Impact can choose from, the next step would be to do a mock draft. Fortunately for myself, I am gonna leave that up to the experts because, well, it's impossible to do. I bet if I through down 11 names I might get 1 right. The thing is - a player that I think is a good value is probably not protected for a reason. It might be that their salary is higher than expected. It could be that they are coming off an injury filled season. Or worse, it could just be that they are not that good.

So I will leave the prognosticating to others. There will be no calls for Fredy Adu or Brian Ching. Instead, I will take this opportunity to review our picks. It turns out that none of the 7 of us who tried to predict the safe list were exactly right. We all named Montero, Alonso, Rosales, Zakuani, El Flaco, Hurtado, Ochoa and Neagle. One person left off Parke, but to me he was an obvious choice. As we all noted, the final two spots would come down to Fucito, Evans, Riley and Friberg. Turns out that Sigi valued the contributions of Evans and Friberg the most as they were the final two players to be protected. That means Fucito and Evans are available to be drafted.

I don't claim to know all, so I am not going to confidently say that Fucito is gone. The fact is, the Sounders might have a feeling what type of player the Impact are looking for. Maybe they were hearing that Montreal was looking for a Midfielder who can play in the center of the park. Maybe they are hearing that Montreal coach Jesse Marsch likes to play a direct style with a target forward to hold the ball up. Maybe Mike Fucito isn't what they want. maybe James Riley isn't what the want. Maybe this was all a plan. Maybe they will either look to skip the Sounders, or maybe they'll go after a younger player like Montano (who was on loan with them last year) or Carrasco (a young CM) or maybe even Sanyang (a Canadian international).

And yet, here is the thing. Maybe Montreal knew this was coming and has a trade worked out with another MLS team that is interested in Mike Fucito. Maybe they call the Sounders bluff and select Fucito and ship him elsewhere. Who knows what is going to happen. I just Wednesday to come so that I don't have to worry any more.

*****

Ok, I can't help it. Here is a small list of players I would find to be very attractive if I was Montreal: Victor Estupian (CHV), Sanna Nyassi (COL), Josh Gardner (CLB), Maykel Gallindo (FCD), Paolo Cardozo (LA), Ryan Guy (NE), John Rooney (NY), Collen Warner (RSL), Ellis McLoughlin (SJ), Servando Carrasco (SEA), Soony Saad (SKC), Jev Brovsky (VAN)

Of these, I bet none get picked because I have a feeling Montreal will take on the style of their coach, Jesse Marsch, and be tough, gritty SOB's.

MLS and Other Stuff

Before I get into some MLS enws, I wanted to take a few seconds to talk football - specifically college football. Wow, what an amazing weekend. First, #2 OK State blew their shot at the title game by losing to Iowa St on Friday night. Then #4 Oklahoma lost to #22 Baylor (Robert griffin III for Heisman!) Saturday night. All of a sudden, the road was open for Oregon to make the title game and amazingly they lost to USC later that night. In all, 4 of the top 10 teams lost over the weekend, meaning that the SEC now has the top 3 teams in the BCS - LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. Next week LSU plays Arkansas while Alabama plays Auburn. Alabama virtually has no shot at winning the SEC West, but being is almost assured to make the title game as long as they beat their rivals. The LSU-Arkansas game then might be for the other birth. Either way, it looks like an all-SEC match-up in the title game (unless my Dawgs get the job done in the SEC Title game).

I think weekends like this remind us all how necessary a playoff is. The BCS works when there are two undefeated teams (ok, two undefeated teams from power conferences), but when there are 1-loss teams to sort from, it just doesn't get the job done. Correct that - it gets a job done, but the reality is that in most years, it will always leave someone out. Yesterday went a long way in helping to sort the title picture out as now Oregon and Oklahoma have two losses, but sitting with 1 loss are OK State, Alabama, Arkansas, Stanford, Boise St and Va Tech. Say what you want about the last two teams, but some believe they deserve a shot too.

Anyway you look at it, I can't help but be reminded how amazing a tournament would be. Some say it might diminish the importance of the regular season, but wins by ISU and Baylor over Ok St and Oklahoma would still mean a heck of a lot to the schools. Fans would still rush the field even if their school didn't effectively ruin the title chances of their foes. If you had a 16-team tournament, the drama would be unparalleled. The football would be amazing. There would be no losers - except for the bowl games themselves.

Ok, now on to MLS.
Some of you may have heard that MLS Cup was yesterday. I unfortunately have to admit that I did not watch the game, but I am happy that the best team won. I am in no way a Galaxy fan, but I am content with their win since they were clearly the best team in the league this year. I respect that a US based league needs to have playoffs, but allowing teams like RSL and Colorado to win championships in the past two years certainly diminished the reputation of the league. Sure, it makes it interesting for fans of mediocre teams knowing that anyone can win, but having a team like the Galaxy, who went 19-5-10 in the regular season and who boast interntional stars like Beckham, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan (ok, he is barely known in other areas of the world, but still a damn good player), is the best result.

For other supporters though, the MLS news most on their mind besides expansion lists is the new scheduling and playoff format. We have known for a while that the 2012 MLS schedule was going to be unbalanced (MLS is adding another side, but wanting to keep the number games fixed at 34 for now) and yesterday we finally found out the details.

Focusing solely on the Western Conference which will again have 9 teams, each team will play their conference opponents 3 times and each Eastern Conference opponent once. Of the 8 Western teams that they will play, against 4 of them they will host 2 game and against the other 4 they will be on the road twice. Games against Eastern conference opponents will be split between home and away. Home field will switch year to year.

So what does that mean? Well, from a supporters perspective, this is great great thing. This means that the Sounders will get two home games a year against either Portland or Vancouver (I am assuming MLS will work it so that each Cascadia team has two games against one of their opponents, but then again, that would be a smart thing to do - something MLS is not always known for). This also means more games against LA, RSL and Dallas, which are not a bad thing. Now some are saying that rotating home field advantage from year to year will provide hurt and help some teams, I think it is a necessary evil. As long as the teams know the situation before the season starts (as opposed to being thrown a curveball mid way through the season), then it just comes down to getting the results. Some seasons things don't work out as they should (for example, see 2011 when Seattle and RSL had to play each in the first round even though they were 2nd and 3rd respectively in the league).

As a fan, I can't think of anything better than seeing more games against our local rivals. No offense to NE, Toronto, Columbus and Philly, but they don't exactly do it for me. But here's the thing: they might not be who I want to see, but more games with Philly and DC will undoubtedly be a great thing for NY and vice versa. Attendance is sure to go up. Interest will go up. This is a great thing.

I have been saying it all along - if MLS is going to keep their conferences, then they need to change the schedule. Having a balanced schedule but keeping the conferences means nothing. You could randomly pick conferences and have the same effect. The reason we have conferences is to allow geographic rivals to play each other more often than those on the other side of the country. By having an unbalanced schedule, the league will truly have a team deemed to be the best in the West because they will have played (and beaten) more teams in the West. It means more to be the Western Conference champion if it means you played LA, RSL and the like more often.

The league also got rid of the cross-conference Wild Card system that was just a bad idea. Now 5 teams from each Conference will make the playoffs, with 4 and 5 playing for the right to play #1. This system would have still produced Seattle-RSL in the first round, but at least we would have had nothing to bitch about. There would be no reason to believe in a single table or seeding teams #1-#8 by overall points. Now it is all about Conferences again. To me, that is a great thing. I don't say it much, but....good job MLS.

Ok, expansion lists are due today. I don't know if MLS will release the lists or not this afternoon, but if they do, you know I'll weigh in on them. To remind everyone of the JerseySounder list, it's Montero, Alonso, Rosales, Zakuani, El Flaco, Hurtado, Parke, Neagle, Ochoa, Riley, Fucito.

Enjoy the day!

[Update - I forgot the other reason why LA winning was a good thing...it means the Sounders, get to skip the CONCACAF Champions League play-in games and instead go straight into the group stage. (2 of the US's 4 teams go straight through - normally they are reserved for the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup winners, but since LA won both, it went to the #2 team in MLS. I assume Houston will make it to CCL but will have to win a home-and-home qualifying series to advance to the group stage) That is really positive news, as it means two less games for a team that seems to have continual match congestion. Also, it means I don't have to worry over the humiliating idea of us losing to the likes of San Francisco of Panama or Isidro Metapan of El Salvador being the group stage even begins]

Use Some Protection

While most of the MLS spotlight will be shining on the Home Depot Center over the weekend, in Seattle, the attention is clearly focused on next Wednesday's Expansion, or the day I affectionately call "The Day the Sounders lose some depth so some crap Expansion Team can begin to fill out there crap roster." Ok, maybe that is a bit arrogant considering that the Sounders are only 3 years removed from picking in the Expansion Draft themselves, but seriously, Montreal is not going to be interested in players from NE or SJ or Chivas. No, they will certainly taking someone from our very deep roster, just like Philly, Portland and Vancouver did in the past.

Before I get into who the team should protect this coming Monday, a few comments about Expansion Drafts in general. Those who participate in them have taken one of two approaches. Either they scoured the lists of available players looking for players who they though could start for their team, or they selected players who could either provide some depth or who could be flipped to another team for an asset. The first approach seems like a good idea, but here's the rub: players that are left available are either not one of the best 11 players on the team, they are coming off a big injury, they are said to be on their way to Europe or their salary is undesirable. Normally, teams that go this route might be competitive in year 1, but in the long run will never be able to break through their ceiling (see: San Jose). Teams that go the other route and use the draft to take chances on younger players and flip players desirable to other teams will normally suffer a few years before seeing their true potential realized (see: Vancouver).

When the Sounders entered in 2009, they were in a pretty enviable position as they already had Seb LeToux, Kasey Keller and several USL guys on the roster. They also had Freddie Ljungberg on the way, so their foundation was already being built. When they selected players from the available pool, they were choosing those that could step in and start, but not be required to be the best players on the field. In the end, 8 of the 10 selections played for the Sounders, of which 5 are still on the roster (take a shot at their names - answer at the bottom). They went with a mix of veterans and rookies and I think this is a route that will be followed by Montreal. The Impact have already inked a DP from Colombia, Nelson Rivas, who last was seen playing for Inter Milan - and should be active in signing high priced talent. I expect them not to just go young, but to get players who fit their vision of the team. Now I won't profess to knowing what that vision is, but I do know which 11 players I would protect if I was Adrian, Sigi or Chris Henderson.

To make sure I am not crazy though, I decided to ask some of my fellow Sounders' supporters for their thoughts. The normal crew participated - JWill, Irish Mike and The Cich. This time around though, I got my cousin Anthony, my boy Lucas (a member of the ECS), and a relative who is involved with the team at some level. Those who know me probably know who this guy is, but to keep him anonymous (even though he swears he has no inside info on this) to others, I will call him Pete.

Here is how the voting went down separated by how happy Montreal would be to see them on the available list:

Level 1 - Holy Crap! He is Available? Quick - Get the Commissioner on the phone. I don't care that the draft is 2 days away!
Fredy Montero (7 votes)

Ozzie Alonso (7)

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (7)

Steve Zakuani (7)

There would not be an ounce of hesitation to pick any of these four players. Monteral would gladly eat Montero's DP salary and would gladly take the chance that Zakuani won't return to full strength. These are four of the best players in the league.


Level 2 - Oh Wow. He is an amazing player and we will gladly take him, but...
Alvaro Fernandez (7)

I only put him down here because he does command DP money, he is an international player and because he is still adjusting to MLS. I think Montreal would still gladly select him, but I think there would be more hesitation than those above/

Mauro Rosales (7)

It is almost crazy to suggest that Montreal would hesitate in selecting him, but let's not forget that he is 31 years old and in line for a huge raise. If you're part of their front office, you have to ask yourself if you could find someone cheaper and younger that could be around for several years.

Jeff Parke (6)

I personally think Parke should be in Level 1, but one of the voters did not have him in their list, so I bumped him down. I'm not sure what the hang-up would be though - his European window has already closed, he gets paid roughly $100k and he is steady as they come.


Level 3 - Nothing but smiles
Lamar Neagle (7)

Neagle really had a breakout season last year, but what makes him so attractive is his salary. Montreal would love to have a young player like this.

Sammy Ochoa (7)

Ochoa has a lot of potential. I don't think we know what he will become, but his ceiling is high. And I think his salary is low.


Level 4 - Ok, he's got some warts, but we can find a place for him in our squad
James Riley (5)

I think Riley can start for the majority of teams in the league (certainly for an expansion team). Overall, I think RB is a position that we can improve, but at the current time, Riley is important to keep simply because of who the other option is. I am going under the assumption that the team is not looking at signing a RB in the off-season, so to avoid having Zach Scott starting, we would need to protect him.

Mike Fucito (5)

Fucito is a fan favorite, but an honest assessment is that he has a limited ceiling, is 5'3" and is inconsistent. Last year, Sigi admitted to knowing that PTL was interested in him, so they protected him and ending up losing Sanna Nyassi instead. This year will be no different as we will lose another quality player because we protected him, but I think he is a must protect. To me, Fucito is super valuable because of his salary. In order to stay competitive in a league with a salary cap, teams must pay their stars and hope that they fill in the gaps with cheap talent. Some teams can rely on the draft to bring in these players, but with the second to last pick in the first round, we can't expect to find college players who at the current time are better players than Mike Fucito. Yes, the team got lucky with later draft picks (Neagle, Carrasco, Fucito), but we can't keep expecting to find players in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Fucito might not be the best player, but he is perfect for this team.

Eric Friberg (4)

Friberg is definitely the biggest omission to my Sounders protected list. He is a calming influence, is relatively cheap, fairly injury free and can go box to box. Oh, and he has soccer player hair. To me, the only other option besides keeping Fucito would be to protect Friberg and hope that Montreal is not into small strikers.

Brad Evans (1)

I like Evans, but he was dreadful in our most important games this year. I think he can still have a roll with this team, but considering his recent injury history and his salary cap, I wonder if Montreal would be interested. Add in that Montreal can only pick one of Evans or Friberg and I think the Sounders could easily leave him unprotected.

Servando Carrasco (0)

No votes for Servando because Seattle wouldn't be heartbroken over losing him. I could see Montreal wanting him.


Level 5 - Hmmm. We don't think he is any good, but we'll think about it
Pat Ianni
Tyson Wahl
Leo Gonzalez
O'Brian White
David Estrada
Amadou Sanyang
Miguel Montano

Montano definitely is the wild card here. The Sounders loaned Montano to Montreal so that he could get some game action under his belt. Montreal is familiar with him and might actually be interested in signing him. If they are really enamored with him, then we might have some sort of handshake deal where they select another player and we trade Montano and an allocation to Montreal to get him back. Ya never know.


Level 6 - Yuck. We'll Pass
Nate Jaqua
Pat Noonan
Zach Scott
Roger Levesque
Terry Boss


So there ya go. Consensus among 9 picks. Split votes on Fucito, Friberg and Riley. It will be interesting to see what the Sounders actually do. For your reading pleasure, here are some other attempts at predicting the list.

SB Nation
Sounder at Heart readers
Prost Amerika
WVHooligan
Seattle Times


[UPDATE - JWill alerted me to the fact that I forgot the answer that I promised. From the 2009 Expansion Draft, the players still with the Sounders are: Brad Evans, Nate Jaqua, Jeff Parke, James Riley and Tyson Wahl. Other players to have suited up for the club were Stephen King, Nathan Sturgis and Pete Vagenas. Khano Smith and Jarrod Smith were the two players never to suite up for the Rave Green]

Thank You Sounders

Tonight was definitely a bittersweet one. I went into the game knowing there was a 95% chance that it would be the last time I would see the Sounders until March. Down 3-0 to a quality, quality team after the first leg of the quarterfinal, we were in a deep hole. We would need a miracle to advance. And yet I was at peace. This was an amazing season and really fun team to watch. I went into the match simply wanting to see my boys put up a good fight and I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere for one last time this season.

The first half was everything I hoped for. Apart from the rain and the lack of goals, it was an enjoyable half. If they were to play the same way in the second half as they did in the first, I could go home happy.

Then Salt Lake gave us a gift PK in the 57th minute. Ozzie slotted it past Rimando and the aggregate deficit was down to 2. It felt damn good, but I knew we still had a ways to go. Four minutes later When Fredy Montero found Lamar Neagle for the second goal of the game, it all suddenly seemed real. This was the best situation we could have asked for: down 3-2 in aggregate with 30 minutes left. EVERYONE in the stadium knew the third goal was coming. Over the next half hour the Sounders continued to pour on the pressure and I assumed it was gonna come....and yet, it never did. RSL walked out of Qwest with a win on aggregate. It felt like a gut punch: the Sounders did everything they needed to do to send the series to extra time, but in the end the third goal never came. I am going to rue so many missed chances. In the first half Jeff Parke had a shot cleared off the line by a diving header. Fredy Montero shot high on a breakaway after turning around his defender. In the second half, Ozzie Alonso cracked two volleys into the stands and Lamar Neagle had a shot miraculously saved by Nick Rimando. The boys dominated but just fell short and I know they are not going to soon forget the feeling.

As fans, I think we most appreciate how amazing this season has been. We won 18 regular season games, scored the most goals in the league (56), won a third US Open cup and advanced to the quarterfinals of Champions League. In the end, our MLS season came to end because of 90 nightmarish minutes in Salt Lake City. The boys tried to fight out of it, but for the third straight season are headed home early.

I refuse to let the two game series define the season. It sucks. It is disappointing but it doesn't take away from what they accomplished. And here is the kicker - we are not going anywhere. If anything, I think we might be better next year. We'll have a full season of not only Mauro Rosales but Steve Zakuani as well. Combined with Fredy Montero, Ozzie Alonso and Alvaro Fernandez there attack will be scary good - certainly top 3 in the league again. Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle will only get better (assuming they depart in the expansion draft) and the centerback combo of Parke and Hurtado will be back. Realistically, the only positions we will have to replace are Goalie and possibly the two outside backs. The talent will be there, but more importantly, the fire will be there. Sigi and Kasey said that this season would be different because the team was hungry and that they were not just happy to make the playoffs.

That might have been the case, but ultimately it did not lead to a different result. This next year might just be a little different. I think the feeling in the lockerroom after this most recent disappointment will go a long way. As Sigi said, certain players grew up tonight. In 2012 we will be once again a complete team and this time, one that is mentally prepared for a deep run.

As for this year, the only thing I can say is Thank You Sounders. In a year when the Nets, Devils and Mets didn't make the playoffs, you were the saving grace. A lot of my East Coast friends don't get the whole soccer thing. They think it is crazy that I would even consider the Sounders to be on par with the Mets, but the fact is that I am closer to this team than I have ever been with the Mets or Devils. Don't get me wrong - those two will always be my teams. I have enjoyed not only great success with both but great failure as well. The difference is that my relationship with them is that of worship. I admire them from a far, never knowing what it is like to be at every game. With the Sounders, I sit 20 rows from the field 18 times a year. I feel their pain when they fail and I feel their joy when they succeed. It is easy to become connected with them because they are not larger than life. And it's not just me and a few friends - this is something that has taken over the entire city. Anywhere you go you will find people wanting to talk about the Sounders. It is an amazing situation and one that I am grateful for. Thank you Sounders. Great things are going to happen in 2012.

**********

Somehow I went this whole post without commenting on Kasey Keller. It is going to be strange seeing someone else in the goal next year. Keller has meant so much to not only this organization, but to American soccer as a whole. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of the USMNT, regardless of MLS allegiance, knows how important he was. In his final three years as a pro, he helped make this team legitimate, winning 44 games and leading them to 3 MLS playoff appearances and 3 US Open Cup titles. It is sad to see you go, but I take solace in knowing that you will still be part of the organization for many years to come. Thank you Kasey.

Total Domination

There is nothing to be said about last nights thrashing to RSL besides that we were thoroughly dominated. I'd like to sit here and blame the Sounders for being flat and lacking intensity, but I just think RSL was the better team. Sure, there were a lot of turnovers and some pretty terrible play that the Sounders need to be held accountable for, but there is a huge reason why they played poorly: RSL.

No one besides Kasey Keller and possibly Fredy Montero had a good game. The Midfield was atrocious. It starts with Brad Evans, who I'm not sure I saw on the field at all, and it continued with Neagle, Flaco and Ozzie. The defense was equally bad, as Hurtado and Parke got owned all night. I honestly thought we were playing 2 men down the entire game - RSL was just that good.

And really, I should have seen it coming. Sure, I talked myself into thinking that RSL's late season slump was real and that Morales and Beckerman were somehow not going to mesh after being apart for nearly 5 months. But the reality is that they have the most talented squad from 1-11 in MLS (and this is something I said back in March when they were the clear favorites). I know Los Angeles ran away with the league, but to me, RSL has only one hole in their squad and that is 45 year old Andy Williams, who himself is no slouch.

In the end, RSL beat the Sounders and they frustrated them. Ozzie was lucky to have not been sent off. Putting your hands on an opponents face is a no-no. Retaliating away from the play is even worse. He is lucky.

So now we have a weird situation. We need to win 3-0 or 4-1 at home on Wednesday and you can't imagine the fans are going to be happy. If the team doesn't score early, the atmosphere in the stands is going to be toxic. I don't like to admit it, but it's the truth. They need to get an early goal and have the crowd help them get back into it. It it's 0-0 at half, then they are not going to have a chance because the crowd will have lost faith.

Overall, just a terrible night to be a Sounders fan. Here's hoping for a miracle on Wednesday.

It's Been a Damn Good Year

The next two games will go a long way in determining whether the 2011 Sounders campaign was a success. It is sad to say considering the regular season success we have had, but if we flame out again in the first round of the MLS Playoffs, there will be a bitter taste left in our mouth. There is no way around it. So I wanted to take the time to write my review of the regular season prior to the playoffs as a reminder of just how great this season has been.

In terms of those on the field, I'm not even sure where to start, so I am going to start by giving Sigi his due. While I certainly respected the job that he did in his first two years in Seattle, I could never get around his love of Pete Vagenas. It was really such a small thing - I mean, Vagenas while not flashy certainly a capable player - but I just never understood why he got playing time over some younger guys who simply lacked experience. I also was dumbfounded how Seba LeToux could go from being a 1 goal guy for us in 2009 to MVP candidate for Philly in 2010 and 2011. Add in his terribly boring press conferences and I just started to have a bad taste in my mouth...well, that all went away this year as I have finally seen his worth. While he might not be the best tactical guy, his team management has been amazing. He was able to integrate the likes of Roger Levesque, Zach Scott, Pat Noonan, Servanda Carrasco and Nate Jaqua into the squad and not have it affect there success in any competition. Not only did they win the US Open Cup, but they finished 2nd in MLS and made it out of their Champions League group. Did I also mention that they were the highest scoring team in the league and the 4th stingiest team in the league? Did I also mention that they Blaise N'kufo, Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White within the first month of the season?? Ummm, yeah, I'm sorry Arena, but I think Sigi HAS to get the nod as coach of the year.

I want to also give some kudos to Adrian Hanauer for building this team. I know a lot of fans are still mad at him for not picking up a big name striker at the transfer deadline, but the fact remains that this team led the league in goals (56 from 15 different scorers(!)) AND they did it without the aforementioned trio of NKufo, Zakuani and White. I also know that a lot of fans are upset at the salaries that Jaqua, Evans and Noonan are carrying around, but he has made it work. Part of it is due to the professionalism of the USL Sounders - Scott, Levesque and Graham (ok, Taylor has never made the field, but I wanted to give him some credit) - for earning close to minimum salary. Part of it is due to Kasey Keller taking less money to play another year in Seattle. Part of it was luck (see Rosales, Mauro). All reasons combined, he has put together a team that not only can compete for the MLS title, but one that is deep enough to be successful in multiple competitions.

Ok, on to the field players, because ultimately they are ones who are respibsible for wins and losses. There is no better place to start than with the guy who retiring at the end of the year. I'm not normally in the 'goalie is the most important position on the field' camp, but it's hard to argue that Kasey Keller has not been the most important player for the Sounders over the past 3 years. A few howlers aside, Keller has been pretty amazing for a 40 year old. In 2011 he led the league in wins (18) and save percentage (76%) and was third in goals against average (1.09) for all keepers who played in more than 20 games. The most important think Kasey has brought however, is his leadership. He demands so much respect and accountability from his teammates and I could really see this team lifting the Cup simply as a homage to Keller.

From there, I think you have to talk about the continued development of both Fredy Montero and Ozzie Alonso. It is strange to say that considering Fredy's consistent scoring touch (12-10-12) over his first 3 years, but seriously, he is a completely different player this year than last. No one has ever doubted his talent, but this year he has mentally and emotionally matured to the point where he won't disappear if he doesn't score for 5 games. Even when he was in his dry spell early in the season, I was saying how well he has been playing. To point, in addition to being tied for 5th in goals, he was tied for 5th in assists. As for Alonso, their is not enough space or time to write about my love. He continues to be the backbone of the team and now has shown that he can contribute offensively. He has been a beast and I love him. (btw - I think both players will get looks from Europe this off-season, but I think they are both back for 2012).

The biggest surprise has of course been Mauro Rosales, aka "The Trialist". For those who don't know his story, it goes as such. Rosales, a former gold-medal winning M from Argentina who played for both Ajax and River Plate, found himself out of a job when his Mexican club Quetara FC in February. The club reports that he was hurt. Rosales contends that the team signed too many foreign players and thus were trying to save face by saying that he was hurt. His agent, former FC Dallas keeper Dario Sala, steered him towards MLS and specifically Seattle. The Sounders had minimal money to offer but somehow convinced him that this was the place he wanted to be. During the pre-season he joined the team under the moniker The Trialist (the team didn't want any other teams to find out about him) and instantly became a crowd favorite because of his work ethic. Once he became game fit, he became even more a favorite because well...he is awesome! For two years I have prayed that we could find a Latin American playmaker ala Javier Morales and David Ferriera and finally we got him. He brings something to this team that has never been seen before - vision and creativity. I am absolutely stoked thinking about him playing on the same pitch as both Montero AND Zakuani next year. Oh man, it is going to be nice.

Ok, in order not to spend entire paragraphs talking each player (and in order not to have a few more terrible transitions), I offer the following bullet points.

• The most underrated player on the team remains Jeff Parke. I wasn't a huge fan of his at first because of the contract demands, but he has been well worth every penny we are giving him. He has been really great all season and definitely deserves a invitation to the US National Camp later this year.
• It is great to have El Presidente back. He was a little shaky at first, but has really come on as of late. He is not the best with the ball at his feet, but I think he is an excellent man marker. Together he and Parke have been rock solid.
• Tyson Wahl has been a nice surprise. I never thought I would feel comfortable with him as a starter, but he deserves to be playing over Leo.
• James Riley has quietly had another solid season, so much so that Irish Mike is no longer killing him.
• Zach Scott, The Cich's (formerly known as The Wife) second favorite player, has filled an important role. I don't like him at right back, but he stepped in nicely at center back when needed. Regardless of what you think of him as a player, he continues to be an inspiration for all those who have ever been told that they can't play.
• El Flaco continues to wow me with some of his moves, but I would like to see him become a little more consistent. I am not hating on him in any sense of the word, but I simply think he has a HUGE upside that I would like to see fulfilled in Seattle.
• Lamar Neagle is definitely the best story of the season. There is no way anyone could have imagined he would score 1 goal, let alone 5 (especially the game winner against RSL or the hat trick against Columbus). While he really cannot be compared to Zakunai, he did provide the team with much needed pace and his motor never stops running.
• I am really excited about Sammy Ochoa and have been so since seeing his first two games (when he didn't score). I think he is a massive upgrade over Jaqua and hope he will be the best under-the-radar pickup of the year.
• I like Mike Fucito. He creates a lot of chances, but I would like to see him convert more in MLS play. I think this could be the guy who we lose to Montreal should we not protect him.
• Nate Jaqua continues to be on the roster. I was a defender in 2009 and 2010, but after his play this year, I can't say I am in his corner anymore. He has been bad and his salary is killing us.
• Terry Boss is athletic and got some more playing time this year, but wow, he can be brutal at times. I like him as a back-up but don't think he can be considered a starter.
• Pat Noonan filled a role but should be gone.
• Eric Friberg and Brad Evans basically do the same thing, but Friberg is alittle more flashy and Evans is a little more dreamy. I continue to like Brad even though I know all of his warts. I assume he will be left available in the Expansion Draft and wonder if Montreal would indeed take a chance on him.
• Roger is Roger. I love him, but only in limited doses. He is a great part of this team's identity.
• Finally, a few words on some of the other guys. Servando Carrasco is dating Alex Morgan and has to control his bad tackles. David Estrada has shown some flashes of capability. Michael Tetteh is no where close to seeing the pitch. Josh Ford and Bryan Meredith both have upside but we are a few years from knowing their ceiling.
  

So yeah, I don't have many negative comments about this team. It has been an amazing year, not just from results, but from style of play. I leave 90% of the games with a huge smile on my face and really really really love this team. Considering that they are in their 3rd season AND that the league is growing, such success has been a blessing. I hope that they can continue their form and march forward into the Western Conference Final. If they don't...well, then I hope I can continue to realize how great this season has been.

Interesting Weekend

It was an interesting weekend in the world of sports (or at least in the world of sports that I care about). There were a lot of different stories that I cared about, but the two biggest ones were of course the mauling of the Huskies and the mauling of Mauro Rosales.

I didn't think the Huskies had a real chance of beating Stanford on the road. I have so much faith in Andrew Luck that I knew he wouldn't let them lose. I figured he would throw for 400 yards and 5 td's. I figured the Huskies only had a shot to win if the game was somewhere in the range of 55-51. I figured the Huskies defense would give up a lot of yards, but wow, that was painful. The Cardinal ran for 440+ yards and the Huskies lost 65-21. It was so bad that Stanford punted once in the game, were 8-12 on 3rd down conversions and averaged 9.3 yards per play. Let me write that again - 9.3 yards per play. That is unthinkable.

I know it's only one game, but it certainly feels like no progress has been made. It is certainly reactionary for me to say that, but since Sarkisian took over we haven't had too mamny days like this. Our offense is really really solid, but as long as our defense is playing this way, we won't be taken seriously. I think we can still finish 8-4, but that would be a bit of a disappointment considering how well Price, Polk and the rest of the offense is playing. Here's hoping the Dawgs rebound at home next week against an Arizona squad that picked up their first conference win of the season this past Thursday.

The other big story to me is the injury to Mauro Rosales. I have to say that the whole situation just pisses me off. I know that Sounders fans are feeling a bit entitled these days, but their is good reason for that: the Sounders are a damn good team. I mean, damn good - multiple trophies good. You don't have to be a rocket scientist however, to realize that they are not as good without Mauro on the field. When he got hurt a few weeks ago, I wasn't overly concerned because I knew there was enough time left in the season for him to get healthy. When I realized who their final opponent was I knew what was going to happen. Sigi had to play Mauro because he needed to regain his fitness and because he wanted the team to get back some of the chemistry they had as little as a few weeks ago. It was the correct move, I just knew it had the potential to blow up. In my book, Chivas is the dirtiest team in MLS and have been so for a few years. I just knew someone would get hurt in the meaningless game and unfortunately it was Mauro. I really hate those effers (maybe even more than Portland) and pray that this one game doesn't ultimately hurt our playoff chances.

Aside from those two stories, here are some other observations:

• I think it is totally apparent who the worst two teams in the NFL are - the Colts and the Dolphins. Shame on the Dolphins for letting Tebow work his magic. Shame on you for adding fuel to the Tebow fire. Shame on you for allowing his legend to grow. Ughhhhh. One the final two drives of regulation, with Denver trailing 15-0, Tebow went 9-13 for 121 yards and 2 td. According to my calculation, up to that point, he was 4-14 for 40 yards. Shame on you, Miami. AND shame on you for going for 2 early in the 4th quarter. Maybe it seemed like the correct move at the time since the score was 12-0, but up to that point, the defense had not given up any points. Have a little confidence in your squad and kick the extra point
  
  Shame on the Colts for just sucking. It is clearly evident how good Peyton Manning is and how much he means to this team. You obviously can't blame Curtis Painter for giving up 62 points, but I just think the team doesn't know how to respond to him. What a huge dropoff between the two....and we are moving closer and closer to the point where the Colts have to choose whether to pick Luck or continue with Manning.
• Sorry Mike, but this bullet is all about your teams. I don't know which is worse - giving up 6 goals in soccer and losing to your cross town rivals, or giving up 6 points on the road to a bad team in the NFL and losing. Neither feels good. (Since I am shaming people, shame on the refs for the phantom block in the back call on Leon Washington's return. I'm no Seahawks homer, but that was just bad)
• Somehow my Uncle Greg has made me hate Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, he could just struggle the one week I have to go against him in fantasy. Yuck.
• I was getting all ready for the two biggest games of the year - LSU/Alabama and Oklahoma/OSU and then something happened. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech. I know the game will still be a damn good one, but it won't mean as much if they are both not undefeated (of course, this is assuming that OSU gets past undefeated Kansas St next week).
• The World Series is tied at 2. Did I get that right? Seriously, I have no idea
• In some news that no one cares about, last week my men's soccer team played the Kitsap Pumas reserve team. The Pumas as a pro team based out of Bremerton, WA and recently won the USL PDL title. The guys were really good, but somehow we held them to 2 goals. This week we played 2 men down for 25 minutes until another player showed up. We were down 3-1 at halftime and then our goalie broke his knee brace and had to leave. I went in goal (now down to 9 players) and somehow my boys scored 3 goals and we walked out with a 4-4 tie.
• I don't think Carson Palmer and the Raiders are that bad, but I do know they passed up a golden opportunity to move to 5-2 before their bye week. The bye comes at the perfect time, however, as it will give Palmer an additional week to get ready and hopefully give Run DMF a week to recover.
• Are the Lions being exposed as frauds? Well, I think they are a good team, but they are not a quality team as you can run on them AND they can't run on you. It will be interesting how the next 5 weeks play out.
• Finally, who the hell is DeMarco Murray and why did he run for 253 yards yesterday? (AND how crazy are fantasy players going to be to pick him up?)
  

That's it for now -I'll be back later this week with a Sounders regular season review.

Tuesday Brain Dump

Last week I was uninspired by the sports world. Luckily I have recovered and am excited by some of the goings-on. Here are a few random thoughts as I make my flight from Seattle to DC.

• By now you have probably seen the post game handshake between Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz (you may have even read different commentary on it) so I am not going to review what happened. instead, I want to look forward and discuss what kind of effect it will have on each team. I have heard both sides of the argument. Tom Jackson felt that each coach lost a little bit of credibility. After all, how can they ask their players to be disciplined, not let the moment get to them and not take stupid penalties when they themselves reacted in the heat of the moment. It makes perfect sense. Jason Whitlock said they are both smug and that Harbaugh and the Niners entered the game with a chip on their shoulders and that the entire league has noticed Schwartz's constant breaking of protocol. Bill Simmons said that Schwartz had to stick up for himself because he is a man. How could he lead a bunch of men in a barbaric, brutal sport if he himself was unwilling to go to battle.
  
  They all make credible points and to be honest, I'm not sure any one of them is correct. In fact, I think it is probably a a combination of each. I think both coaches are brash. I think Harbaugh is an excitable guy and I think he didn't like Schwartz coming into the game. I think he certainly was wrong with how he approached Schwartz after the game. I think schwartz was write to follow after Harbaugh rather than solely complaining in the media. And I think both will need to do a bit of damage control when it comes to their lockerroom. Luckily, it isn't an unfixable problem. Football is an emotional game and each coach should be able to use that moving forward. The pep talks should be able to write themselves.
  
  
• When I heard the news of Dan Wheldon's untimely death I was shocked, saddened and dumbfounded. I was shocked not only because of the suddenness of his death, but because Wheldon was one of the few stars of the open wheel racing circuit. It simply came out of the blue.
  
  I was saddened for obvious reasons. Wheldon was 33 years old and had a wife and two kids. Plastered over all media outlets was a picture of him with his family (presumably after winning the Indy 500 this year) and I couldn't help but think that is me in 2 years. I can't even fathom having something happen to me or The Wife.
  
  I was dumbfounded because I still don't get the appeal of car racing. Maybe it's just me - maybe I am not wired that way. But I don't need to race a 2-ton metal object to show how much a man I am, or to et an adrenaline high. I am shocked by not only how fast they drive, but how close to each other they drive. Even the slightest mistake can cause a serious wreck. I'm sure that Wheldon's wife always had this day in the back of her mind. I'm sure she loved seeing her husband do something that he loved, but I'm sure she also was scared every day he got in a car. It just seems like a risk that is not worth taking.
  
  
• It's funny. when the Yanks and Phils were in the playoffs, I was pissed off because I assumed they would steamroll through their opponents and meet again in the World Series. I vowed not to watch or discuss. Now that the Yanks and Phils are out, I am still not watching or discussing because I could care less about either team. I was hoping for a Detroit-Milwaukee series but instead, we have Texas-St Louis. Yuck. I guess you need to be careful what you wish for.
  
  What does piss me off is that the Cards are 4 games from being World Series champs. Somehow, it takes me back to 2006 when the 83-win St Louis Cardinals, beat the best team in the league, the Mets, to make it to the World Series. They had no right being there. While this year's team won 90 games, they benefited from a huge choke by the Braves and slipped into the playoffs. I know they are a solid team, but again, they don't belong there. Stupid Tony LaRussa.
  
  
• After qualifying for the Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champiuons League, I said that Sigi HAD to play his reserves. I wanted to see Josh Ford, David Estrada, Michael tetteh, Amadou Sanyang and the rest of the crew. To me, finishing first in the group would be a nice accomplishment and probably help us avoid a Mexican team in the Quarters, but the fatc remains that we will have to beat a Mexican team if we want to win the competition. RSL got lucky last year when all 4 mexican teams were put into the same draw - that won't happen again this year. We will have to beat a Mexican team in March of next year, so why not do what is needed to win the MLS Cup in November.
  
  Now, with the final game of the group stage less than 5 hours away, I am rethinking my original stance. I know I shouldn't be worried, but I am just a little concerned that we might have already peaked. When we were playing 2 games a week we were on a roll - most likely because it helped the team stay in rhythm. We were playing fluid soccer and carrying over to every game. Now after the US Open Cup and with only 1 game a week, we seem to have hit a lull. Some could be psychologcail. Some could be due to some injuries. Whatever the case I want them to get back to the rhythm they had in September. PLaying our starters tonight might just help with that cause.
  

The Wife Loves Kasey Keller

64,140. That is how many Sounders fans were at Qwest on Saturday night. Ok, maybe 100 of them were Earthquakes fans, but it doesn't matter. That size crowd for a single match (that is, one that is not part of a doubleheader) is simply staggering. Every time I go to a Sounders game I try to realize how lucky we are. It is always an amazing show.

For those of you who don't know, Saturday was special because it was Kasey Keller's last regular season home game. Every fan in attendance was there to honor the man who came home from Europe to captain this team for the first 3 years of it's existence. Unfortunately, one of his biggest fans, The Wife, was unable to make it. She was out of town since Thursday and did not arrive home until 630 Saturday night. With no time to get to the stadium, I had to bring a buddy. It was a lot of fun, but I have to say it wasn't the same without her. Simply put, she LOVES Kasey Keller and sometimes I think she wishes that he was her baby daddy. Anyways, after putting The Incident to bed, she got to watch the game and complied all her thoughts into one email. In my eyes it was good enough to post as is - I just wanted to make sure to give the proper background.

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1. I agree with Mike about Brad Evans (although is IS still very dreamy.) I don't think he's *bad* per se, I just wish he would fight a little big harder. Run a little bit stronger. Challenge for the ball, not just take a few steps for show and then back off. It seems like he's not playing with any intensity. Like he's trying to convince us all that he is actually playing without doing any real work. Compare that to Mauro Rosales, who comes in for 25 (ish) minutes, and changes the pace of the game entirely. Now, I understand that Rosales was only in for a short time, but I still with Brad would play with a little more vim, because I've SEEN him play that way. And he's good. Even though he was disappointing tonight, he is still VERY dreamy.
   
   
2. I love Kasey Keller. Hands down (or up, or sideways, or wherever he needs to put them to make the save.) The four consecutive saves he made after Ianni's terrible pass-back were AMAZING. I want to watch them again and again and again. I want it to be my desktop image, screen saver, and phone wall-paper. I want that clip to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. If we have a boy I'm naming him Kasey.
   
   
3. 64,000 fans is amazing. It feels amazing to know that the Sounders are at the center of US Soccer right now. We are at a critical time in the development of US soccer as a real, international force. Are we there yet? Certainly not. But we are making progress, and taking the US Open Cup seriously ensures us a spot in CONCACAF for next year which further elevates the status of not only Seattle, but US soccer as a whole.
   
   
4. Why does Fucito just sometimes seem so unimpressive? Is it inexperience? Lack of skill? Because he certainly tries really hard and often has moments of greatness. I wish he had scored on that nice back-post run in the first half.
   
   
5. We have Lamar Neagle's autograph in our house. When we first got it, we thought, "Who is this kid?" and then we didn't see him for a year and a half or so. Now, he's a key player for a really good team. Would he have gotten this chance without Zakuani's injury? Probably not. So while no one (NO ONE) wants to see a break like Zakuani's, it has really opened up the field and created future depth for the Sounders.
   
   
6. Umm...don't forget that the season isn't over. We still have a regular season game left and then play-offs. We certainly can't continue to rely on goals scored in the last 15 minutes. I'd like to see the Sounders figure out how to score an early goal or two as well. It feels really great to have that win, but... we are still fighting for that MLS Cup.
   
   
7. As I write this I realize two things. One: Apparently, I frequently ask questions and answer them myself. I do it a lot when I am teaching, too, and I think it's very annoying. Two: I find myself mimicking Rob's style. Will I start to look like him someday, too? I hope not. [editor's note: I think I should be flattered by the imitation...]

*****

Ok, one final note. They handed out 45,000 Kasey Keller Captain armbands and yet somehow I avoided getting one. Honestly, we did not see anything when we walked into the stadium. Huge props to Irish Mike's wife Terra for giving The Wife her armband. She wore it to bed last night. (kidding...or am I?)

More About the Sounders

Yesterday, Fredy Montero conducted a live online chat with the Seattle Times readers. Three days before Roger Levesque was a guest on the Mason and Steve Kelley podcast. For those of us without an 'In' with the team, both were unique opportunities to find out more about them and the team (well, of course, all the stuff that 'Ask a Sounder' doesn't get to). Here is a summary of what I learned:

From Roger:
-Sigi really values how hard a player is working in practice. As a player, you need to always be improving and working hard or their will be someone ready to pass you on the depth chart.
-Playing so many games is actually a blessing because it means that 20 guys get playing time as compared to 10-15 if there was only 1 game a week
-Tyson Wahl doesn't want to see any teammates after practice. Apparently he has enough of them in practice and on the long road trips. He lives one block from Levesque/Graham/Fucito on Queen Anne Hill. (I think maybe Wahl, a Cal graduate doesn't like Levesque and Graham, Stanford graduates)
-Coins were thrown from the stands in Guatemala. Jaqua got hit. Schmetzer picked them off the pitch for souvenirs.
-He remembers kicking Ozzie the first time he played against him in Charleston. He says Ozzie is a hard worker who can make it in Europe. Losing him would be bad for the team, but would be happy for him.
-After he is finished with soccer, he thinks he will go into the business world (he has an economics degree from Stanford) or go back to school.
-Taylor Graham's gf graduated from Wazzoo.
-The team makes fun of Fucito when he is taking a free kick because he approaches it as if he was a placekicker.


From Montero:
-No insight on the rat tail besides that he likes to switch things up frequently (this amazingly was the first question fielded)
-Non committal to his future
-When he scores, he kisses his wristband which has the same colors as the Colombian flag.
-His favorite players growing up were Ronaldo and Gabriel Batistuta
-He thinks David Ferreira is the best player in MLS
-His favorite goal amazingly was the second goal against Vancouver this year. However, his two best moments over the past three years were scoring the brace in his debut and the 3rd US Open Cup win
-David Estrada is the toughest competition on FIFA12
-David Estrada is also the most underrated player on the team. His work ethic is unbelievable
-He likes to eat spaghetti and chicken before all games
-He and Ozzie are roommates on the road. He is closest to Ozzie, Flaco and Rosales
-The transition to the league was really tough, but he owes a lot to Sigi. The language, style of play and work rate were all areas that Sigi helped with.
-Tyrone Marshall is the toughest defenders in the league. He has always come at Fredy regardless of if he has the ball or not
-His favorite away pitch is JELD-Wen. He LOVES to score there.
-The portrayal of Colombia in The 2 Escobars told only 80% of the story. Times have changed in Colombia.
-His favorite jersey color is the rave green.
-Fans have always been very respectful to him and his family when he is out in public.
-He follows the M's and Seahawks but is waiting for an invitation to the Storm (why he just doesn't go without an invitation is beyond me...it's not like he couldn't get tickets. Does he really care about being a big wig at a WNBA game?)
-He is learning English through classes at the local community college, his friends and girlfriend.

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In a totally unrelated note, Josh Meyers has a poll on Seattle Times asking fans whether they will be sad to see the electricity yellow's go (the two year cycle is done after the Monterrey match next week). I know I was hesitant at first, but they certainly have grown on me. Just like the rave green, I associate these jerseys with the team. I for one will be sad to see them go (especially if they replace them with some uglier, you know, like something with bra straps), but I was surprised that 51.0% of those who voted feel the same way.

Random Friday Thoughts

Even though most, if not all, of my attention has gone to the Soudners this week I still have been following the goings on elsewhere in the world of sports. So as I often do, I present a random brain dump of thoughts - this time to help you procrastinate as you look forward to the weekend.

• Terrell Owens retired yesterday...wait, he didn't? It was all just a joke? Either way I don't care. In fact, I think it is really pathetic. His entire career he was a ME-first guy who always loved the media spotlight. That is fine when you're catching 10 touchdowns a year, but now that you can't find a team to play with, it is straight up pathetic. Here's hoping he just goes away.
• Speaking of guys who can't stay out of the spotlight, Brett Favre continues to do everything humanly possible to kill any good will left towards him. In talking about Aaron Rodgers winning the Super Bowl last year, Favre said "I'm going to be honest, I was not surprised. The biggest surprise to me would be that he didn't do it sooner." Listen, I get it. Brett is bitter. He gave a lot of great years to that organization and when they drafted Rodgers he was hurt. It happens anytime someone is brought in as your successor. It is human nature. But to makes these comments after being retired is pathetic (wow, using it to describe both Owens and Favre - who would have thought that 5 years ago?). Brett, just go away, please.
• Donovan McNabb hasn't been terrible this year (save week 1 where he went 7-15 for 39 yards), but it is clearly obvious that it is time for him to be benched for first round draft pick Christian Ponder. I have nothing against Donovan - in fact, I would rather have him as my teams QB than a handful of other guys, but when you're team is sitting at 0-4 AND you have a highly drafted rookie on the bench, you need to pull the trigger. There is no difference in finishing 4-12 with Ponder and 4-12 with McNabb, so why not get the rookie some experience.
• Indy is also sitting at 0-4 and could realistically win only 2-3 games this year if Manning doesn't come back. An interesting subplot is what the team does if they are 2-11 and Manning is ready to come back. I know Manning is the franchise, but if you're management, don't you have to think seriously about keeping him off the field and making a run for Andre Luck? I know it seems weird, but let's all remember where the Packers are now with Rodgers instead of Favre.
• Zach Parise was just named the Devils captain. It was the right move for numerous reasons, but it definitely was a gamble. Parise signed a 1-year deal to stay with the Devils and if the team sucks and they are unable to re-sign him to a long-term deal during the year, they will need to seriously think about trading him. That will not be an easy thing for fans to handle. I mean, you put all this money into Kovy and yet Zach is the best player on the team. You need to find a way to keep him in Jersey (here's hoping wearing the C goes long way)
• Speaking of the NHL, the Devils favorite opponent, Sean Avery just got released and is going over to Europe. The guy sucks so it shouldn't be a big deal, but I think all Devils' fans are smiling this morning. He just seemed to get under Brodeur's skin like no one else. It will be good to have him gone.
• Now that the Yanks are done, I can focus on hating the Rangers. Man I hate John Tortorella. And Lundqvist. And all their other trolls.
• Robin Ventura was just named manager of the Chicago White Sox. Read it here first: this is going to end badly.
• Apparently TCU is now close to joining the Big 12. I think it is a really smart move for them as it re-ignites some of the old school Southwest Conference rivalries with Texas, Tech and Baylor. However, it definitely sucks for the Big East, who continues to get stood up on the dance floor. Their courtship of the Frogs was smart from a competition standpoint, but having a team from Dallas in a conference with the word 'East' in it's named always seemed weird. This is more fitting (especially if they can get SMU to join with them)
• Can the Matthew Stafford - Calvin Johnson connection last all season? Johnson has 8 td's through 4 games, which puts him on pace for 32 for the season. Obviously that won't happen. If I'm a Johnson owner, I think about selling while his value is amazingly high. If he finished with 15 td's that would be a tremendous year, but it also means he finishes with 7 td's over his last 12 games. Not terrible by any stretch, but definitely below his current form. Trade while high. (oh, and who knows if Stafford can stay healthy for the rest of the season?)
• Thanks to Twitter, athletes no longer have to be robots who never say anything interesting. In fact, a lot of athletes are now starting to say dumb things and get (rightly or wrongly) criticized for it. Currently, their is a lot of chatter going on in Sounders circles for what Daniel Hernandez, apparently still bitter over losing to the Sounders twice this year, had to say. "Congrats to Seattle Sounders for winning the StarFire Open, and doing it on the road at CenturtyLink Field!" In a vacuum, it was a funny statement. The fact is that we did have all 4 games at home, 3 of which were at Starfire. But considering his recent history with the club, fans are not happy. My one plea to them - please keep his personal life out of it. Argue with him over his comment, but keep his family out of it.
• Wait, Vancouver just beat RSL 3-0? And they had 20k+ fans on a night when the Canucks starting their season? Not bad. Not good for RSL though who look locked in to the 3 seed. I'm not convinced that having home field advantage means anything for the Sounders, but recent from definitely seems to give us an advantage.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again, Doug Fister has to be the happiest man in baseball. No way he pitches an elimination game for the Mariners' over the course of a decade if he doesn't get traded. Gutsy (hate using that word in relation to sports) job last night by the youngster against the Yanks hitters.
• I think ESPN handled the Hank Williams Jr situation appropriately. I don't want to delve into politics, but comparing Obama to Hitler is indefensible. (I was not and still am not a George W Bush fan, but I also took offense to all those Lyndon LaRouche people comparing him to Hitler). Kudos to ESPN for taking a stand and letting everyone know that this type of ignorant rhetoric will not be tolerated.
• Speaking of ESPN, has anyone watched Dan LeBetard's new show? I haven't seen it, but actually enjoy listening to the Podcast. I'm not sure it is entirely different from PTI and Around the Horn, but the subtleties make it fun to listen to.
  
• USA-Honduras on Saturday. Another chance to see how well Klinsmann new system is progressing. It is a game we should win, but more important to me right now is seeing something new, something exciting from the team.

OK, I think that's it for now. Enjoy the weekend.

About Last Night...

...Um, yeah it was awesome. I don't really have any words to describe what it feels like seeing 35,000 Sounders fans standing, singing and chanting as our boys lift another trophy. I was once a MetroStars' fan so I appreciate this team and this fan base like few others might. We are living a dream right now.

Before I get to my comments about the game, let me first talk about the suite. Thanks again to my boy Irish Mike - he came through big time. Watching a game in a suite is definitely unlike watching with the rest of the peons on the stands. First, the seats are comfy as all hell. Second, no one is standing up in front of you. Third, it is impossible to get rained on. Fourth, you can watch the replays on the tv OR an entirely different game if you choose. Fifth, there was chips, salsa and beer available inside. Sixth, we had access to our own bathroom. BUT the biggest thing that impressed me was the concession stands available to only those in the suites. It was like a world I had never seen before - the only way you can access them is by having a golden ticket. The food was damn good and the lines were super short. So yeah, very fun. Check out the pics.










Now on to the game. It wasn't very pretty at times (especially when El Flaco and Brad Evans touched the ball), but it was certainly exciting. The Sounders outshot the Fire 27-8 and would have put in at least 4 if not for some athletic saves by Sean Johnson. I started to get a little worried when we weren't able to score in the first 45. From a psyche standpoint, the Fire were able to go into half knowing that the Sounders threw everything at them and they were not only able to counter them but the raucous crowd.

Instead of coming out with confidence, they fell flat on their face. They were flat out garbage and truth be told - we made them play like garbage. We had an amazing 30 seconds of pressure in the 77th minute and when Friberg went to take the corner, Mike predicted a goal. He got it right as Parke won the header and Fredy pounced on the rebound. Qwest went ape shit. Twelve minutes later, Fredy smartly ran to the corner to kill time. When he got triple teamed, he passed to Neagle who then saw Ozzie streaking down the middle of the field. The rest was pure brilliance. Check out the goal for yourself - patience personified. 2-0 GAME OVER.

The celebration that ensued was as expected, a lot of fun. I know it's easy to say that when you are winning, but I just get the sense that they are really tight. You can just see it when when you watch the cup get passed around. Everyone wants to hold it, and everyone is totally willing to give it up. I especially loved when Leo found Stevie Z and reminded everyone that he is still a huge part of this team.

I have no other words, but some video and pictures to offer about the game.





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Ok, so the win brings a few questions to mind:

1. Does this mean anything? Does anyone care besides us?

I know some fan bases will mock us for caring so much about the competition, especially when we haven't been able to get out of the first round of the MLS Playoffs. My response is this: let's ask Red Bulls fans if they wouldn't mind getting some hardware. They have been around since day 1 and have yet to win any silverware. It might not be as prestigious, but it is the countries oldest soccer competition.

Personally, it means a lot to me because not only do we get to see our boys lift a trophy, but it also means automatic qualification into the Champions League. That is huge.

2. Did we buy our way to the title?

To provide some background, the home side in the US Open Cup is determined by the team that bids the most money to host. After having to go to DC in 2009, the team decided from then on that they would outspend all the others. It is perfectly within in the rules. However, some feel that it is unfair since our ownership has resources that others don't. Simply put, they feel we have unfairly used our resources to get 11 of the last 14 games at home.

I understand the argument, but the fact remains that the club did not break any rules. I think Hanauer deserves tons of credit for the stance they took. From day 1, the organization set a goal of becoming an international force. Hanauer was smart enough to realize that you don't do this by only winning MLS Cup. You don't do this by bringing in David Beckham. No, you do this having your team play in international competitions. If you can be successful, then people from other countries will start to notice. It might only be baby steps, but winning in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico is making us well known. The easiest way to get to this point was by winning the US Open Cup and ensuring inclusion in the CCL. Sure it would be cool to qualify by winning MLS Cup or the Supporters Shield, but that is a lot more difficult. This has been a smart move.

3. Will this be all for the Sounders this year?

The team hasn't been able to get out of the first round in both 2009 and 2010 (hell, they only scored 1 goal in 4 career playoff games). Will this year be any different? I obviously have no idea. I think any one of LA, RSL or Seattle could and should win. I think on any given day, any of the three teams could win (of course, you could also have a team with a losing record win like in years past), so it comes down to the particular day. However, with the recent form of not only Mauro, but Fredy and Ozzie, anything is possible. The three of them have been AMAZING this past month. I'm not sure which of the three has been best and it's impossible. Throw in that it's Kasey's last hurrah, and this team could step up and take down mighty LA. I think it is really possible.

4. Should we expect a 4th title next year?

I really can't believe that it will happen. Not only will all the teams be out to end their run (I do think MLS team's will start to take it more seriously), but it appears that the format will be changing. According to the Sporting News, not only will all 16 domestic MLS teams qualify in the main bracket, but it appears that the bidding process will be going away. Instead, they will probably institute a random draw. If we are going to win, it will have to be on the road and not in the comfort of Starfire and Qwest. It is definitely going to be harder than these past 3 years.