Both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, after
surprising sub-par seasons, showed their veteran experience and quality in the
MLS Cup playoffs, and are set to play for the league championship for a second
consecutive year Saturday. Here are some of the top reasons for Northwesterners
to catch the game at 1:30 pm PT on ESPN (or Telefutura, TSN, RDS) even though the Sounders and Timbers are not playing...
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| Watch a former Spokane star Saturday |
1… Brian Ching – The former Spokane Shadow PDL star and
Gonzaga alum is in what will likely be his final MLS Cup championship game,
barring a third successive run to the 2013 finale next year. The three-time MLS Cup champion is in his
fifth MLS Cup title game. The game is a rematch of last year’s final in which
he fell 1-0 to his first MLS club, the LA Galaxy, whom he won the US Open Cup
with in 2001. One warning for those who
don’t follow the league closely: Ching will likely start on the bench, a role
he has gladly assumed this season for the Dynamo. Update: New story from Simon Borg that paints Saturday as likely Ching's final game regardless.
2… David Beckham – Love him or hate him, this will be his
final game with the Galaxy, and with all likelihood, MLS. If you love him, you
can watch and celebrate five successful seasons that have helped to raise the
profile of the league in addition to him leading the Galaxy to two Supporters’
Shield titles and an MLS Cup championship. If you hate him, you can rejoice in
his eminent departure, and root for a Dynamo win to spoil the send-off.
3… Landon Donovan – Everything seems to be up in the air for
the star international. Nobody seems to know what is in his mind in regards to
his future with the US MNT, the Galaxy or even MLS as the offseason approaches
and the final round of World Cup qualifying looms.
4… Rematch – This is second time in 17 seasons in which MLS
Cup is a rematch from the previous year’s final. Coincidentally, the Dynamo swept the
previous occurrence, defeating the New England Revolution in penalties after a
1-1 draw in 2006 and taking a 2-1 decision the following year.
5… Arena vs Kinnear – The two winningest coaches in US
soccer history are squaring off Saturday. Jonah Freedman presents a great argument for why this is a great story. Arena is headed to the final for a
league-record sixth time and Kinnear is in the final for the fourth time in
seven years, sixth in 12 considering his role as assistant to Frank Yallop in
San Jose before the team ‘moved’ to Houston.
6… Home Field Advantage – Maybe its not a driving force to
watch the game this particular time because the Home Depot Center has hosted
MLS Cup a league-high four times previously, but this will be the first time
the championship game is being hosted by the higher seed as opposed to being at
a pre-determined venue. Greater-LA has hosted MLS Cup six times (including the
1998 final at the Rose Bowl) while only DC (3), Foxboro (3) and Dallas (2) have
been the other host locations on multiple occasions.
7… North American Soccer – All the other reasons aside, you
should be watching just to support the domestic game. Head out to your local
sports bars and show them that college football isn’t the only game people want
to watch. Speaking of North American soccer; the Mexican championship concludes Sunday (4:00 pm PT, Univision) when Toluca hosts Tijuana, trailing 2-1 after the opening leg of the series Thursday.
My Pick: As much as I would love to see Brian Ching win
another championship given my past with the Shadow PDL team, my brain says that
the Galaxy have too much proven goal scoring capabilities. Combined with home
field advantage, I think the league media darlings will win it yet again… 3-1
is my prediction.
#INWsoccernews
