The “match of the season.” That’s what Real Salt Lake’s veteran defender Nat Borchers is calling tonight’s MLS Cup 2009 rematch between the undefeated LA Galaxy and defending champion RSL.
With every game the Galaxy have gone undefeated, the bullseye has grown bigger and bigger. But RSL also has an undefeated streak of their own – 15 straight at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Even Real Salt Lake manager Jason Kreis can’t contain his emotion. He says he’s “super pumped” for the match and Ned Grabavoy talks about “making a statement.”
Real Salt Lake gets Chris Wingert back for tonight’s big match after he had been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
The defending MLS Cup champs are already thinking ahead to their World Cup break and scheduling an opponent that will help them in their CONCACAF Champions League preparations.
In the other MLS match tonight, the Chicago Fire say they have the plan to stop the surging Rapids.
The Fire’s Mexican manager Carlos de los Cobos says he will use the upcoming World Cup break to reassess the team.
Wednesday’s doubleheader will be followed by another on Thursday including the ESPN2 Game of the Week between D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders.
D.C. United’s teenage sensation Andy Najar has confessed to a publication in Honduras that he would be interested in defending the colors of his native Central American country (story in Spanish).
Here’s the story of one Sounders fan favorite who only got his first taste of MLS action for the Sounders last weekend.
Thursday’s matches bring a close to official MLS league action. But Chivas USA and the San Jose Earthquakes will be meeting anyway on Saturday in Sacramento, just hours after the USA vs England match-up.
In Tuesday’s major announcement, the Vancouver Whitecaps moved another step closer to MLS by unveiling the logo they will use in MLS. The club also took the occasion to speak about its Designated Player strategy.
After the logo, the Whitecaps could soon release their new MLS jersey and a jersey sponsor.
Here is video of New England Revolution players picking the World Cup winner. RSL gets into the prediction game as well.
Joining the Revolution family again is Steve Ralston, who spoke about the dire situation at the second division club in St. Louis.
As the USA prepares to face England on Saturday, the only real doubts are whether Oguchi Onyewu and Jozy Altidore can start.
This morning, Bob Bradley says both Onyewu and Altidore will be ready with Onyewu capable of going a full 90 minutes.
Here’s hoping the card happy Brazilian referee is not too much of an influence on the match.
Edson Buddle is making a push to start in place of Altidore. On Tuesday he spoke about his amazement at not being called up over the course of the last seven years. Here are two more features on Stuart Holden’s connections to the UK and Tim Howard reaching the pinnacle of his career.
If the USA wants any inspiration of how an underdog can spring a surprise, they can take the example of the West Texas United Sockers, who found a way to beat a second string FC Dallas side on Tuesday.
Speaking of Cinderella stories, in Kansas City they are still marveling at how one of their former players, Herculez Gomez, wound up on the World Cup team.
South Africa will be the first World Cup for Gomez and the third for Landon Donovan, whose legacy could be defined by what happens in the upcoming tournament.
There might be no player more important in South Africa than what Bafana Bafana head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira calls the 12th man: the vuvuzela.
One New York Times columnist says the excitement around the South African national team is akin to that of the New Orleans Saints and their run to the Super Bowl.
FIFA is prohibiting the Bafana Bafana of having an “Invictus” moment against Mexico on Friday.
Lastly, the first report has emerged of a journalist robbed at gunpoint in South Africa.
What did we learn from the US-Australia friendly?Iniesta gets training boost
