US roster has distinct MLS flavor

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley has called in a squad made up largely of Major League Soccer players for a training camp to prepare for a Jan. 24 friendly against Sweden at The Home Depot Center.

The group, which features 20 MLS players, will assemble in Carson, Calif. on Jan. 4.

"This is the beginning of a big year for the national team, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction," Bradley said in a statement. "This is another great opportunity to reinforce the principles of how this team operates both on and off the field, as well as getting players ready for the match against Sweden and the first World Cup qualifier this year against Mexico in February."

Ten of the 15 MLS clubs are represented, including five players from the MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew -- goalkeeper William Hesmer, MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall and midfielders Eddie Gaven, Brian Carroll and Robbie Rogers.

Marshall is one of four players on Bradley's squad to earn major MLS postseason hardware. Bradley's roster also includes Chicago's Jon Busch, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year; LA Galaxy defender Sean Franklin, the MLS Rookie of the Year; and FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper, the MLS Comeback Player of the Year.

Brian Ching, who scored all four of his national team goals in 2008 in World Cup qualifying matches, is the leading capwinner on the young squad with 32 appearances. The forward is one of four players selected from the Houston Dynamo, joining midfielders Geoff Cameron, Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden.

Midfielder Sacha Kljestan played in eight matches last year for the US -- the most of any player on this squad -- and is one of two Chivas USA players, joining defender Jonathan Bornstein. Fullback Chris Wingert, who enjoyed a stellar 2008 MLS season with Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC's Marvell Wynne and Cory Gibbs from the Colorado Rapids round out the MLS-based defenders.

Jack Jewsbury is the lone player from the Kansas City Wizards selected. He and Chicago's John Thorrington are the final two players in a midfield exclusively comprised of MLS talent.

Joining Cooper and Ching up front is Chicago's Chris Rolfe, one of three Fire players on the roster.

The four Scandinavian-based players, all currently on winter break, are goalkeeper Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), defenders Clarence Goodson (IK Start) and Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland) and forward Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF). Goalkeeper Matt Pickens is out of contract.

After the friendly against Sweden, the U.S. will prepare for a showdown with rival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in the opening game of the final hexagonal round of qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa.

A busy 2009 will also include the FIFA Confederations Cup in June, where the U.S. has been drawn into Group B with five-time World Cup winners Brazil, current World Champion Italy, and Egypt, as well as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and additional World Cup qualifying matches.


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Shea likely to return by start of season

FRISCO, Texas -- Brek Shea experienced just about everything in his first season of professional soccer. He was an early draft pick by FC Dallas, worked his way through the reserves and played a number of different positions, made a couple of appearances with the first team -- and now is spending the offseason in rehabilitation after undergoing a pair of knee surgeries late in the year.

"It (my knee) is feeling good," Shea said. "Every morning, I'm meeting with our trainers here. Yeah, I usually never have injuries and now I've had two back-to-back. Hopefully now I'm done with them for a while, knock on wood."

FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has no concern about Shea's most recent surgery being his second in a matter of just a few months.

"He had that meniscus tear and they sewed it up," Hyndman said. "He's been working like crazy. We were all excited and were going to send him to the (U.S. national) under-20 camp because the doctors were going to release him and then we took him into a few more tests out here and he felt a pop. So, the doctor looked at him again and they did a surgery on him ..."

"This time, they removed the part of the meniscus that did not heal. It didn't connect well, so they thought the best thing to do was to go ahead and remove it. This is going to be a quick recovery, three to four weeks. So, I'm not concerned about the number. I'm more concerned that the first time, it didn't take, so the second time we're going to make it better."

Shea's rookie season began in January when the 6-foot-3 native Texan was taken second overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by FCD. The rangy 18-year-old showed his versatility for the Hoops' reserves, making starts at forward, left midfield and finally at center back.

Shea also played in two contests with the FCD first team. He played the final four minutes of a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on April 20 and then the final 13 minutes of a 2-1 loss at Colorado on June 1.

For the FCD reserves, Shea made eight starts and performed solidly. He also earned call-ups from the full, under-20 and under-23 national teams.

"It was a good learning experience," Shea said. "I learned a lot of things and hopefully next year, I can do a lot more than what I did this year."

Shea credits one recently retired FCD veteran for helping ease his transition into MLS.

"Bobby Rhine, he helped a lot," he said. "When things were going bad or whatever, he would pull me aside and tell me stuff. I guess he thought that (to retire) was the best decision, so I support it."

In early December, Shea was one of a number of FCD players taking in the NCAA Men's College Cup at Pizza Hut Park. That experience brought mixed feelings for Shea -- who could have been a freshman competing for the national championship had things gone differently.

"I had committed to Wake Forest and when I was watching (the College Cup), I thought that I could have been there (playing with them)," he said. "But I never really wanted to go to college. It was never my first option. That was more my parents' thing."

FCD is set to begin preseason in mid-January. But before then, Shea plans to head to his old stomping grounds for some training, where FCD teammate Anthony Wallace, who lives in the area, could join him.

"I'm going to head to Bradenton for the U-17 program, train there for two weeks," he said. "Then I will have a couple of U-20 camps before we start preseason. I think I'm going to Bradenton on the 7th of January. (Wallace) lives 40 minutes away and will probably come up and train with us but I haven't really talked to him about it since November."

Shea should be ready to train at the start of preseason and that means he could also be getting called in for camps with the U-20s.

"The first one that I know about is on the 18th (of January) when we go to Trinidad," he said. "Then, I think we're having a camp all of February. I have talked to them but haven't gotten an e-mail or anything. They just said that they're bringing me in but I don't know if it's official or anything."


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Crew fans get late present as Marshall re-signs

COLUMBUS -- Columbus Crew management gave their fans a late Christmas present when it announced Friday that 2008 MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall had agreed to a new contract.

Marshall, 24, was out of contract and had been on a trial with Mainz of the German second division as negotiations continued.

"The base salary we offered was probably comparable to over there," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said. "I'm sure their bonuses were significantly higher, especially if the team is promoted, but he felt comfortable here with our offer and where he's at in this point of his career."

With the signing of Marshall, the Crew is assured of having 10 of 11 starters under contract from the 3-1 win over New York on Nov. 23 in MLS Cup 2008. The lone absentee is central midfielder Brad Evans, who was claimed by Seattle Sounders FC in the expansion draft.

"We as a club went out on a limb, committed significant resources, in order to get Chad done. It shows the level of commitment we have as a team to try and take another run at it," Bliss said. "We knew we were going to lose somebody but the goal was to retain, within the salary cap obviously, as many guys as we could. We were able to retain 10 of 11 and a few others that were vital parts."

The Crew also forged new deals in the offseason with league and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and defender Danny O'Rourke.

"Chad was an anchor of our defense. I am a believer, although we scored a lot of goals this year, that defense wins championship and we were very good defensively in large part due to Chad," Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers said. "It's great we're going to keep our backline together. We're going to keep the spine of our team together with the exception of Evans. I feel awfully good about it in terms of keeping this team together and giving us the best chance to repeat."

Of course, the other big transaction in the offseason was 2008 MLS Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid leaving the team for Seattle.

Marshall had a breakout year after missing the final two months of the 2007 season due to a series of concussions that put his career in jeopardy. Rather than risk further injury it was decided that he needed the extra rest if he were to have a chance to return to the Crew.

The time off did wonders, as did goading from Schmid to become a more vocal and active leader on the field. Marshall became a force in the middle of the defense despite having to break in a pair of partners in central defense -- rookie Andy Iro and O'Rourke, a converted midfielder.

Marshall played all but one regular season match and scored four goals, matching his total from the previous four seasons combined. All four scores came on headers off set pieces -- three from Schelotto and another off a service from Robbie Rogers. "Air" Marshall continued his dominance in the box with two critical goals in the playoffs to help the Crew to its first league championship.

His header via a free kick by Schelotto tied the Eastern Conference Championship against Chicago at 1-1 early in the second half and the Crew went onto a 2-1 victory.

In the title game, Marshall's run down the middle and header off Schelotto's corner kick in the 53rd minute proved to be the winner and nullified a score two minutes earlier by John Wolyniec that tied the match at 1-1.

With a new deal in hand, Marshall's next goal is getting back on the U.S. national team. He had a goal in his first career cap on March 9, 2005, vs. Colombia. He made three other appearances but the last was Oct. 12, 2005.

The Riverside, Calif., native played two seasons for Stanford before being the second overall pick (behind Freddy Adu) in the 2004 SuperDraft.

While McCullers is pleased to have Marshall back, he doesn't expect him to be in a Crew uniform down the road.

"He's expressed a desire to go to Europe and at the right time and right situation he will go," said McCullers. "Chad has the ability to continue to develop in this league and probably will have a better offer in a year or two years than he was offered right now."


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Defender of the Year Marshall to return to Crew

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew on Friday announced that 2008 MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall has signed a new contract with the club.

The 24-year-old center back was out of contract and had been on a trial with Mainz of the German second division as negotiations continued with Crew.

"We have made a significant commitment to ensure that Chad remains a member of the Crew and we are very pleased to have gotten that priority accomplished," said Crew technical director Brian Bliss. "It goes without saying that he played a vital role in our championship season and re-signing him allows us to retain our core group of key contributors."

Marshall had four goals in the regular season and two more in the playoffs, including the winner against New York on Nov. 23 in the MLS Cup that gave Columbus its first title.

Bliss said last week the team had made a fair offer and the decision was up to Marshall.

"Does he want more money? If that's the case he should go to Europe," Bliss said. "If he wants significant pay and wants to stay at a club he's done well at and won a championship with then he'd stay here. It comes down to his choice."

With Marshall in place, the Crew is assured of having 10 of 11 starters under contract from the 3-1 win against the Red Bulls in the championship match. The lone absentee is central midfielder Brad Evans, who was claimed by Seattle Sounders FC in the expansion draft.

The Crew also forged new deals in the offseason with league and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and defender Danny O'Rourke.

In the title game, Marshall's run down the middle and header off Schelotto's corner kick in the 53rd minute proved to be the winner and nullified a score two minutes earlier by John Wolyniec that tied the match at 1-1.

Marshall had a breakout year after missing 17 games last season because of post-concussion syndrome.

With a new deal in hand, Marshall's next goal is getting back on the U.S. national team. He had a goal in his first career cap on March 9, 2005, vs. Colombia. He made three other appearances but the last was Oct. 12, 2005.

The Riverside, Calif., native played two seasons for Stanford before being the second overall pick (behind Freddy Adu) in the 2004 SuperDraft.


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Avila looks to build upon rookie season in 2009

FRISCO, Texas -- As SuperDraft day dawned almost exactly one year ago, Cal-Santa Barbara midfielder Eric Avila was projected by many to be selected in the opening round of the 2008 entry draft. However, as events played out that day in Baltimore, Avila slipped to the second round, where he was taken 19th overall by FC Dallas.

Much of the first half of the rookie campaign for the member of the Generation adidas program was spent on the bench, but on June 26 at Houston, Avila made his full professional debut, coming on for the final five minutes of a 1-1 draw with the Dynamo. His first start came on July 4 against Kansas City and he made it count, delivering a great ball to Abe Thompson for a stoppage-time goal that allowed the Hoops to salvage a draw with the Wizards.

In all, Avila appeared in 14 games, three of those starts and logged a pair of assists. It is an experience he is looking to build upon heading into his second season with FCD.

"I think it was good," the southern California native said about his rookie season. "It was an eye-opener for me, I think. I experienced the way the whole system works. I played a couple of games and know how the games go now and all that. I know what to expect and what not to expect. Coming into this year, I got all those little things out of the way. Now I can go out there, work hard, play and do what I can to help the team."

It has been a somewhat busy offseason for Avila. In early December, he was one of four FCD players who ventured across the pond as part of a Generation adidas tour to London, where they played friendlies against the reserve teams from various Premiership sides.

"I thought it was an experience I will never forget," Avila said of his time abroad. "It was cold but it was really nice. We got to play against top teams and top players. Just going out there, playing against them and seeing where we were at was something that was good for me."

Just after the end of the season, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said he would like to see Avila become a better defender heading into 2009. The native of San Diego clearly has taken those words to heart, especially while in London.

"I was playing attacking center mid in all three games and it was really good," he said. "I attacked a lot more and my defense was great because we were playing against great teams and they kept moving the ball. I was trying to defend one of their best players, which I think I did really well. I did think about that while I was over there on that trip."

Making the adjustment from college to the professional ranks can be a tough transition for any player. However, Avila's transition was eased a bit by veteran midfielder Pablo Ricchetti, who several weeks ago expressed his displeasure with his contract situation and rumors have even surfaced about his possible departure, something Avila does not want to see happen.

"I love Pablo (Ricchetti) and would hate to see him go if he does," Avila said. "He taught me a lot of things. For him to leave, I would have to find a lot of things out on my own. I would have to find my credentials out there and motivation to keep myself going. Pablo was always reminding me to keep going and keep going."

Early next year, Avila will be on the move again as he and two FCD teammates will be heading to Brazil for a two-week training stint with Clube Atletico Paranaense, the Hoops' South American partner.

"I think it's something that will be great for me," he said of the trip to Brazil. "We're not doing anything in the off-season and I have no plans to go and play. So when this came up, it was perfect. I will be training with the CAP first team twice a day and getting ready for the season. After that, I think I will be ready to go."

With the 2009 season set to start nearly two weeks earlier than was the case in 2008 that means a compressed winter, something that is fine with Avila, who wants to prove to Hyndman that he can be an effective two-way attacking midfielder.

"I'm excited," he said. "I want it to start now. I'm really hoping that things go well and then we'll see where it takes me with the preseason because you never know. I'm ready to go in there and show him (Hyndman) that I have been working on it (my defense) and hopefully he gives me a chance."


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Unparalleled success for Crew in 2008

"Now we're done."

With that simple phrase from captain Frankie Hejduk, the Columbus Crew put a wrap on the most successful and unlikely season in the team's 13 years of existence.

For weeks, the players had been reminded by the fans and from within the locker room that earning the Supporters' Shield for the best record over a 30-game season was just not good enough. The Crew had already done that once before but a first-round exit in 2004 left a lingering bitterness among the fans and probably helped seal the demise of coach Greg Andrulis the next season.

Enter Sigi Schmid to rebuild the club in 2006. The coach did an extreme makeover over the next three seasons and when the Crew entered the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs -- the team's first appearance in four years -- only starting defenders Frankie Hejduk and Chad Marshall and reserve midfielder Duncan Oughton remained from the previous regime.

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SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Check out the best of 2008

So, when the Crew were presented the Supporters' Shield trophy after they defeated D.C. United in the season finale on Oct. 26, a chant arose from the fanatical Nordecke section in the northeast corner of Crew Stadium.

"We're not done yet! We're not done yet!"

The players heard it. Schmid listened and the Hunt Sports Group ownership led by Clark Hunt joined in the refrain.

"We're not done yet. I thought it was very apropos because we still want more," Schmid said at the time.

The Crew got what they wanted. After surviving a scare against Kansas City in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series, the Crew had to defeat not only the Chicago Fire to win the Eastern Conference Championship, but a field full of ghosts that haunted the organization.

Columbus had been in position to advance to MLS Cup four previous times but couldn't get over the hurdle. Facing former Crew forward Brian McBride and goalkeeper Jon Busch, two second-half goals forged a 2-1 victory to exorcise the demons.

Getting to the MLS Cup Final and winning it were two different stories. No team since Schmid's 2002 Los Angeles Galaxy had won the Shield and the MLS Cup in the same season.

"We're not done yet."

As had been the case throughout the season, the Crew rode the brilliant play of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who had an MLS Cup-record three assists as the Crew downed New York 3-1.

"Every goal we set, we accomplished," Hejduk said. "We wanted to make the playoffs. Then we wanted to get win the Eastern Conference and get home field for the playoffs. Then we wanted to not only go far but make the MLS Cup and win it. That's what Sigi said in the locker room before the game: 'This is the only goal we haven't reached. Let's go do it.'"

Said Schmid: "We believed early on in the season, about after six or seven games, we were a team that had a chance to win the MLS championship."

The genesis for his optimism actually was the final two games of the 2007 season when the Crew needed to win at New England and D.C. United to stay in the playoff hunt. Columbus did its part, but still fell three points short.

Prior to the start of this season, Schelotto told the squad that just one more home win last season would have made the difference. The Crew set out to improve on their 37 points and tepid 5-5-5 mark in Crew Stadium.

The turnaround was remarkable. The Crew had 20 more points (17-7-6) and set team records for points, wins and goals (50) in the post-shootout era. They went 7-0-2 over the last nine regular-season home games to finish 11-2-2 and added two more home victories in the playoffs.

Schmid was named coach of the year; Schelotto was the league's season and playoff MVP and Chad Marshall was MLS Defender of the Year. Midfielder Robbie Rogers joined the latter two on the MLS Best XI.

"It was a dream year," Hejduk said.

"Our team knew last year that the way they were playing, had we gotten to the playoffs, we would have scared some people," Schmid said. "That confidence we had, we talked about that at the beginning of this year, what we accomplished last year and building upon that and we were able to carry it on."

The season started on a good note when Adam Moffat and Alejandro Moreno scored and Will Hesmer stopped a penalty kick during a 2-0 win against visiting Toronto.

As a sidelight, the match was the first with the new concert stage that displaced the supporters from the north end zone. The front office made an effort to get all the fan groups into one area. It would take several months to percolate but the three main factions came together to form the Nordecke (German for northeast corner or deck) and a massive following was created.

After a 2-0 loss at New York, the Crew reeled off four wins in a row, including a wild 4-3 triumph over Chivas USA.

Rogers scored his fourth and fifth goals in a 3-2 win at San Jose in the fourth game of the streak that was a foreshadowing of the Crew's ability to overcome any deficit. On 11 occasions the Crew rallied from down 1-0 or 2-0 to garner points. Against the Earthquakes, the Crew scored three times in a 12-minute stretch of the second half.

While a 0-0 tie at Toronto gave the Crew a 6-1-1 record, it also started a string of four consecutive games without goals. Included was 2-0 loss to San Jose on June 7 that proved to be the last home loss of the season.

Despite the drought, the Crew exhibited a calmness and belief in themselves that would become the trademark for the club.

"It's not like we're not getting shots or chances," forward Jason Garey said before the June 14 game at Kansas City. "We're getting shots on goal, hitting the crossbar, having shots blocked. It's a matter of keep playing well and the goals will come. A little more concentration in the final third is all it takes."

The team-record shutout streak reached 370 minutes before Marshall headed home a corner kick by Schelotto in the third minute against the Wizards. The Crew won 3-0 and were shutout only twice the remainder of the season.

A 3-3 tie followed at Los Angeles with the help of rookie forward Steven Lenhart. It would be the first of three times he would come off the bench to get the equalizer from the 87th minute on.

"What I'm most proud of is the way we were able to win," Schmid said. "We won, it seems to me, in every possible scheme. We had a game at Colorado where we were down a man and yet won. We had the shootout against Chivas early in the season. We had games where we led early and kept the lead and we're able to get a positive result even in games we didn't play well."

It was truly a team effort. Moreno had a team-high nine goals in the regular season but 14 players scored in all; 10 had at least two and six netted four or more goals. Then there's the incomparable Schelotto, whose 19 assists in only 27 games tied for the second-highest number in league history.

"He makes everybody around him better," Rogers said.

The Crew returned from L.A. to beat Colorado 2-1 then rallied from a two-goal disadvantage to tie Chicago 2-2 in Crew Stadium on July 5. Columbus reached the midpoint with an 8-4-3 record, good for 27 points and a real possibility of making the playoffs.

A loss at Real Salt Lake started the second half on a downer and then the Crew fell behind 2-0 to K.C. in the opening 24 minutes but managed a 3-3 tie at home heading into the All-Star Game.

Columbus returned from the brief break to win 2-0 at Colorado despite losing Lenhart to a red card just before the half and played well at Houston but dropped a 2-0 decision on Aug. 2 before having a bye week.

Two significant things happened in the two weeks before the next game: defender Gino Padula returned from injury and the Crew obtained the rights to forward Pat Noonan from New England. While Noonan was not in the best of shape after playing sparingly in Norway before deciding to return to MLS, he provided the Crew with a veteran player with playoff experience who could play multiple positions.

Just as importantly, it was a psychological boost to the Crew and their fans after McBride decided to finish his career with Chicago following a long and successful stint with Fulham of the English Premier League.

Signing Noonan showed that the Crew was serious about a long playoff run. Getting Padula back in the lineup helped as well. The Argentinean solidified the left back spot that had seen four others start there after he was injured in the third game.

Injuries dominated the Crew the first three months with Moffat's the most serious when he underwent season-ending knee surgery in early May.

In mid-June the Crew had eight of its first 20 players sidelined but when August rolled around the team was getting healthy. Padula's return was the final piece that helped mesh a defensive unit that was third-best in the league.

Including the playoffs, the Crew were 14-1-3 when he played, with the lone loss a meaningless game at New York on Oct. 18. After the bye week the Crew went 11-1-3, including the playoffs.

"We grew as a team," midfielder Brian Carroll said. "We thought and believe we could do this at the beginning of the year when we set out to reach this goal but it really picked up steam and started to take shape as the season went on. We built on each performance and each win. It became a reality as the season went along."

It was an ominous start, though, when FC Dallas led 1-0 at the half in Columbus on Aug. 16. Goals by Carroll and Brad Evans three minutes apart gave the Crew a 2-1 win and started a stretch of four consecutive wins.

During that period, Schelotto contributed to 10 straight scores with two goals and eight assists.

The Crew followed the Dallas win with a 3-0 thrashing of visiting Real Salt Lake. The next week at Dallas, the Crew spotted the Hoops a 1-0 lead again but got the win on goals by Moreno and Eddie Gaven.

Columbus moved into first in the conference and overall going into a home showdown with New England. The Revolution were tired and hurting from a busy summer schedule but the Crew showed no mercy in a 4-0 thumping.

A hamstring injury to Schelotto could have derailed the Crew Express but they went 2-0-1 without him. Noonan scored his first goal in a 1-1 draw at Toronto FC. New York was a 3-1 victim at Crew Stadium and Marshall scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win at New England.

After beating David Beckham and LA 1-0 before a sellout crowd at Crew Stadium, the team clinched the Supporters' Shield following a 2-2 tie at Chicago. In the second-to-last game the Crew rested six starters and saw their nine-game (7-0-2) unbeaten streak end in a 3-1 loss at New York.

There were whispers that the Crew had peaked and they grew louder when D.C. hit the post three times in the regular-season finale but could not score as the Crew celebrated their Supporters' Shield with a 1-0 win for William Hesmer's 10th shutout of the season.

Columbus opened the playoffs at Kansas City and had trouble getting good flank play on the narrow baseball field. It took a stoppage-time goal by Lenhart to tie the game and the aggregate at 1-1.

"We still had all the confidence in the world," Hejduk said. "We knew we were playing at home and we had the support behind us. If we played our game we had no doubt we would win.

Evans scored on a nifty set-up by Carroll in the seventh minute and the Crew never looked back in a 2-0 victory to win the series 3-1 on aggregate.

Next up was heated rival Chicago. The teams had tied twice and the Fire had also knocked the Crew out of the U.S. Open Cup in June.

It looked ominous for the Crew after McBride scored in the 29th minute but Schelotto connected with Marshall for another header off a restart in the 49th and Gaven scored six minutes with assists going to Moreno and Schelotto on the winner.

The years of doom and gloom had been lifted and the Crew were on their way to California and a date with history.

Moreno gave the Crew the lead over the Red Bulls after being fed by Schelotto. After New York's John Wolyniec tied the game in the 51st minute the Schelotto-to-Marshall connection went at it again off a corner kick two minutes later. Then in the 82nd minute Schelotto flipped the ball to a breaking Hejduk and the captain headed the ball into the goal to complete a stunning season.

"It was a really special year, an incredible journey. We're sad it has to end," Carroll said. "A lot of us we're talking we wish it didn't have to end yet."

But it did with the hoisting of the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy and the celebrations that followed.

Cup run gives Red Bulls new vision

On Oct. 23, few in Major League Soccer thought the New York Red Bulls would advance to their first-ever MLS Cup appearance. Heck, most thought the club would miss the playoffs altogether.

And yet, exactly a month later, the Red Bulls were at The Home Depot Center as one of the final two teams standing. Sure they lost to the Columbus Crew 3-1, but their Cinderella run through the postseason, which included thrilling victories at Houston and Real Salt Lake, will be remembered for some time.

"I'm really proud of what we achieved this year considering all the circumstances," Juan Pablo Angel said at The Home Depot Center following the final. "It doesn't necessarily mean I'm happy because we lost, but I think we went to a stage we weren't expected to reach."

To get to their first-ever final, the Red Bulls faced every obstacle imaginable, from the early retirement of a designated player to the substance abuse suspension of two starters late in the regular season. The run even surprised their head coach.

"As a coach and a human being that sees the glass half-full, I went into the season thinking we're going to make the playoffs and we're going to go probably to the final of the conference," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "But with all the adversity and all the problems and issues we were confronted throughout the season at some point I had doubts, reservations and concerns."

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SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Check out the best of 2008

The season started with the appointment of Osorio, who was named head coach of the Red Bulls on Dec. 18, 2007, becoming the club's 11th coach in 13 years. The former MetroStars assistant stresses stiff defense and that was evident early in the season when the Red Bulls conceded six goals in the first seven games.

However a 5-1 blowout by the Chicago Fire, who earned a measure of revenge against their former coach, followed on May 25. It would be the first of several lopsided losses for the Red Bulls.

Two weeks later, star striker Jozy Altidore was sold to Villarreal of Spain's La Liga, leaving Juan Pablo Angel without a partner up front.

Following two injury-plagued seasons, Claudio Reyna announced his retirement from soccer on July 16, leaving the Red Bulls without one of their two designated players and without their playmaker in the midfield.

Osorio was forced to go on a shopping spree, bringing in three South Americans in the midseason. Venezuelan internationals Gabriel Cichero and Jorge Rojas and Argentinean defensive midfielder Juan Pietravallo were all inserted into the starting lineup, but it was met with mixed results. After initial success, all three were benched for the stunning playoff run. Cichero was waived at season's end.

Osorio also added attacking players Matthew Mbuta and Mac Kandji from United Soccer League clubs at the roster freeze deadline for a Red Bulls club that seemed a lock to make the postseason after an undefeated August -- not counting, of course, a 6-2 exhibition loss to FC Barcelona at Giants Stadium on Aug. 6.

However, the Red Bulls won just one of their next seven matches and worse adversity was still yet to come.

The Red Bulls were dealt what at the time seemed to be a crushing blow when starting goalkeeper Jon Conway and central defender Jeff Parke became the first two players in Major League Soccer history to be suspended for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance on Oct. 16.

The 10-game suspensions came days before a critical home game against the Columbus Crew as the Red Bulls were battling for their playoff lives.

Untested rookie Danny Cepero was named the starting goalkeeper after Conway played every minute of every game. Not only did Cepero get a key win in his MLS debut, he also scored the goal that killed the game on an 80-yard free kick that bounced at the top of the 18-yard box and over the head of Columbus Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, in the process becoming the first goalkeeper to score a goal in an MLS game.

A win at Toyota Park on Oct. 23 against Chicago would clinch the 10th playoff berth in club history. Instead, the Fire thrashed the Red Bulls 5-2, meaning New York would have to wait three more days to find out their fate.

On the final day of the regular season, the Red Bulls made the playoffs when the Columbus Crew defeated D.C. United at Crew Stadium. New York earned the final of two wild card berths and was sent out West where they were set to face the mighty Houston Dynamo, the league's two-time defending champion.

The task of beating the Dynamo became even more daunting when versatile Seth Stammler had knee surgery just before the start of the postseason. Instead of playing Rojas and Pietravallo, Osorio rolled the dice and went with Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who has been a reserve for much of his two seasons, and rookie Luke Sassano, in the midfield.

The gamble paid off. Both players took the opportunity and ran with it during the postseason, especially keeping Houston's combination of Dwayne De Rosario and Ricardo Clark quiet during the Western Conference Semifinal Series.

Dane Richards was dominant in a remarkable 3-0 victory in the second leg of that series. The Red Bulls then jumped ahead early in the Western Conference Championship and withstood a wave of pressure the rest of the way to pull off a 1-0 victory against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium to book their MLS Cup ticket.

Also by doing so, the Red Bulls qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League.

"It's an incredible achievement by the club. I think we've taken some big steps this year and we've raised the bar," Red Bulls sporting director Jeff Agoos said. "This is certainly a very big step for the New York franchise, for the Red Bulls to be playing against some of the top clubs in this region and we hope to make the most of it."

While the Red Bulls might have stunned the MLS world by advancing to the MLS Cup, Osorio said the formula to get there was actually quite simple.

"At the end it was just a matter of playing organized football, effective football," Osorio said. "I think we did that and that's why we went far."


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