Giorgio Chinaglia, the best and most controversial player to ever participate in the NASL, has rejoined the New York Cosmos as their international ambassador.

"It is important for us to respect the heritage of the New York Cosmos and Giorgio has been a big part of the club’s history.  We are honored to have a true legend endorse our vision during this exciting new era,” says Terry Byrne, the Director of Soccer for the New York Cosmos.

While Pelé was the most beloved Cosmos player, Chinaglia was the team's "Ultimate Winner." Whether you loved or loathed him, one thing was certain... Chinaglia always played to win.

Prior to arriving to the Cosmos, Chinaglia led Lazio to their first title in the 1974. During his time with Lazio, Chinaglia was also part of the Italian national team where he scored four goals in 14 games.

Joining the Cosmos in 1976, Chinaglia scored 19 goals in 19 games as New York eventually lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-1 in the Division Championship.

The 1977 season, Pelé's final season, the New York Cosmos added Franz Beckenbauer, and Carlos Alberto to their roster. However, it was Chinaglia's game winning the goal in Soccer Bowl '77 that gave Pelé a championship in his final season.

Following Pelé's retirement, he led the New York Cosmos to three additional Soccer Bowl titles. The four-time Soccer Bowl winner ('77, '78, '80 and '82) scored a whopping 243 goals in 254 games as a New York Cosmos.

Never gun-shy with his comments, Giorgio Chinaglia always spoke his mind. Whether you agreed or disagreed with him, you at least knew where he stood. Currently, Chinaglia fans can listen to him on his radio show The Football Show on the Sirius satellite radio, channel 125 (weekdays 7-9 a.m. EST).

"It was over 30 years ago when I first came to this club. To see it come back for our loyal fans of the past, as well as for the next generation of fans, is very exciting to me. The New York Cosmos name resonates all over the world and I look forward to being involved to bring back the excitement of American soccer," says Giorgio Chinaglia.

Prior to joining the New York Cosmos, Chinaglia also recorded a song titled "Football Crazy" in 1974. Along with Pelé, Chinaglia is the other New York Cosmos player to ever appear in the cover of Sports Illustrated (May 21, 1979). To read the article, click here.

Retiring as the NASL's all-time leading scorer in 1983, Giorgio Chinaglia was inducted into the United States Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000 for his marvelous contribution to American soccer during his playing days with the New York Cosmos.

Cesar Diaz covers soccer for Latino Sports. Please E-mail your questions and comments to him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The Major League Soccer 2010 season has come to a close. What a seven months it has been. From Philadelphia Union's introduction, to FC Dallas' 19-game unbeaten streak, to New York Red Bulls' new stadium, new stars, and 30-point turnaround from last year, to Beckham's return to help Los Angeles to the Supporter's Shield, it has been quite a year.

This year's MLS Cup Playoffs provide some great excitement. Six Western Conference teams and two Eastern Conference clubs will go for glory and look to become the fifteenth winners of MLS Cup. Along with this, every team will also have the goal of qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League. Two of the eight have already accomplished this for next year. Los Angeles, the 2010 MLS Supporter's Shield winners and Seattle Sounders FC, the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winners, have each qualified for the 2011-2012 tournament. The Galaxy immediately progress to the Group Stage while Seattle will have to play in the Preliminary Round.

Two teams will join them. The MLS Cup winner and runner-up each earn a spot, with the winner going to the Group Stage and the runner-up going into the Preliminary Round. If either Los Angeles or Seattle gets one of those spots, one of the other teams will be granted it.

Of course, as in most club soccer knockout tournaments, match-ups in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place over two games, once at each teams' home field. The team with the most goals over the two games goes to the next round.

The Final will be one match, set to take place on November 21st at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the home of MLS side Toronto FC.

Obviously, there is a lot on the line. With this in mind, we will now take a look at each match-up and determine who this year's MLS Cup winner will be.

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On Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, the New York Cosmos celebrated Pelé’s 70th birthday by hosting a fan appreciation event at New York’s Planet Hollywood located at the heart of Times Square. Hundreds of Cosmos fans enthusiastically waited in line for their free t-shirt and 2011 official fan ball.

What was intriguing about Saturday’s event was the diversity of New York Cosmos fans. From fans who watched the Cosmos play in Giants Stadium to the fans who were children when the North American Soccer League ceased league play, the diversity of fans was phenomenal because it further demonstrated that Pelé and the New York Cosmos still remain in the memory of many New Yorkers.

Much like the Beatles, the New York Cosmos is an anomaly that’s withstood the test of time. It’s really amazing how a team 25 years removed from professional play still possesses loyal fans who yearn for their return.

Since Pelé announced the return of the New York Cosmos, fans have been wondering and speculating where they’re going to play and when. In addition, they’ve also wondered aloud about the business plan of the New York Cosmos. Do they have the money? Do they have the necessary partners? Are they going to be the 20th team in Major League Soccer?

Granted, the fans have a right to have their questions answered. However, they need to be patient and accept the fact that when the New York Cosmos organization is ready to answer their questions, they will make an announcement. From the very beginning, the organization has made it clear that they are going to be a grassroots movement.

Along with their acquisition of the annual grassroots, World Cup soccer tournament, Copa NYC, and the establishments of two Cosmos Academies, the New York Cosmos organization has already financially demonstrated their commitment to bring back the team.

While the New York Cosmos organization is working towards creating a professional team, the number one priority of all Cosmos fans should be the restoration of the New York Cosmos Nation and here’s how:

Declare Yourself a New York Cosmos Fan

Whether you’re in a pub, at a park or in another country, it’s easy to engage with other soccer fans in a conversation about soccer. During the conversation, the question of one’s favorite team is always asked.

By declaring yourself a Cosmos fan, not only are you reminding them of the global impact the Cosmos made in their playing days, you’re also positioning them to ask questions about your commitment to the team. If you're one on the go, wearing a Cosmos t-shirt is sure to draw the attention of others as you're passing them by.

Educate the Younger Generation

One thing that was evident about Saturday’s event was that there was a group of young Cosmos fans who were asking the right questions about the New York Cosmos. They wanted to know who else other than Pelé played for the team and how many titles they had won after Pelé retired.

By taking the time to educate the youth, you’re definitely creating the opportunity to create future supporters.

Join or Create a Supporters Club

What better way to remind the New York Cosmos organization that you want a team than joining or creating a supporters club? Imagine having a Cosmos Supporters Club that attends a couple of New York Red Bulls games at Red Bull Arena in Cosmos colors to declare a friendly rivalry with the Empire Supporters Club.

The beautiful thing about creating a Supporters Club is that you can also promote the team by volunteering for various nonprofits in the city. If you choose to form a Supporters Club, please notify the organization first and inform them of your intentions.

Utilize Social Network Websites

Living in the Facebook and Twitter world, it’s not difficult to inform your peers that you’re a New York Cosmos fan. All it takes is a few seconds to type, “I’m with the NY Cosmos” or “Cosmos fan 4 Life” on a weekly basis to draw interest.

If you really want to go above and beyond, write about the New York Cosmos and what they mean to you. There are plenty of sites where you can blog and, who knows, you may create a following.

Be Patient

Understand that creating a professional soccer club takes time, and there’s a process the New York Cosmos organization has to go through before they’re awarded the right to be a Major League Soccer team.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports. Please email your questions and comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy head into the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs with the best regular season record in Major League Soccer. But one would have to be blind, stupid and possibly dead to think that the G's will stop there.

There is no doubt that the road to Toronto may as well go through Sandy, but first it has to make a stop at Seattle. Qwest Field on Halloween in the 2010 MLS Western Conference Semifinals.

The Qwest Field where fans got a refund from the Seattle Sounders front office for the 4-0 blowout defeat the Galaxy handed them on May 8. That Qwest Field.

Of course, Los Angeles have their own personal beef with Seattle. After all, the Sounders DID defeat them 2-0 on July 7 en route towards their successful U.S. Open Cup defense. And while the Galaxy didn't exactly field their strongest lineup that day, one would be believe that LA will seek to make that setback a pure and simple aberration.

“I feel we’re the team to beat,” Galaxy defender Sean Franklin said on Sunday. “We’ve been first the whole season. [We weren’t] consistently good, but neither was everybody else in the league. I know everyone wants to beat us and it’s going to be a fight when we go into Seattle on Sunday.”

The Galaxy have been able to complete the MLS double before. In 2002, Los Angeles finished first overall in the regular season before Carlos Ruiz scored golden goal over the New England Revolution to win the 2002 MLS Cup.

“What we did [on Sunday] were the things we had planned all along,” Arena said. “We felt it was a one-in-100 chance that today’s game wouldn’t matter.

“We had to earn it. We had to come from behind, we had to play an excellent team in a tough, demanding game. We needed this game.”

“In a way, I’m glad the result [against FC Dallas] went the way it did because if we would have come into the game with it already wrapped up, then we wouldn’t have had the performance,” said Galaxy midfielder David Beckham. “But we needed the performance like this.

“Last week was disappointing, and everyone was looking at our character after that game, so it was important that we had a game like this tonight.”

Arena admitted that Sunday's contest with FC Dallas marked the first time the Galaxy truly had their backs against the wall.

“"Having fought back and winning the way they did gives the team a boost of confidence moving forward,” Arena said. "We haven’t been in a game where we’ve been forced to win, forced to show up and play hard and fight and scrap for everything we could get, and we did it.

“That’s the kind of game that should give our team and our players a lot of confidence as we go into what is going to be a real difficult playoff series against Seattle."

Current Sounders manager Sigi Schmid, who was responsible for giving LA their first and only MLS double to date, fancied his club's chances.

"It's a great match-up. Obviously the Galaxy had two wins against us in the regular season, so we will be motivated and well-prepared," Schmid said. "We were the best team in MLS over the second half of the season, and the fans will get to see the likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. It's going to be a great series."

Colombia's very own Fredy Montero will be looked on to exact some regular season payback. The Sounders forward has 10 goals and 10 assists and will be a focal point for the Galaxy backline. Montero's right-hand man is midfielder Steve Zakuani, with 10 goals and six assists in the regular season.

However, there may be a bad moon rising in Switzerland's Blaise Nkufo. The forward has five goals to his credit and poses as a tertiary scoring threat for Seattle.

Other key providers to watch for include midfielder Brad Evans and defender James Riley, who each have three assists to their credit. The back line of Riley, Patrick Ianni, Leo Gonzalez and Jeff Parke will be counted on to make amends for the production they gave up to LA. Watch for the likes of Alvaro Fernandez, Sanna Nyassi and Osvaldo Alonso to mix things up in the midfield.

Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller has a 14-10-5 record with a 1.15 goals against average, 82 saves and a 68.9 percent save percentage.

As for the Galaxy, Buddle gave up the Budweiser Golden Boot to San Jose's Chris Wondolowski but retains his team's own golden boot with 17 goals this season.

Landon Donovan finishes the 2010 MLS regular season with 16 assists on the year. Donovan is also second on the team in goals with seven. Michael Stephens and Sean Franklin are other key providers to watch out for, with eight and six assists, respectively.

In the midfield, a healthy David Beckham will work wonders for the postseason campaign. Just weeks removed from a healed Achilles, Beckham will look to up his numbers and facilitate on set pieces. Brazilian midfielder Juninho is also performing well on loan and there has been talk on some forums about signing the young star from Sao Paulo for the long haul.

The backline of Franklin, A.J. De La Garza, Todd Dunivant and Omar Gonzalez turned in a second-half performance that will be required to maintain the success they had against Seattle in the regular season. Timely dispossession, clockwork marking and awareness of the passing tendencies in their own defensive third will be crucial for the Galaxy.

Of course, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts will need to do his share of the dirty work as well. The Big Cat from Montego Bay ends his 2010 regular season with an 18-7-4 record, a 0.90 GAA, 79 saves and a 76 percent save percentage in 2,610 minutes of action.

It's not going to be the 4-0 blowout the fans saw on the eighth of May. But it will be a win nonetheless for Los Angeles because they have rediscovered how to deliver with their backs against the wall. The Galaxy will have a solid advantage heading into the second leg of this conference semifinal.

Kickoff for this match is scheduled for Oct. 31 at 5:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com.

Buddle and Gonzalez: the toast of the team


Edson Buddle and Omar Gonzalez earned team awards after the match against FC Dallas.

Buddle was named the Galaxy’s Most Valuable Player, narrowly edging out Landon Donovan for the award, voted on by the local media. In his fourth season with the Galaxy, Buddle was one of the unquestioned stars in MLS this season, scoring a career-high 17 goals. He scored nine of the Galaxy’s first 10 goals this season and despite missing five games while with the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in South Africa, maintained his spot as the Galaxy’s top goalscorer all season long.

The Galaxy lost just once this season when Buddle scored a goal and he moved into fourth place in club history with 42 goals in 87 games since joining the club in June 2007. Buddle added two assists for the Galaxy this season, meaning that he factored in 19 of the club’s 44 goals on the season.

Additionally, Buddle joins Carlos Ruiz as the only two players in Galaxy history to record multiple seasons with 15 or more goals and became the seventh player in MLS history to score 90 or more goals in his MLS career.

The defender of year for Los Angeles went to Gonzalez, who ppeared in and started 28 games for the club this season, the most for any outfield player on the club, playing the full 90 minutes in each of those games. The 22-year-old from the University of Maryland helped LA tie a team record with 12 clean sheets on the season and allow just 26 goals, which are the least in club history.

Gonzalez was also active at the attacking end of the field, scoring twice with headers off corner kicks, one of which came in second half stoppage time at Chicago on September 4, earning LA a 1-1 draw, snapping a two-game losing streak.

As the team's leading scorer, Buddle earned his team's golden boot. Nice consolation prize gained, that man. The Galaxy were 11-1-1 in the 13 games that Buddle scored in and he scored the game-winner in seven of those. His seven game-winning goals were the second most in MLS while his four multi-goal games were tied for the most in the league this season.

Finally, Buddle was named the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year as a result of his active involvement with the team and Galaxy Foundation's community endeavors. Buddle served as the Galaxy’s ambassador for their Pepsi Refresh Project idea in order to help the club win a $50,000 grant.

He was also as part of the Galaxy’s Read Across America celebration and focus on literacy. As a part of that, Buddle and teammate Todd Dunivant visited Eshelman Avenue Elementary School after training to read to the students and impart the importance of reading.

Adding to his support of literacy, Buddle, Dunivant and Omar González joined the Galaxy Foundation at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School for their annual Reading Garden build with The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and The Home Depot on April 22 - Earth Day.

As member of the Galaxy and the 2010 U.S. World Cup squad, Buddle, along with his teammates, supported the Global Campaign for Education - US (GCE-US) and 1Goal: Education for All initiative.

Along with the coaching staff and players, Buddle has demonstrated outstanding involvement during the 2010 MLS season in all facets of the Galaxy’s outreach, grassroots, and soccer programs as well as the Galaxy Foundation’s charitable endeavors.

Finally, Buddle has visited children in Los Angeles area hospitals and through team clinics, assisted in growing the sport of soccer by demonstrating not only skills, but also character and sportsmanship to thousands of kids in both the L.A. market and his home state of New York.

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Well, how about that.

It took them the entire regular season, but Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy defeated FC Dallas 2-1 to finally claim the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield. With the honors go a free pass to the group stage of next year's CONCACAF Champions League. At least they won't risk being embarrassed by Puerto Rico again in the preliminary round.

"We needed this game," Arena said. "We haven't been in a game where we've been forced to win, forced to show up and play hard and fight and scrap for everything we can get. That's the kind of game that should give our team and players a lot of confidence.

"We … had to fight for our lives, basically. We raised our level of play, our competitiveness, our mentality. And it's something we're going to have to have for the playoffs if we have any interest in trying to get back to the MLS Cup."

Interestingly, for 11 excruciating minutes, it seemed as if the regular season would crumble in unceremonious fashion for the G's, who haven't had the finest second half of a season. Atiba Harris exploited a hole in the backline and made it 1-0 to the Hoops in the 22nd minute.

Match referee Mark Geiger probably decided to make up for Ricardo Salazar's vendetta with Los Angeles by playing advantage to LA in the 33rd minute, David Beckham was there to bury an equalizer in the 33rd minute of play to make it 1-1.

"Everyone was fighting for each other tonight," Beckham said. "That was the difference. Everyone was looking at our character. So it was important that we had a game like this tonight."

And the unlikeliest of heroes—Juninho—scored the final goal of the regular season with his second of the year in the 46th minute of play to make it 2-1. That was fast.

But the reason why Los Angeles won this game, and the Shield, was their clockwork defending. Now, we haven't been seeing this for a third of the regular season, give or take a few matches. We have been seeing the likes of Omar Gonzalez, Sean Franklin, Todd Dunivant and A.J. De La Garza sleep in the back and fail to shut down the runs and the pace from their opposition.

But I have noticed all this year that once one player on defense begins to dispossess their counterpart on offense, others in the defensive third take notice and follow suit. It becomes contagious, almost surreal.

Eventually the team becomes a machine. It becomes a machine that operates on breaking up possession, marking each player that they are assigned to, intercepting passes and making clean challenges for the ball. And when it doesn't breakdown, the machine becomes a formidable force.

In the second half, the Galaxy played like a machine, and this is what they must do in order to ignite their MLS Cup prospects.

A rock solid defense, combined with resiliency, is what separates the haves from the have-nots. Tonight, on a rainy Sunday evening at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, the Los Angeles Galaxy proved to the 24,000-plus in attendance why they are MLS Supporters' Shield material.

Let's see if their defense will make them MLS Cup material.

"You can have the gilded boots, Wonder Boy; we'll take the Shield"

For the record, 1. the San Jose Earthquakes cheated by having two games in one week, and 2. Chivas USA is so terrible that Jorge Vergara is a buffoon for letting this failed experiment of a franchise flounder with its rent bills coming after them like those nagging creditors on your voice mail. But Edson Buddle probably won't mind finishing with 17 goals compared to Chris Wondolowski's 18.

This victory over FC Dallas just shows the diversity of weapons Los Angeles has available. You see, it doesn't have to necessarily be Buddle, Landon Donovan or Beckham to hammer home a game winner for the Shield winners. It just takes somebody with the word "HERBALIFE" on their chest to hammer one home. Not too difficult to comprehend.


Chicken Thief No. 12: Atiba Harris...or maybe not

Well, in all actuality, Harris did prevent the shutout by sucker-punching the G's in the 22nd minute of play, but he didn't steal all the chickens. There was one stash of foul that he couldn't touch, and it seems that the Galaxy front office was ready for this and hid it where he couldn't see it.

The fans got free chicken in spite of Harris preventing a shutout. You fail to steal all the chickens and you get a yellow card to boot. Well done, that man; he sure accomplished something.


Youth Academy Update

The Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy Under-18's suffered their biggest defeat of the season: a 5-0 mollywopping by the Seattle Sounders Academy Under-18s on Saturday. This probably will be added motivation for the senior side (more on that in a bit).

They did rebound from that appalling display with a 2-0 victory over Crossfire Premier.

As for the Under-16's, it was a much better effort as they defeated Seattle 3-0. On Sunday, they held Crossfire Premier to a 1-1 draw.

Next up for the Los Angeles Galaxy Under-18s and Under-16s is a trip up north. On Saturday, Oct. 30, the Academy takes on the San Jose Earthquakes Youth Academy. Perhaps some payback for the senior side's shortcomings could be in order...

Kickoff for the Under-18s is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. PT while the Under-16s match is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT. Both matches will be at San Jose's Nutrilite Training Facility.

On Halloween, the Young G's clash with Development Academy powerhouse Cal Odyssey. Kickoff for the Under-18s is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. PT while the Under-16s clash at 10:00 a.m. PT. Both matches will be at Keith Tice Memorial Park in Fresno, California.

Quick change in the rain!?

Beckham apparently had to get his shirt and shorts changed on the sidelines after he suffered a gash in the first half, causing blood to stain them. It was a pretty ambitious display, and the ladies were swooning over his physique.

Heh, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that.


Up next...the Sounders.

Next up for the Los Angeles Galaxy senior side is the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Western Conference Semifinals. The Galaxy will look to exact payback for their US Open Cup demise (although, they DID put out a watered-down roster), while Seattle will look to exact revenge for their futility in the regular season.

Will there be redemption on the way for Sigi Schmid's club? Or will the coaching genius of Bruce Almighty force the possibility of more refunds for Qwest Field's home supporters?

A full preview of this home-and-home series will be on tap at Bleacher Report and on the View from Victoria Street.

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My name is JR Salazar, and this is another Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany) on Bleacher Report. Today's Play-By-Play features the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas. For Bruce Arena's Galaxy, this will either be a day to be remembered or a day to be damned. Who will prevail? Stay tuned for all the exciting action and commentary on b/r!

Feel free to give your thoughts on the proceedings, too! Be sure to keep it clean and relevant, as always.

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My name is JR Salazar, and this is another Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany) on Bleacher Report. Today's Play-By-Play features the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas. For Bruce Arena's Galaxy, this will either be a day to be remembered or a day to be damned. Who will prevail? Stay tuned for all the exciting action and commentary on b/r!

Feel free to give your thoughts on the proceedings, too! Be sure to keep it clean and relevant, as always.

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Seattle Sounders FC completed its MLS season by returning to Houston to face the host Dynamo team for the first time since being eliminated in last season’s league playoffs.

That fact served as a kind of omen Saturday as the home team ended the longest MLS win streak of Seattle’s two season franchise history with a 2-1 triumph at Robertson Stadium before a crowd of 23,990.

The streak had reached five games and a six-game unbeaten period. While the match was physical, the tempo had to be somewhat restrained at least in part due to the high level of humidity despite the fact that the temperature was only 83 degrees.

As customary for the Sounders during their second half surge, the team scored an early goal to jump on top 1-0. The scoring began in the 12th minute. It was defender James Riley that initiated it with one of the premier goals of the season.

The score occurred after there had been a good deal of quick ball exchanges near the Dynamo goal. Nate Jaqua ultimately was able to boot the ball back to Riley, who drilled a right-footed bullet into the Dynamo net. Rookie goalkeeper Tyler Deric was unable to do anything about it, given the swiftness and force of Riley’s thrust.

The score was Riley's second career goal. It was his first since Sept. 24, 2005, his rookie season with the New England Revolution.

Houston scored the equalizer in the 27th minute. Brad Davis and Dominic Oduro combined at midfield and played Geoff Cameron into the box. Cameron struck a low, left-footed shot from the left side that beat Kasey Keller to the far post.

The teams went to their respective locker rooms deadlocked at 1-1. It took little time for the home team to notch the game winner after they returned to action.

In the 46th minute Davis launched the scoring sequence that decided the game when he set up Mike Chabala on the left flank. Chabala then swung a cross into the box. Cam Weaver's subsequent header beat Keller inside the far post.

Davis ranks third in MLS with 12 assists.

The most controversial call of the day occurred in the 35th minute. Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani used his speed once more to move into one of his patented breakaways. Sensing that a Seattle score could be close at hand, Deric moved out of his goalkeeper’s area and into the box.

Zakuani sprawled to the ground as a result of the challenge. Zakuani assumed, as did his teammates, that a red card would be given to Deric and a penalty kick would be bestowed on the Sounders.

Instead the call went the opposite way. Zakuani was issued a yellow card, shaking his head in dismay. When the half ended Sounders coach Sigi Schmid walked immediately toward the referee and registered a protest over the call.

Patrick Ianni had a solid opportunity during stoppage time to pull his team even. He delivered a close range header that bounced over the crossbar. Houston held the edge in shots 11-8. Seattle had more on goal efforts with a six to four advantage. The home team boasted a big edge in corner kicks at 9-1.

For Seattle 2010 was an MLS campaign of two distinctly different seasons. The team finished overall at 14-10-6 with 48 points. Seattle culminated first half action at 4-8-3. In the second half the Sounders notched a highly impressive 10-2-3 mark.

A major factor in the second half surge was the play of veteran forward Blaise Nkufo, who commenced play for Seattle not long after finishing World Cup competition with Switzerland. Until Saturday’s season concluding loss the Sounders had been undefeated in every game that Nkufo started. His record as a starter was 9-1-1.

Despite a highly frustrating season Houston finished with two straight wins. The Texas based team managed to avoid the Western Conference cellar as it finished play at 9-15-6 with 33 points.

The Sounders return to action Sunday, Oct. 31 in a first round MLS playoff match against an opponent not yet determined.

Seattle will host play at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field with first kick slated for 5 p.m. Pacific Time. As of Saturday more than 30,000 tickets had been sold. Seattle finished the 2010 regular season with two more wins and one more point than 2009.

Fredy Montero, who did not see action Saturday due to a yellow card from last week’s match against Chivas USA, and Zakuani led the team with 10 goals each. Montero achieved a franchise record 10 assists while Keller's 11 shutouts is one more than his 2009 total.

Schmid was philosophical about the loss. He stated that the physical nature of the play prepared his team for next week’s playoff action.

“As far as the game goes, I thought we had some good moments,” Schmid said. “I think the start of the game was good and then after the second goal we played well and had some good chances.”

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Chris Henderson currently serves as Technical Director for Seattle Sounders FC. His is a storybook journey beginning with his roots in youth soccer, to a national championship at UCLA, to U.S. National Team status and finally to MLS stardom.

Henderson began playing soccer at five and it was no surprise. He came from a family in Everett, just north of Seattle, where soccer was highly prominent.

His father Dick was his coach at Cascade High during his last two years. This is the same high school that also produced famous football coach Dennis Erickson.

The family included another prominent soccer player as well.

His brother Sean would be a teammate of Chris’ at UCLA.

Chris’ abilities obtained a berth for him on the U.S. Youth Soccer National Team. In 1989, the U.S. squad achieved higher honors than any that came before it.

Also on that team with Chris was a prominent player with whom he is now associated with the Sounders, veteran goalkeeper and current MLS All-Star, Kasey Keller, a fellow pacific northwesterner who  played his college soccer at Portland University.

“We made it all the way to the semifinal round,” Henderson reminisced while taking a break from a Sounders practice in Tukwila. “The international tournament took place in Saudi Arabia. We lost to Nigeria 2-1 and then to Brazil 2-0 in the third place game.”

Not long after Henderson divulged that nostalgic tidbit he moved over to the area of the practice facility where goalkeepers train. He reunited with former U.S. National Youth Team member Keller as he delivered some bullet-like kicks toward the goal, giving the veteran a chance to keep them out of the net.

He did the same for Keller’s backup, Terry Boss. Henderson has maintained competition weight and looks like he could don a Sounders uniform and move instantly into game action.

Henderson went south to UCLA to play for the coach, who now directs the destinies of the Sounders, Sigi Schmid. In Henderson’s second season of 1990, the Bruins won the NCAA title.

Henderson’s soccer education was enhanced playing under Schmid, who began coaching UCLA at the age of 27, then went on to a successful career in the MLS.   

Was his initial experience with Schmid as a player helpful in coordinating efforts with him currently as a coaching assistant and the team’s chief scout?

“Yes, it helps because I understand his methods,” Henderson said, “and his approach is basically the same as when he was my coach at UCLA. His foundation is based on the principles of the great basketball coach John Wooden, who was a legend at UCLA when Sigi was playing soccer there. He followed the basic principles of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success with the emphasis on teamwork.”

The NCAA title win was a big thrill to Henderson. The game itself was a thrill to all who saw it.

“The year before we had been eliminated by Santa Clara in the 1989 regionals,” Henderson recalled. “Unfortunately the game was played on a field that was covered with water.”

The saying that “good things come to those who wait” was apt in the case of Henderson, and in this case the reward took but one year to materialize.

“In 1990 our championship match with Rutgers in Tampa was a real thriller,” Henderson remembered. “Regulation play ended in a scoreless tie. We finally won in four overtimes.  It all came down to penalty kicks. I remember kicking third and making it. I really felt a sense of relief. So we won on penalty kicks and were champions. What a great moment that was!”

Henderson’s college soccer career ended with that sophomore season NCAA championship triumph.

“I continued my schooling at UCLA, though, and got my degree,” Henderson revealed. “I majored in history and was happy that I finished my education at UCLA.”

Meanwhile, Henderson began spending a lot of time in the beautiful Southern California communities of Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach. His reason did not have to do with absorbing lovely scenery, however, but was soccer related.

Henderson was working out with the U.S. National Team. He would become a fixture on it from 1990 until 2001. Meanwhile Henderson had returned home long enough to put in one season as well with the Seattle Storm of the Western Soccer League.

The talented midfielder played with the U.S. National Team between 1990 and 2001.  During that time he earned 79 caps. At 19, he was the youngest member of the 1990 U.S. World Cup Team and was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team that played in the Barcelona Games.

The adventurous Henderson spent part of his productive nineties period playing in international professional ranks. He spent 1994 and 1995 playing for FSV Frankfurt. From there he was on to Norway. He trained with Staebek during the winter and was there for parts of the 1995 to 1996 period.

After that it was back to the United States and the most lengthy and productive phase of his professional career. Chris became a part of the pioneer phase of the newly developed Major League Soccer organization.

This stage began in 1996 with the Colorado Rapids.

“When you see the league and how it operates today it is interesting to look back and contrast it with those early days,” Henderson noted. “I remember those early facilities. You would go to a public park. You would share the facilities with youngsters playing baseball or businessmen there to play a recreational game of tennis. You would share the shower and locker room facilities with these people from the local area. Often they would say with genuine surprise, ‘You mean I’m sharing the locker room next to a guy who’s a professional soccer player?’”

The early days also provided an economic challenge as MLS fought to remain afloat while the product was being introduced to American sports fans.  

“Three owners kept the league alive during those early days,” Henderson recalled.  “They were Lamar Hunt, Robert Kraft and Philip Anschutz.”

Henderson played with the Kansas City Wizards, a team that Anschutz owned.

“Philip Anschutz and I became friends,” Henderson revealed. “In fact, when I got married it was on Philip Anschutz’ ranch.”

Henderson’s career spanned a decade, beginning in 1996 and ending with his retirement in 2006. He performed during two different intervals for the Colorado Rapids, for the aforementioned Kansas City Wizards, as well as the Miami Fusion and Columbus Crew while concluding his career with the New York Red Bulls.

His most productive goal scoring seasons were 2002 with Colorado with 11 tallies and 2000 at Kansas City with nine. Also, in his first stint with Colorado, Henderson scored seven goals in his second MLS campaign in 1997.  

When Henderson retired he held a number of career MLS records, including number of games and minutes played.

The playing career of Chris Henderson allowed him to span the globe on the U.S. National Team and in the early phase of his professional career. From there it was on to the key early stages of Major League Soccer and a productive career spent in five cities.

Now Chris Henderson is back home where the journey began, helping Sigi Schmid to achieve success with the Seattle Sounders.

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