Seattle Sounders FC closes its regular MLS season at the Houston Dynamo in a Saturday match at 1 p.m. PT.  The Sounders’ postseason playoff opponent in a scheduled October 31 home clash has yet to be determined.

Seattle has achieved a 14-9-6 record with 48 points, a club record five game winning streak and six games unbeaten in MLS play.  A win Saturday could move the team over the 50-point threshold to a glossy 51 finish.

For the host Dynamo it has been a tough season.  Houston has an 8-15-6 record and 30 points.  This is Seattle’s first visit to Robertson Stadium since being eliminated from the 2009 playoffs by Houston last November.

Goalkeeper Alex Horwath has been called up by Seattle.  He will replace injured backup Terry Boss.  Horwath played at the University of Wisconsin before signing with Major League Soccer as a pool goalkeeper.

A 1-0 extra time loss in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals is the only Sounders FC defeat in six meetings with Houston.  Seattle is 2-0-1 in the regular season series.  It ousted the Orange from the semifinals round of the 2009 Open Cup and earned a draw in the first leg of last year's playoff series.

Not that long ago Houston enjoyed grand success.  The Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007.  The Dynamo has gone 1-4-3 in its last eight home contests.  It has done better in recent road outings.  Houston is 2-1-1 in its last four outings following a 1-0 road win at San Jose this past weekend.

Star striker Fredy Montero, who has a healing quad injury and would most likely be seeing limited action at best Saturday, is officially grounded due to a yellow card he picked up late in the Chivas USA match.

The last three months have been magical for Sounders FC.  After beating Chivas USA 2-1 at home last week, Seattle sports a glossy 10-1-3 mark during the second half of the MLS regular season.

Despite a troubling start to the campaign Seattle has surged, surpassing the win and point totals achieved in its sensational first season. Going into the week, it is tied for the league's fourth best record.

Not only has Seattle become the first team to repeat as Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Champion in 27 years, no other team in the 15 year history of Major League Soccer has lost fewer matches in its first two seasons.

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"Pelé is one of the few who contradicted my theory: instead of fifteen minutes of fame, he will have fifteen centuries." — Andy Warhol

Recognized by the world as Pelé, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Três Corações, Brazil on October 23, 1940. Tomorrow, the greatest Soccer Ambassador The Beautiful Game has ever produced is turning 70 years old.

Playing for Santos F.C., the Brazilian National Team, and the New York Cosmos, Pelé has brought smiles and memories to millions and millions of soccer fans worldwide. Being a three-time World Cup Champion who scored an astronomical 1283 career goals, Pelé has given journalists and fans alike a lot to write and talk about.

On October 1, 1977, playing his final game in a friendly between the Cosmos and Santos FC at Giants Stadium, Pelé asked the world to watch over the children. At the time of his request, this writer was one year old and one of the children Pelé asked the world to take care off as they witnessed his final game.

My parents being young and clueless first-time parents took Pelé's advice to heart and implemented it in the way I was raised. Along with their nurturing and guidance, they would slyly make a reference to Pelé to the point where I was fascinated about learning about him.

Now grown up, I'm faced with a series of questions. What do I write about a Legend who I've never witnessed playing live or even met? What else is there to cover that hasn't already been written about him?

I don't... the only thing I will say is "Obrigado e Feliz Aniversario Pelé!"

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports. Please email him 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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The New York Red Bulls' 2010 MLS regular season started and ended with Joel Lindpere. Scoring the first ever-regular season Red Bull goal against the Chicago Fire in a Red Bulls 1-0 victory in March, Lindpere scored the final regular season goal in tonight's Red Bulls 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution.

After performing horrendously in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union, the Red Bulls needed a win tonight in order to secure the Eastern Conference title from Eastern Conference second best team, the Columbus Crew.

Dominating the first half, the Red Bulls dictated the flow of the match with their stellar defense and teamwork. Continuing to play his best soccer of the season, Dane Richards scored his fifth goal in the final seven games when he shot a rocket in the 17th minute to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, New England played more aggressively but where unable to tie the game due to their lack of timing and missed opportunities. With five minutes of stoppage time, Joel Lindpere won the Eastern Conference title for his teammates when his goal placed the game out of reach in the 92nd minute.

It's amazing how much a year does make a difference. Following the 2009 MLS season, the New York Red Bulls were the laughingstock of Major League Soccer. Frustrated and ashamed, Red Bull fans rightfully demanded changes.

The first critical hiring the Red Bulls organization made was Erik Soler as their Sporting Director. With Red Bull Arena making its inaugural season debut, Soler's mission was to give Red Bull fans a respectable team.

Determined to demonstrate to their fans that they are committed to giving them a Red Bull team they could be proud off, the Red Bulls organization lead by Erik Soler-hired Hans Backe as the team's coach. Recognized as Sven-Göran Eriksson's assistant for Manchester City and the Mexican national team, Red Bull fans wondered out loud if Backe was capable of reversing the players performance on the pitch.

Soon after that and throughout the regular season, the Red Bulls acquired world-class players like Joel Lindpere, Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez while drafting Tony Tchani, and and Rookie of the Year contender Tim Ream to help Juan Pablo Angel and company.

As a result, the Red Bulls (15-9-6) won the 2010 East Conference title and will host their first playoff home game against the Colorado Rapids on Thursday, November 4, 2010. In addition, fans and supporters clubs like the Empire Supporters Club, the Garden State Supporters and the more recent Hans Backe Viking Club have every reason to be smiling.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports. Please send him 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 is one of three teams that was able to put Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas to the sword during the 2010 MLS regular season.

On May 20, 2010, during the 17th minute, Mike Magee was responsible for taking a critical three points away from Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, and this was without the likes of Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan or David Beckham. Beckham was still recovering from his torn Achilles, while Buddle and Donovan were on World Cup duty.

“I think we played kind of the way we’ve played since I got here,” Magee said. “We played hard with a lot of heart. We were really competitive and I think we out-competed them. If we get back to that I think we’ll have a similar result.”

Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein remembered the proceedings at the Hut, as if it were last week.

“Going into that game, that was a game we really looked at as we needed everyone working together,” Klein said. “We played as a team that day. We didn’t play great, but we were effective."

“And we went down to a tough place to play and got a result.”

As for Arena, the Galaxy manager chose to opt for short term memory when asked about the match.

“To be honest,” he said, “I don’t even recall the day. It’s immaterial; that was a while ago. I don’t even know when we played, in April or May. It’s immaterial today; it’s just about how you perform on Sunday. We have to play better than them for 90 minutes.”

While a Colorado Rapids victory over Real Salt Lake will seal the Supporters' Shield for the Galaxy, Los Angeles can leave no doubt as to who owns the prize with a win on Sunday. Furthermore, the Galaxy will gain some badly-needed momentum heading into the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs.

"They are solid in every position of the field," Arena said of the Hoops. “They’ve shared the goal-scoring load among a number of people. They have a lot of depth to their midfield, they have a very good back line and (goalkeeper Kevin) Hartman has had an outstanding season.

“They have a good team, no question about that. They’re going to be a very tough team to beat.”

FC Dallas is led by Jeff Cunningham (11 goals), David Ferreira (eight goals and 13 assists), Brek Shea and Milton Rodriguez (five goals each).

Magee admitted that more of the same mentality will be required for the Galaxy to replicate their road success at home.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “I think mentality is everything. We have a lot to play for. We thought that Colorado was going to kind of sit back and give us the Supporters’ Shield, but at this point in the season no team is going to do that. Dallas won’t be any different.”

Also at stake this week is Edson Buddle's race for the Budweiser Golden Boot. San Jose's Chris Wondolowski caught up with the Galaxy's No. 14 in the Earthquakes 3-0 hammering of Chivas USA. Both Wondolowski and Buddle each have 17 goals going into the final weekend. The Earthquakes are a possible first-round opponent for Los Angeles.

“I definitely would like to get the Golden Boot but...it’s not in the bag yet,” Buddle said. “It’s not going to be easy this weekend to score a goal, but that’s my job. Hopefully I can come through and provide for my team.”

“It’s a great accomplishment and hopefully he can lock it up,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said of Buddle. “You never know what could happen. He’s been goal-dangerous all year, no question about it.

“He’s probably played in fewer games than any of his competitors for the Golden Boot. He doesn’t take penalty kicks, so he’s had some real goals. He’s really deserving of that award if he does win it.”

Buddle has scored 17 goals in only 24 matches, due to World Cup duty.

“In my whole career," Buddle remarked, "I’ve not taken penalty kicks, so I would say most all of my goals have come in the run of play. That’s not to take anything away from penalty kicks because they’re not easy. Fortunately, my goals came from the run of play and I’m very proud of that.”

Buddle credits Donovan and Beckham for taking some of the slack off him during the 2010 MLS season.

“The team makes my job a lot easier,” Buddle said. “They find me in good spots and I’m able to score. Without them, I would say my job would be a lot harder, so I give them a lot of credit.”

Kickoff between the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas is scheduled for Oct. 24 at 5:00 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports West.

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You can only be part of the Beautiful Game for so long. For Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein and defender Eddie Lewis, the 2010 Major League Soccer season will be the final season of their long, respective footballing careers.

“I’m just kind of looking forward to kind of taking a step back and perhaps come at the game from a slightly different angle now,” Lewis said on Tuesday.

“It’s never an easy decision to make,” Klein said on his retirement, “but I believe it’s the right time to step away and do something else. I’m very thankful for the past 13 years that I’ve played professionally. This is something I’ve been doing since I was five.

“It’s going to be an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Lewis will go down as one of the best and most decorated players in the history of the U.S. men’s national team, with 10 goals and 16 assists in 82 appearances.

Klein also has 22 caps with the U.S. national team but will be more known for his longevity in MLS.

He began his 13-year MLS career when he was drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 1998 college draft and ranks fifth in MLS history with 332 career regular season games played.

Klein also owns the league mark for consecutive games played at 141 and consecutive starts at 118.

“[Lewis was] just a fabulous player,” Arena said, “and I think everyone in the game will tell you there’s not a finer person. I think he’s arguably the finest left midfielder in the history of U.S. Soccer.”

“For me, every opportunity always seemed like a chance to try and prove something,” Lewis said of Arena's remarks. “I've never really stopped to kind of look back. It just seemed like everything’s been a progression and either personally trying to get to the next level or as a group or as a country trying to take the game to the next level.

“It’s certainly a wonderful compliment and I owe many of those memories to Bruce in a lot of ways. At the same time, the good news is there’s going to be tons and tons of wonderful young players coming through all the time. I’m very excited to see records shattered and players go on to great new heights. Certainly it’s a track we’re on.

“Like any memory, you end up kind of focusing on all the great things. The games certainly. I think and I’ve heard it a number of times, but I think the thing I’ll certainly miss the most is just the banter and the camaraderie in the locker room.

“I think that’s a difficult environment to recreate in almost any other professional setting …that will be hard. I enjoy the laughs, the teasing and joking and all that, and certainly the competition that goes with that on the field. But the camaraderie is something I’ll hold quite close to me for a long time.”

“Eddie was always one of the guys when I first joined the national team that I had the most respect for,” Donovan said on Lewis, “because he always competed the right way.

“At his age, knowing he has a few games left, it would be easy for him to kind of go through the motions and just be out here and enjoy it. He’s innately very competitive, and we like that about him. He’s pretty quiet, but he’s fun to be around. We’re going to miss him a lot next year.”

The Galaxy manager had similar amounts of praise for Klein.

“He’s had a great career,” said Arena, who gave Klein his international debut nearly a decade ago, “and he’s going to do well in his next career, whatever that is.”

“For fans, I’d like for them to remember me for playing the game the right way,” Klein said. “That I gave everything I had every time I was on the field. With my teammates, mostly that I cared for them in a different way.

“Now I guess I’m at a point of reflection to look back and think of starting and playing that many games in a row. I’m thankful to God that I was able to be healthy for that long. To have two major knee surgeries, to be able to come back and put together that many games in a row, I’m thankful for it.

“It’s something that I’m proud of.”

Los Angeles forward Mike Magee put Klein's contributions in perspective.

“The effect he’s had on this team you can’t really put into words,” Magee said. “He did kind of the same thing in Kansas City…he was a mainstay for them and one of the best players in this league.

“He was obviously your stereotypical iron man, played in every game, kind of brought leadership and good things to the locker room for many years, more than any other guy has. He’s accomplished things in this league that might not happen again.”

The Los Angeles Galaxy will wrap up their 2010 regular season when they take on FC Dallas on Oct. 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports West.


INS & OUTS

LA and the Jets


On Nov. 27, the Los Angeles Galaxy will travel to EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia to face Newcastle United Jets FC in an international club friendly.

“We are very excited to be returning to Australia, the site of one of our most memorable postseason matches, to play a friendly against Newcastle United Jets FC,” LA Galaxy President of Business Operations Tom Payne said on Tuesday.

“Newcastle are a club with a long tradition of success in the Hyundai A-League and are making great strides at strengthening their ties to the local community. We believe that this match will help the Jets further those ties while also providing all of their fans in the Hunter Region with memories that will last a lifetime.”

As of this writing, Newcastle are 10th place in the Hyundai A-League with a 1-3-5 record (eight points). This will mark the first-ever meeting between these two sides.

The Jets are led by former England international forward Michael Bridges, goalkeeper Ben Kennedy, former Australian international defender Ljubo Miličević, and forward Sasho Petrovski.

The Galaxy have had a history of playing friendlies in Oceania and this will be their third trip in the last four years. In November 2007, the club lost 5-3 to Sydney FC in front 80,295 fans at Telstra Stadium in Sydney, New South Wales.

After a quick turnaround, the Galaxy defeated Hyundai A-League side Wellington Phoenix 4-1 at Westpac Stadium in front of a then-record crowd of 31,853, which was the biggest ever to see a soccer game in New Zealand.

In 2008, the Galaxy returned to New Zealand, travelling this time to Auckland, where they defeated the Oceania All-Stars 3-0 at Mt. Smart Stadium.

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You can only be part of the Beautiful Game for so long. For Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein and defender Eddie Lewis, the 2010 Major League Soccer season will be the final season of their long, respective footballing careers.

“I’m just kind of looking forward to kind of taking a step back and perhaps come at the game from a slightly different angle now,” Lewis said on Tuesday.

“It’s never an easy decision to make,” Klein said on his retirement, “but I believe it’s the right time to step away and do something else. I’m very thankful for the past 13 years that I’ve played professionally. This is something I’ve been doing since I was five.

“It’s going to be an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Lewis will go down as one of the best and most decorated players in the history of the U.S. men’s national team, with 10 goals and 16 assists in 82 appearances.

Klein also has 22 caps with the U.S. national team but will be more known for his longevity in MLS.

He began his 13-year MLS career when he was drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 1998 college draft and ranks fifth in MLS history with 332 career regular season games played.

Klein also owns the league mark for consecutive games played at 141 and consecutive starts at 118.

“[Lewis was] just a fabulous player,” Arena said, “and I think everyone in the game will tell you there’s not a finer person. I think he’s arguably the finest left midfielder in the history of U.S. Soccer.”

“For me, every opportunity always seemed like a chance to try and prove something,” Lewis said of Arena's remarks. “I've never really stopped to kind of look back. It just seemed like everything’s been a progression and either personally trying to get to the next level or as a group or as a country trying to take the game to the next level.

“It’s certainly a wonderful compliment and I owe many of those memories to Bruce in a lot of ways. At the same time, the good news is there’s going to be tons and tons of wonderful young players coming through all the time. I’m very excited to see records shattered and players go on to great new heights. Certainly it’s a track we’re on.

“Like any memory, you end up kind of focusing on all the great things. The games certainly. I think and I’ve heard it a number of times, but I think the thing I’ll certainly miss the most is just the banter and the camaraderie in the locker room.

“I think that’s a difficult environment to recreate in almost any other professional setting …that will be hard. I enjoy the laughs, the teasing and joking and all that, and certainly the competition that goes with that on the field. But the camaraderie is something I’ll hold quite close to me for a long time.”

“Eddie was always one of the guys when I first joined the national team that I had the most respect for,” Donovan said on Lewis, “because he always competed the right way.

“At his age, knowing he has a few games left, it would be easy for him to kind of go through the motions and just be out here and enjoy it. He’s innately very competitive, and we like that about him. He’s pretty quiet, but he’s fun to be around. We’re going to miss him a lot next year.”

The Galaxy manager had similar amounts of praise for Klein.

“He’s had a great career,” said Arena, who gave Klein his international debut nearly a decade ago, “and he’s going to do well in his next career, whatever that is.”

“For fans, I’d like for them to remember me for playing the game the right way,” Klein said. “That I gave everything I had every time I was on the field. With my teammates, mostly that I cared for them in a different way.

“Now I guess I’m at a point of reflection to look back and think of starting and playing that many games in a row. I’m thankful to God that I was able to be healthy for that long. To have two major knee surgeries, to be able to come back and put together that many games in a row, I’m thankful for it.

“It’s something that I’m proud of.”

Los Angeles forward Mike Magee put Klein's contributions in perspective.

“The effect he’s had on this team you can’t really put into words,” Magee said. “He did kind of the same thing in Kansas City…he was a mainstay for them and one of the best players in this league.

“He was obviously your stereotypical iron man, played in every game, kind of brought leadership and good things to the locker room for many years, more than any other guy has. He’s accomplished things in this league that might not happen again.”

The Los Angeles Galaxy will wrap up their 2010 regular season when they take on FC Dallas on Oct. 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports West.


INS & OUTS

LA and the Jets


On Nov. 27, the Los Angeles Galaxy will travel to EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia to face Newcastle United Jets FC in an international club friendly.

“We are very excited to be returning to Australia, the site of one of our most memorable postseason matches, to play a friendly against Newcastle United Jets FC,” LA Galaxy President of Business Operations Tom Payne said on Tuesday.

“Newcastle are a club with a long tradition of success in the Hyundai A-League and are making great strides at strengthening their ties to the local community. We believe that this match will help the Jets further those ties while also providing all of their fans in the Hunter Region with memories that will last a lifetime.”

As of this writing, Newcastle are 10th place in the Hyundai A-League with a 1-3-5 record (eight points). This will mark the first-ever meeting between these two sides.

The Jets are led by former England international forward Michael Bridges, goalkeeper Ben Kennedy, former Australian international defender Ljubo Miličević, and forward Sasho Petrovski.

The Galaxy have had a history of playing friendlies in Oceania and this will be their third trip in the last four years. In November 2007, the club lost 5-3 to Sydney FC in front 80,295 fans at Telstra Stadium in Sydney, New South Wales.

After a quick turnaround, the Galaxy defeated Hyundai A-League side Wellington Phoenix 4-1 at Westpac Stadium in front of a then-record crowd of 31,853, which was the biggest ever to see a soccer game in New Zealand.

In 2008, the Galaxy returned to New Zealand, travelling this time to Auckland, where they defeated the Oceania All-Stars 3-0 at Mt. Smart Stadium.

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It was a victory that CD Saprissa of Costa Rica needed to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League and one it achieved 2-1 over the host Seattle Sounders FC before 11,434 Tuesday night.

Saprissa Coach Rob Myers inserted Josue Martinez into action in the 56th minute.  It proved a beneficial substitution as Martinez scored the decisive goal in the 87th minute.  Goalkeeper Kasey Keller blocked a Martinez shot, but the ball deflected off the near post and into the net for the game winner.   

It was a victory that CD Saprissa of Costa Rica needed to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League and one it achieved 2-1 over the host Seattle Sounders FC before 11,434 Tuesday night.

Seattle, which has developed a recent pattern during a highly successful phase of scoring an early goal to get things started right, did so against Saprissa.  Forward Nate Jaqua tapped in the goal from 4 yards out in the 17th minute.  Action commenced with Mike Fucito delivering a free kick into the box from 40 yards out.  After the ball bounced in front of the goal Alvaro Fernandez launched a shot that was deflected to Jaqua.  

Sounders nation responded vigorously, concluding that the early lead was indicative of how the rest of the evening would go.  Their confidence was quickly rocked in the 26th minute.  

Keller came out of the box to claim the ball.  There appeared to be a communication problem between the veteran goalkeeper and defender Zach Scott.  Jairo Arrieta was able to knock the ball free and move unimpeded toward the net, tapping it in for the goal.  

Saprissa’s triumph improved its Group C CONCACAF record to 3-2-1 and 10 points.  Mexico's CF Monterrey topped the group.  It will play the group's final match Thursday against Marathon of Honduras.

Sounders FC  finished Group C competition at 1-5-0 with 3 points.  It scored its lone win against Marathon in Seattle.  

The setback was Seattle's first loss in its last seven matches over all competitions.  It stands at 6-1 with the only setback being a 3-2 loss at Monterrey in CONCACAF action  on September 22.

While Tuesday’s loss marked the end of CONCACAF Champions League action for this season, Sounders FC clinched a spot in the 2011-12 tournament by winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a finals win over the Columbus Crew.

Seattle held a 12-9 advantage in shots.  The teams were even at 5-5 on goal.  It was an evening of numerous yellow cards with nine cards handed out.  

Saprissa was compelled to finish action with 10 men after the ejection of Alexander Robinson for drawing his second caution in the 90th minute.  For Saprissa the good news was that this disadvantage occurred so late in the action.

Saprissa had won the first meeting with Sounders FC in San Jose 2-0 September 14.  It was a night when Seattle’s lone Costa Rican player, defender Leo Gonzalez, returned home for the first time in a year and a half and received the misfortune of a first half red card that put the Sounders at a disadvantage the remainder of the evening.  Gonzalez was on last night’s roster but was not used by Coach Schmid.

Kasey Keller was a surprise starter.  This occurred because Keller’s backup, Terry Boss, who started recent CONCACAF games, was held out due to a recently sustained injury.  

Fredy Montero was also held out of play following a minor quad injury but will be ready for playoff action.  He is unable to play Saturday in the closing MLS game of the year at Houston due to a yellow card violation against Chivas USA.

The Sounders now head for Texas and the meeting with the Houston Dynamo.  It will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.  

Seattle now stands at 19-14-8 in all competitions.  It has four of the top 10 attendances in the CONCACAF tournament this year.

Ever hustling forward Jaqua put the evening’s action in a philosophical perspective:

"It wasn't our best performance. We were definitely disappointed but it's one you just move forward from and we just have to shrug it off. We have got bigger fish this weekend."

The match took on great significance for Saprissa Coach Myers in that it propelled his team into the next round of Champions League play.

"It (the victory) was very important,” Myers said.  “We had two years with results of not passing to the second phase. Today we had a chance.  We played against a team with strong personality. We knew we had to win and are full of pride and happy about passing to the next phase."

Sounders Coach Schmid naturally had a different spin on the game.

"It's always disappointing when you give up a late goal like that,” Schmid said, “but that's the way it was today. Not a particularly good game for us. There were times when we created some chances and were effective, but overall, our possession of the ball wasn't what it usually is.

“They did a good job of holding the ball and making us chase it and we dropped off a little too much and allowed them to develop that game. We did a little better in the second half, but at the end of the day it wasn't good enough."

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Toronto FC faced Arabe Unido at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The game was simply a way for both teams that did not advance in the CONCACAF Champion League to save face.

The most exciting moment in the game came when Nick LaBrocca received a free kick for Toronto FC. He proceeded to send it to Nana Attakora Gyan who surprised goalie Jose Calderon of Arabe Unido with his direct kick to one of the corner posts.

The result was a goal for Toronto FC in the first half of the game, but it did not save the team or Arabe Unido in the game. It appeared that both teams were just playing to attempt a decent showing with little effort.

R. Garcia-Orozco was the referee who applied yellow cards to both teams on an equal basis for misconduct. F. Caesar and O. Londono of Arabe Unido received yellow cards.

Gargan, Garcia, Henry and Lindsey of Toronto FC received yellow cards as well. The attempts of both teams to substitute did not make any difference except that Toronto FC was able to leave the CONCACAF Champion League with dignity.

Toronto FC 1-0 Arabe Unido

BFO Field Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Most Valued Player: Nick LaBrocca

Group A CONCACAF Champion League Classification

Cruz Azul  (Mexico)     10

Real Salt Lake  (USA)  10

Toronto FC  (Canada)    8

Arabe Unido (Panama)  3

Subject to change depending on Cruz Azul vs. Real Salt Lake game going underway at Rio Tinto Stadium at Salt Lake City, Ut.

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As we head into the final weekend of regular season action in Major League Soccer, lightning and thunder rain down over the City of Angels as Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are caught in what has essentially become a two-team race with Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake for the MLS Supporters Shield.

"We still control our own destiny," Galaxy captain Landon Donovan said. "Next weekend means everything."

For the Galaxy, a win against Schyllas Hyndman's FC Dallas on Sunday, Oct. 24 will clinch the Shield, regardless of what happens in Commerce City, Colorado between RSL and Gary Smith's Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Oct. 23.

"We were expecting really to win the game [on Saturday, which LA lost 3-1] and then it would be all done with and going into the playoffs," Galaxy midfielder Chris Birchall said. "But it doesn't really happen the way we expect things to go."

"With Salt Lake winning, it really puts Dallas out of winning the [West]. They’ll still be coming here with confidence. They’ll probably want to win the last game before going into the playoffs. But we know if we win, we win the Supporters Shield, same as [last Saturday]. We’ve just got to go out, try to be confident and win the game." 

Three scenarios can clinch it for the Galaxy:
1. Real Salt Lake loses,
2. Los Angeles wins, or
3. Both teams draw.

Simple math, right?

"It's changed from having more of a relaxed week to a not intense one but one that we have to be up for," Galaxy midfielder David Beckham said on the change of pace. "It's important that we now concentrate this week, put this game behind us and hopefully win next week."

"It's in our own hands. If we do our own job – if we'd have done our job [against Colorado], we'd have ended up topping [the table]. At the end of the day, we've got one more game to put it right and it's down to us."

Los Angeles defender Sean Franklin admitted just as much that the Galaxy had their work cut out for them.

"It's either first or second next weekend," Franklin said. "We want to be in first place next week so regardless of that result – we're not really worried about that – we're worried about what we've got to do next week and that's get three points against Dallas."

Currently, the Los Angeles Galaxy are 17-7-5 (56 points) and take on an FC Dallas side (12-3-14, 50 points) who fell to Real Salt Lake 2-0, effectively knocking them out of Shield contention.

In the previous meeting between the two teams at Pizza Hut Park on May 20, a 17th minute goal by Mike Magee proved to be all the difference in the Galaxy's 1-0 victory. Los Angeles is expected to see an improved Dallas side to go with a battle of MLS Goalkeeper of the Year candidates in former LA netminder Kevin Hartman and current Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts.

It would take a goal explosion from the San Jose Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski or other scoring aces like the New York Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel, Colorado's Omar Cummings, Toronto FC's Dwayne De Rosario or the Philadelphia Union's Sebastien Le Toux to catch Buddle, who now has a league-leading 17 goals this season. Buddle is on pace to garner the Budweiser Golden Boot, given to the league's leading scorer at the end of the regular season.

As for assists, Donovan leads the way with 15 assists. At the rate Buddle and Donovan are going, they are slated to join the combos of Mamadou Diallo (26 goals) and Carlos Valderrama (26 assists) from the 2000 Tampa Bay Mutiny and Alex Pineda Chacon (19 goals) and Diego Serna (15 assists) from the 2001 Miami Fusion as the only sets of teammates to lead the league is goals and assists in the same season.

Aside from setting up the first goal of the match against FC Dallas, however, the Galaxy's No. 10 was a non-factor and will need to dominate by spreading the ball around to other options in the midfield, such as Beckham, Birchall, Juninho and Dema Kovalenko. The Galaxy must be able to finish their chances because they have become a side susceptible to making opponents pay for their mistakes.

Kovalenko and defender Gregg Berhalter are still nursing injuries but did play last week against the Rapids.

The backline of Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Sean Franklin and A.J. De La Garza will have to anticipate the inability of the Galaxy attack to capitalize because if they get beat on the transition, the 24th could be an evening to forget. The coaching staff will look to see if Todd Dunivant and Leonardo can get healthy on Sunday.

As for the Big Cat from Montego Bay, Ricketts's goals against average has ballooned to 0.89. Still, he holds a 17-7-4 record to go with 76 saves, 11 shutouts and a 76 percent save percentage.

If Ricketts plays the full 90 minutes on Sunday against FC Dallas and allows one goal or less, his GAA will not rise above 0.91, setting a new club record for the lowest single season GAA in club history.

Currently, the Jamaican international has allowed 25 goals in 28 games so far this season and would see his GAA rise to 0.93, 0.02 higher than Hartman’s club record, if he allows two goals in the game. Also, should the Galaxy allow less than four goals on Sunday, they will set a new club record for the fewest goals allowed in a single season, breaking the record of 29, which was also set in 1999.

FC Dallas is led by one of the most storied goal scorers in league history in Jeff Cunningham. He leads the Hoops with 11 goals this season. David Ferreira, however, is the man to watch for FC Dallas. Ferreira is second on the team in goal scored with eight, and is their main provider with a club-leading 13 assists (also second-leading overall in MLS).

Other key offensive threats for the Hoops include Brek Shea (five goals, four assists this season), who has earned some national team time, Milton Rodriguez (five goals this year), Atiba Harris (three goals and two assists) and Dax McCarty (two assists this season).

It will be up to FC Dallas's defense—lead Heath Pearce, Jair Benitez, George John, Ugo Ihemelu and Daniel Hernandez—to contain and disrupt the possession that the Galaxy will get when they earn their touches. "Parking the bus" has been effective against Los Angeles's questionable shot selection and inept finishing, and Hyndman's crew will look to exercise more of the same.

Hartman has made a solid case to be Goalkeeper of the Year. He currently has a 10-1-8 record to go with a 0.62 goals against average and a 78.9 percent save percentage.

Can this Galaxy team make amends for letting their fans down? That is the question they will be asking themselves as they take the pitch one last time during the regular season. This should be a done deal, but it will not be easy.

Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24 at 5:00 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports West.

Youth Academy Update

Once again, the Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy sides were in action. That is, the Under-14 sides were. The A squad defeated Cruz Azul USA Academy 7-0 while the B side trounced West Covina FC 12-0. With both sides 5-1, they trail Cosmos Academy West 96, who are 6-0-0 in the Cal South LA Futbol Circuit.

Next Saturday, the A squad take on West Covina, while the B squad face Cruz Azul USA Academy.

After taking the week off, the Galaxy Under-18s and Under-16s return to action on Saturday, October 23 against the Seattle Sounders Academy. Kickoff for the U-16s is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT while kickoff for the U-18s is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT.

And on Sunday, October 24, the Galaxy U-18s and U-16s will clash with Crossfire Premier. As with Saturday's contests, kickoff for the U-16s is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT while kickoff for the U-18s is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT. All matches for this weekend are at the Home Depot Center and, as always, are free to the public.

Brave the rain, brave the elements, and bring your friends and loved ones. You don't want to miss the Young G's in action.

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Sigi Schmid has requested that Seattle Sounders delay their Halloween trick or treating.

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