Grey Morning in Seattle May Precursor Memorable Game

LA Galaxy v Real Salt Lake
Kick off 5.30pm

Referee: Kevin Stott.

In a clutch of bars around Qwest Field last night, conversations eventually turned from the issues du jour, Monsieur Henry, Sounders first season and the future of MLS, to the real reason we are all here. There’s a big game today and LA Galaxy’s dark blue and yellow was very visible around Pioneer Square bars last night, as was the red, yellow and blue of Real Salt Lake fans. Both sets of fans were in buoyant mood, but there’s a quiet steely confidence among the visitors from Utah, that just makes one stop and think – do they know something we don’t know?

On both occasions when Seattle has woken up its citizens with rain on game day, the rain has mysteriously disappeared in time for kick off. People are hoping for a repeat and many are optimistically predicting a goal fest in an attacking fixture, somewhat forgetting the nature of both semi finals.

Real Salt Lake – Full of Eastern Promise

Real Salt Lake finished a poor fifth in the Western Conference. But the Western Conference, for so long slated as the MLS’ weaker brother by our journalistic colleagues on the East Coast, turned out to be the big bear in the room. In the end, the fifth best side in the Western Conference beat the best the East had to offer, and RSL became Eastern Conference winners; ironically their first major honour being in a tournament that they didn’t really enter.

In doing so, they did the double over the mighty Columbus Crew in the quarter finals, and then defended resolutely in the hostile environs of Toyota Park, Chicago, to book their place in today’s final. A Cinderella Story? Perhaps. A David against Goliath? Not a chance, the two sides have already met twice this season and RSL won one, and drew the other.

Not that Goliath had a great head to head against David, right enough!

‘Beckerman and Mathis’ is Not a 60s Singing Duo

Veteran forward Clint Mathis is probably the best known name on the side. The man with 264 MLS games under his belt, scoring 66 goals, has seen it all in the MLS. Chris Wingert played in every regular season game for RSL this year, along with the irrepressible Nat Borchers in the RSL defence. Borchers started every game and has global experience, having played for the strangely named Odd Klub of Grenland in Norway. Nat is known as being the team’s brain box. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting while at the University of Denver from where he carries on his support of the Denver Broncos, whatever that is.

Solid defenders though they are, it is in attack where RSL have been more of a stand out this season. Only FC Dallas surpassed their tally of 43 regular season goals, and Robbie Findley top scored with 12.

Yura Movsisyan was next with eight, not the greatest totals but consider this, they played just 1751 and 1731 minutes respectively. Findley is not only, in our opinion, one of the more underrated players in MLS, but he is surprisingly only 23. Yet he is only a couple short of his half century of goals at this level. His entire family is athletic. Of his cousins, Mike Bibby is a guard for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks; Shaun McDonald is wide receiver for the NFL’s Detroit Lions; and Eddie House is a guard for the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics in other less interesting sports.

If not Mathis as the best known player, then the dangerously coiffured Kyle Beckerman is the name on everyone’s lips. With his semi-grunge hairdo, many in a Seattle crowd might empathise and he is sure to get a warm welcome, but Beckerman is all business on the pitch and has been a been a regular starter in his previous five MLS seasons, and played in the All Star game on his home ground. Known as a gritty hardworker who demands the same of his colleagues, Beckerman’s presence will be one of the most important factors as RSL attempt to negate the star-studded LA midfield.

Javier Morales and Jamison Olave make up a strong supporting cast. For local interest, 22-year-old midfielder Raphael Cox is a native of Tacoma.

RSL – The Fans

The Loyalists are their main fan club. They are to be found in sections 11 and 12 at the Rio Tinto singing, drumming and making noise.

The Writing a Tell All Book Experiment

Landon Donovan is the closest thing to Kasey Keller when it comes to an American soccer legend currently still playing. The 27-year-old native of Redlands, CA, has played 120 times for USA and is the all-time leading goal scorer with 42 goals in those matches. A five-time Honda Player of the Year and two-time U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, he scored his record-breaking 35th goal in the 2-0 win over Sweden at LA’s Home Depot Center on 1/19/08.

Landon has been a fixture in the USA starting eleven under both Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, and appeared in and started every game during both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, scoring in the 2-0 Quarterfinal win over Mexico in 2002. He played in the Azteca Stadium on Wednesday and is seen by many as the nearest thing the Americans have to a world class star, although Onyewu’s move to AC Milan surely threatens that status.

Landon made his national team debut on October 25, 2000, coming on as a second half substitute and scoring in a 2-0 win over Mexico. This season he started 25 games of the LA Galaxy’s MLS regular season, and was rightly named league MVP.

Brazilian Stefani Miglioranzi started 23 of the Galaxy’s regular season games this season, his first at the Galaxy. He played for the MLS Winning Columbus Crew side in 2008 but appeared only seven times. The Crew had four wins and two draws in the games he did start though. He has also played for Swindon Town and Portsmouth in England although again injury hampered his opportunities. He moved to New York from Brazil with his family at the age of 12 and speaks four languages.

Jamaican international Donovan Ricketts keeps goal for the Galaxy. He has earned 83 caps for the ‘Reggae Boyz’ and was a member of the 1998 squad which qualified for the World Cup finals. For that, he was given a piece of land in his native country, on which he is currently building a home. He also played in England for Bradford, appearing over 100 times for the West Yorkshire club.

Ukrainian Dema Kovalenko should know about the opposition. He was brought in from Real Salt Lake in January of this year for allocation money and a conditional pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. He briefly returned to his native country where he played for the totally unpronounceable Metalurg Zaporizhya in the latter half of the team’s 2005/06 campaign before returning to MLS in August 2006.

Midfielder Eddie Lewis has made 82 appearances for USA, scoring 10 goals and adding 16 assists since making his debut against Peru on 10/16/96. He scored his first international goal in 1999 in a 2-1 win against Chile in Fort Lauderdale. Lewis also appeared at both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, appearing in five games and making four starts at those two tournaments. He provided the assist for Landon Donovan’s famous goal against Mexico in the last 16 at the 2002 World Cup, helping the US reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1930. Eddie is another former Fulham player.

Making up the likely midfield stars is Chris Klein, who started all 28 of LA’s MLS matches this year. Chris has played an amazing 25,946 minutes in his MLS career, and has been credited with 457 shots. He originally came from Salt Lake in exchange for Robbie Findley and Sounders FC’s own Nathan Sturgis. He started all 30 games for the Galaxy last season. He also has 22 USA caps with five goals and three assists.

Defender Omar Gonzalez is the only player to have started all 30 regular season games for the Galaxy this season. At 6′5″ and 210 pounds, the Texan is a massive presence on the LA defence and is only 20 so he could well still be growing! Omar has represented USA at the Under-17 and Under-20 levels, and with a full and successful college record behind him, looks a likely bet for full international honours sometime soon. For this season, his rookie of the year award will have to do.

Part time Galaxy player David Beckham is the most famous football player in the world. Yet another London born Manchester United fan as a youth, his dream to play for them was realised early when he made his debut in September 1992 against Brighton Hove and Albion. England selection wasn’t far away and he is approaching Peter Shilton’s record of England caps. He has won six leagues, one Champions League and two FA Cups with Manchester United, and a League with Real Madrid. Until he moved to LA, he had played all his career at clubs generally populated with the best players in their leagues, where trophies were likely. He has never won anything with England however, and the World Cup in South Africa is seen as his last chance. He is married to Victoria, one of the singing group the Spice Girls.

LA Galaxy – The Fans

LA have organised fan groups called The LA Riot Squad, Angel City Brigade, the Galaxians, and UFO. Some of these groups have already been in evidence in Seattle this weekend and have been enjoying the festivities, and often participating.

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