T-120: This has been quite a weekend for yours truly. I had to take the Blue Line and coordinate some luggage delivery at Artesia Station with my family members since I had a convention to staff. Ahhh, the memories.

Anime Expo is one of my favorite conventions to be a proud part of. A major industry draw, it attracts fans from every corner of the world. From masquerades to viewings to gaming and exhibit hall item-snapping, AX is always a major draw, and I am glad to have been part of it.

Afterwards, I took the Metro to cantilever my way up the steps and into the press box at the Home Depot Center, where football and fireworks will coexist for one night.

T-110: Today, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy take on Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders FC. With the return of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle to the fold, the G's will be at full strength for this MLS encounter.

T-100: I think this will be a great chance for Landinho (yeah, that's my personal nickname for Donovan, and it has nothing to do with Luis Angel Landin of Houston) to take his frustrations from the knockout stage on.

A sage idea: Treat the Sounders as if they are Ghana, and Steve Zakuani as Asamoah Gyan. Brilliant!

T-90: Lineups.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Manager: Bruce Arena

Formation: 4-4-2

Colors: White tops with blue and gold accents, white shorts, white socks

1 Donovan Ricketts

28 Sean Franklin — 4 Omar Gonzalez — 16 Greg Berhalter — 2 Todd Dunivant

11 Chris Birchall

10 Landon Donovan (C) — 19 Juninho

26 Michael Stephens

14 Edson Buddle — 17 Tristan Bowen

Substitutes

12 Josh Saunders GK

20 A.J. De La Garza DEF

22 Leonardo DEF

7 Chris Klein MID

88 Alex Cazumba MID

21 Alan Gordon FWD

9 Jovan Kirovski FWD

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Manager: Sigi Schmid

Formation: 4-4-2

Colors: Rave green tops with Sounder Blue accents, Sounder Blue shorts with Cascade Shale accents, Rave Green socks with Sounder Blue trim

18 Kasey Keller (C)

7 James Riley — 31 Jeff Parke — 14 Tyrone Marshall — 19 Leo Gonzalez

10 Freddie Ljungberg — 4 Patrick Ianni — 8 Peter Vagenas — 11 Steve Zakuani

17 Fredy Montero — 25 Pat Noonan

Substitutes

28 Terry Boss GK

20 Zach Scott DEF

12 Nathan Sturgis MID

22 Mike Seamon MID

21 Nate Jaqua FWD

23 Sanna Nyassi FWD

32 Miguel Montano FWD

T-60: And for the first time this season, the world-famous Lalas Hill is open to the public. This will be a great turnout on ESPN2.

T-50: I wonder who will get the World Cup...Germany? Uruguay? Netherlands? Spain? Hmmm.

In other World Cup action . . . Real Salt Lake torched New England Revolution 5-0, the Columbus Crew doused the Chicago Fire 2-1, FC Dallas shut out Kansas City 1-0, the San Jose Earthquakes drew 1-1 with D.C. United, and Chivas USA drew 1-1 with the Philadelphia Union.

T-45: The Colorado Rapids are in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls. Both teams warming up.

T-35: Note to yours truly: Leave the season credentials at home. I misplaced mine during convention work. Looks like I will be stuck on will call for the rest of the year. Bleh.

T-30: Thirty minutes to kickoff. It feels great to be back at the HDC. The Emerald City Supporters are here. Hello, you lot.

T-20: Silviu Petrescu is our match official today. Anthony Vasoli and Ian Anderson are the linemen, and Ricardo Salazar is the fourth official today.

T-15: Parade of champions time.

T-4: Stars and Stripes is unfurled.

T-0: Blue Peoples Color Guard with colors presentation. National anthem by Santa Monica Oceanaries.

FIRST HALF START: 7:38 P.M. PT

1' - We are underway. Time for the Galaxy to come out firing. Juninho didn't get any on that. Goal kick, Kasey Keller.

2' - Short passing will be needed. Dinger off the post. Michael Stephens, how unlucky.

3' - Now here comes Seattle. This is Fredy Montero. Cleared by the LA defense. Tristan Bowen a bit shaken up, but all right. Free kick, Gregg Berhalter.

4' - Juninho tripped up. Free kick, Landon Donovan.

5' - That didn't go too well. Corner, Donovan, and this is in front of the Emerald City Supporters. A few cross attempts later, the rave green shirts settle down. Good defense.

6' - If the Big Cat from Montego Bay, Donovan Ricketts, doesn't get tested, this will look better for the home side.

7' - Well-marked by James Riley. Trouble from Buddle, and Jeff Parke clears that out. Donovan, corner.

8' - I don't believe taking it short is wise at this point, but who knows. Throw-in, Sounders.

9' - Todd Dunivant with a free kick. Buddle is stonewalled.

10' - This is Jeff Parke. Some better footwork is in order from Chris Birchall.

11' - Donovan is taking too much time. Easy for Leo Gonzalez. Speculative effort from Birchall.

12' - Here's Stephens again...throw-in for Dunivant.

13' - Too long a pass for Steve Zakuani. Birchall nearly paid the price. Keller swoops in for that one.

14' - Boy, can't they figure out this Leo Gonzalez guy already? Mercy.

15' - The ESPN2 people just had to bring up Jonas Brothers...

16' - Some solid passing here, but they need to do something, the G's must. Crisp passing here.

17' - Back comes Seattle. This is the great Freddie Ljungberg. Now here comes Riley.

18' - Good shot from Birchall. Corner for Donovan.

 19' - Logjam. That is cleared for another corner. Good work in parking the bus. Buddle must be wondering...am I going though my kryptonite?

Naah.

19' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 14 Edson Buddle Assist 10 Landon Donovan

The Buddlevan connection is back.

20' - Seattle is back on the ropes. Let's see what they do next. That was No. 10 for Edson, the American Pele.

21' - Throw-in too high for Buddle. Keller with the save.

22' - Back come the Sounders. Juninho is there with the tackle. Here's a free kick for the Sounders' No. 10.

23' - Time for the Big Cat from Montego Bay to do some work. There he goes. Textbook catch. Transition, and the Sounders defense holds. End-to-end action.

24' - Buddle's next shot is deflected. Corner for Donovan. Great defending.

25' - Rough challenge by Gonzalez. No card. That won't sit well with the home side supporters. Free kick, No. 10 of LA.

26' - He opts to give that to Gregg Berhalter. Wide right. Goal kick, Keller.

27' - We are now 27 in, and it's 1-0 LA. Throw-in, Sounders. This is Riley again.

28' - Shoddy passing, and the defense seems a bit unglued for the Galaxy. Maybe it's just the surface.

29' - Scapegoats, scapegoats . . .

30' - Back come the Galaxy. It's a Rave Green deflection parade. Sportsmanlike gesture afterward.

31' - Now it's "Golden Touch Academy?" Seriously, ESPN2? Here's Dunivant. And Stephens is backing off in their own attacking third. Unwise, rookie, unwise.

32' - Now here come the Sounders. Uh-oh, that was trouble from Pat Noonan.

33' - Another corner. They seem to place this in the northeast end more often than not.

34' - Heavenly clearance from the Sounders, ghastly finish from the Galaxy. Back come LA, and now it's Dunivant. That one whizzed by Donovan.

35' - Seattle resets the distribution. Ricketts is there to grab it.

36' - 36 in, and it's still 1-0 Los Angeles. Birchall butchered that one. Goal kick, Keller.

37' - The Sounders go on the offensive, as Bob Bradley watches.

38' - That was trouble from Noonan.

39' - That was a collision. Juninho's knees took a knock from Patrick Ianni.

40' - Donovan to take this set piece. Deflected by Montero for a corner. And on the rebound, Keller snatches it. Not a bad performance so far from Kasey.

41' - Didn't materialize to much and Buddle is hurt. He'd better shake that off. The ECS are lapping it up. See y'all in Tukwila.

43' - Buddle gets back on the pitch, and the Sounders are content with some time-wasting passes in the back.

44' - Pretty lousy shot from Ianni. Goal kick, Ricketts.

45' - That was a major scare, with Buddle being down for a few seconds. No stoppage. It's halftime.

HALFTIME

Los Angeles Galaxy 1

19' Edson Buddle

Seattle Sounders FC 0

SECOND HALF START: 8:39 P.M. PT

A final from Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Colorado Rapids 1, New York Red Bulls 1.

46' - The second half begins. Let's see what happens. Here come the Sounders. Didn't materialize to much.

47' - Good stuff from Omar Gonzalez. Keller had to hustle to get to that one. Ricketts counters. End-to-end action.

48' - GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 19 Juninho

What a one-time shot from Juninho Carsonista. His first league goal of the season. Blistering Brazilliance. Well played.

49' - The floodgates will look to open here. Tristan Bowen almost got to that one.

50' - Well, if this results holds up, I don't think the supporters will demand a refund here...except maybe the visitors...again.

51' - Sean Franklin with a few touches. Just missed Bowen. Corner for Donovan.

Substitution Seattle Sounders FC

IN 22 Mike Seamon

OUT 8 Peter Vagenas

Keller tips for a corner.

52' - Keller grabs that one.

53' - That didn't materialize to much from Freddie Ljungberg. Goal kick, Ricketts. A little "Buffalo Soldier" from the ACB.

54' - Good catch, Bruce. Back come the G's. This is Franklin with the throw.

55' - Silviu Petrescu hears it from the crowd.

56' - We are 56 minutes into the contest, and it's 2-0 Los Angeles. I tell you, these balls seem to be skipping past Bowen like crazy. Mercy.

57' - Great defending right there by Mike Seamon on Juninho.

59' - Back come the G's. I think after that knock late in the first half, Buddle seems to be a bit slow.

60' - Petrescu is letting both teams loose here. I think he wants to call it a night early.

61' - Good clearance by Leo Gonzalez. Landon Donovan with the dispossession.

62' - Back comes Seattle. Some early fireworks outside. Interesting. Wide shot left from James Riley.

Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 21 Alan Gordon

OUT 14 Edson Buddle

He'll need to get those ankles and legs checked...

63' - Here's Seattle, and Zakuani turned into zucchini on that play.

64' - This is some free-flowing football at this juncture.

65' - Petrescu really is playing this match loose. Slacker.

66' - This is Todd Dunivant. The stanza there for the Galaxy fades to black. Here come the Sounders.

66' - GOAL! Seattle Sounders FC 11 Steve Zakuani

This is now a game. Horrid transition defending from the Galaxy backline. Ricketts is furious. As he should be.

67' - You cannot get beaten off the back line like that; it's completely unacceptable. The Galaxy will be on alert for the rest of the match.

69' - Fireworks en masse already. What a juxtaposition.

70' - 70 in, and it's Los Angeles leading Seattle 2-1.

71' - Free kick from Donovan doesn't amount to much.

72' - Back come the Galaxy. Some great looks here from the G's. Great dispossession from Leo Gonzalez.

74' - Clock-melting at this point would be unwise. Ricketts with the save on Ljungberg. The Swedish international has seen better days.

75' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 7 Chris Klein

OUT 17 Tristan Bowen

Free kick time for Ljungberg.

76' - Corner for the Galaxy. Donovan needs to bring one back and set the tempo back in LA's favor.

77' - Terrible. No one in the vicinity. Goal kick Keller.

GOAL! Los Angeles Galaxy 7 James Riley (Own goal)

What a howler by Riley. Bad clearance. Amateurish. Horrid.

78' - Ricketts snaps that up.

79' - Goal kick, Keller. Riley must be sick to his stomach right now. These things happen.

80' - The Galaxy get their goal back, it's 3-1, and the home supporters soak it up.

81' - The pace quickens, as the urgency by Seattle becomes more apparent.

82' - Yellow Card 14 Tyrone Marshall

Seattle Sounders FC

83' - Free kick, Donovan. Side netting, Juninho

Substitution Seattle Sounders FC

IN 32 Miguel Montano

OUT 10 Freddie Ljungberg

And now...Miguel.

84' - Great defending in the back by the Sounders. Back comes Seattle on the transition, and the G's hold.

85' - We are 85 minutes into the match, and it is 3-1 Los Angeles over Seattle

86' - Substitution Los Angeles Galaxy

IN 88 Alex Cazumba

OUT 19 Juninho

87' - Ricketts snaps that up.

88' - Seattle looks to stretch the field here, but the Galaxy are not going to let them go far.

Yellow card 88 Alex Cazumba

Los Angeles Galaxy

89' - Too high a set piece. Goal kick, Ricketts.

90' - Three minutes of stoppage time. It seems to be a lost cause for the Sounders. That own goal by Riley really took the wheels of momentum off the Zakuani goal for Seattle.

90' + 1' - What a save from Ricketts. His best of the night. Corner, Sounders.

90' + 2' - Side netting on the corner.

90' + 3' - One last salvo from the Sounders...in the hands of Ricketts. That should be a done deal.

FINAL

LOS ANGELES GALAXY 3

19' Edson Buddle

48' Juninho

77' James Riley (OG)

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 1

Steve Zakuani 66'

Here come the fireworks...

Stay tuned for my take on this match on Bleacher Report and the View from Victoria Street.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

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