Steve Zakuani was the first player selected by the new Seattle Sounders franchise from the Superdraft.

From the beginning of his Sounders career, the Congo-born and London-raised Zakuani has demonstrated the promise of greatness.  Now the former Akron University All-American stands in the forefront of young under-25 soccer stars with 10 goals and six assists on a Sounders team that won the U.S. Open Cup for the second successive season and will be heading for the MLS playoff, also for the second time in a row.

In Week 17, Zakuani was selected Player of the Week after scoring twice against the Colorado Rapids.

He was selected for the honor also for the recently concluded Week 29.  Zakuani scored the game’s opening goal and add an assist in Friday night’s 2-1 victory over Chivas USA at Qwest Field.

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from The National Association of Soccer Reporters. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.

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“Most of today’s fans have never seen him play, and yet they feel he is somehow part of their lives.” – Henry Kissinger

In honor of Pelé’s 70th birthday, the New York Cosmos are giving his fans the opportunity of a lifetime when they’ll be able to be part of the celebration.

On Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, the New York Cosmos will be hosting their 2011 Official Fan Ball launch party at Planet Hollywood (Times Square: 45th and Broadway) between the hours of 12-5 p.m.

The first 100 fans will receive a free New York Cosmos t-shirt. In addition, fans will have the unique opportunity to win autographed fan gear by the O Rei do Futebol himself. Fans in attendance will also have the opportunity to enter in the New York Cosmos Nov. 6 single-elimination penalty shot contest.

The winner of this blockbuster contest will have the opportunity to meet the legendary Pelé in New York City. This contest is open to 500 fans who are a New York or New Jersey resident. Contestants will be able to register at the Launch Party or by going online starting at 12 p.m.

For more information about the New York Cosmos please go to: www.newyorkcosmos.com.

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

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The Colorado Rapids clinched the final MLS Cup playoff berth while going through warm-ups prior to Saturday night's contest with Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy.

To be facetious, those Rapids didn't even need to bother suiting up, let alone take the pitch and play 90 full minutes of football.

But Gary Smith's men did, and their postseason form was evident in their 3-1 victory over the Galaxy before a full house of 27,000 strong.

These are the same Rapids that will be facing Real Salt Lake, who crept up on the leaders of the Major League Soccer overall table with their 2-0 victory over FC Dallas, the same FC Dallas that will be hitting the road for the G's regular season finale on Oct. 24.

Hmmm. Clever scheduling, that. Very clever, in the mold of, "Why so serious? Take it easy!"

But here marked the very first time this season that in spite of scoring the first goal, the Galaxy proceeded to trash aside their lead in disjointed fashion. With flying colors. In terms of disjointedness, I give them Los Angeles an 11 out of 10, without any reservations.

Once again, the Galaxy resort to that nasty habit of sleeping in the back as if it was the summer stretch all over again. But it just didn't stop there, oh no. They could not finish their chances, and when Colorado co-swingman Omar Cummings led the counter in the second half, you just knew he was going to convert his goal in the 67th minute of play.

That's not to say Rapids co-swingman Conor Casey's strike via Cummings and Pablo Mastroeni in the 31st wasn't very well played, either. Colorado was the only team that actually ran the game plan. The midfield for Los Angeles was ripped to shreds by the likes of Brian Mullan, Wells Thompson, Jeff Larentowicz, Kosuke Kimura and Jamie Smith.

After that first goal by Buddle, the Rapids regrouped and opted to play their brand of football, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Landon Donovan and Juninho were non-existent in the game. When you have a certain regular season trophy up for the taking, you have to step up. Otherwise, your decision to go AWOL in terms of execution will mean that there will not be any rest for the finale.

The only player that actually made an effort in the midfield was David Beckham. Chris Birchall never stood a chance at disrupting possession. Beckham did his role, but he was on a side that was disjointed in terms of passing, dispossession and especially finishing. He couldn't get any support, he couldn't buy any support. Not even all the riches he has could buy him any support on Saturday night. What a sorry sight.

And the scary thing here, if you are a Los Angeles Galaxy supporter, is that the G's could end the regular season second overall. But at the same time, this result might actually help Los Angeles, and I'll tell you why.

If this Colorado Rapids team can dismantle the league leaders in dominating fashion like they did on the road (and I also say home-field advantage be damned because both teams split this series with road victories), Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake is going to be on notice on Oct. 23 when they head to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

A lot of Angelenos donning blue and gold when they walk into the hallowed grounds of Victoria Street may be masquerading in a different set of colors.

As the old Latin maxim goes, "Honi soit qui mal y pense." Shame be to those who call shenanigans on wearing burgundy and sky blue, if only for one night. It might come in handy; you never know.

Ins and Outs

Chicken Thief No. 11: Edson Buddle!?

Yes, you are not seeing things; the league's leading scorer stole the chickens tonight. What a selfish American Pele, even though I kid. But still, a badly judged clearance off a corner kick by the Rapids in the 18th minute of play escaped Donovan Ricketts's reach, evening the score at 1-1. Poor fellow.

Maybe sticking to steak instead would fare Buddle better. Could you believe that?

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Sometimes I write about soccer here.  But many times life happens.  Jobs get crazy.  Wives travel.  Kids need their parents, or maybe parents need their kids.  And then, I don’t write.  And that’s OK.

But I sit here tonight, watching the New England Revolution play the last home game of a difficult, frustrating and fruitless season, and I figure it’s worth dusting off my very neglected blog.

It’s been so busy in “real” life that I am as out of touch with team news as I have been in any other time in the last few years.  Heck, I just realized that earlier today I told someone that this Kansas City game I’m watching is the Revs' last game of the season…of course, it’s not.  It’s the last home game of the season.  Oh well…

(And trust me, it pains me to admit something in the blathering, pointless, obviously biased and often irrelevant Revolution TV commentary corrected my thinking.)

But I have been busy before, and with this blog being over a year old, I don’t think I’ve had such a long hiatus from it before.

So while outside factors have significantly impacted my ability to comment, it may be that something larger is at play.  I suspect that despite the work needs, the family needs and whatever else is going on, if there was some on-field magic, I would have been writing it up.

So maybe it’s my fault.  Maybe I’m not a good enough fan.  Maybe my expectations are too high.

I suppose I should have written up the proclamations about the new hunt for a designated player, and spouted my views about balance still being king.

I was tempted to comment on my shared elevator ride with Revolution COO Brian Bilello, the night before those DP proclamations and after a frustrating loss.  How I introduced myself as being “just a fan” and watched as the clearly dejected man claimed he’d “been better.”  Yeah, “tough season,” I agreed.

It wasn’t worth saying more.  I already submitted and blogged my questions to him.  I knew what I’d get back.

I am just a fan.  And arguably not a good enough one.

I’m interested in where the soccer-specific stadium process is. I’m curious about what players the Revs are looking at to bring in.

I’m intrigued about many things, but I have come to grips with not seeing the Revolution in the playoffs this year.  I may watch Thursday’s season-ending game.  And I’ll certainly watch the MLS playoffs and the MLS Cup.

But I’m ready to take a break on the Revs.

And herein lies the real issue.  I can take the blame for not being a “good enough” fan, but if that’s the case there are some serious issues.

If a soccer-blogging, prior-season-ticket-holding, frequent-game-attending, MLS-knowledgeable fan is feeling malaise, what must other fans be feeling?

My daughter is only five.  She loves going to Revolution games.  However, at the last one she exclaimed, “Dad, the Revolution ALWAYS lose.”  But I corrected her; “No honey, just usually.”

Something needs to give.

Designated player or no designated player, get some field-related fixes and make some hard choices.

Communications issues need to be sorted out.  I’m still getting great and informative emails from my two only visits to Seattle Sounders games, while the Revs seem to struggle to get the word out locally.

Set some big goals and share them with the fans.

Because most fans won’t be looking in the mirror to question if they are good enough, but they will look at the team and its management and decide they aren’t.

And then we all lose.

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Friday night was the last Seattle Sounders MLS home match of the 2010 season.  It was also Fan Appreciation Night as the host team upended Chivas USA 2-1.

The Sounders were intent on scoring their first goal and victory of their two-year history against the Los Angeles-based team, against which they were 0-2-2. 

The sole Seattle win came in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal in Tukwila when the Sounders triumphed 3-1, enabling the team to advance to the finals and a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew.

Sounders FC is currently the hottest team in American soccer.  Friday‘s win enabled Seattle to advance to 14-9-6 and improve to 10-1-3 in its last 14 MLS matches. 

The Rave Green is undefeated (8-0-2) at home in 10 MLS and Open Cup matches since June 10.

With one game remaining in the regular season, Seattle surpassed last year's point total with 48 points on Friday.  An opportunity to soar past the 50 mark with 51 surfaces Oct. 23 in a road match against the Houston Dynamo.

Meanwhile Chivas, a team accustomed to making the playoffs, will stay home this season.  Friday’s loss was Chivas’ fourth in its last five outings.  

The Sounders, a team that had trouble scoring goals during the first half of the season, when injuries were a pervasive factor, during the second half has become a team accustomed to jumping on top fast. 

Such was the case against the Red and White as the Sounders cranked the scoring machinery into motion for a goal in the 9th minute.

Steve Zakuani tallied his 10th goal of the season, tying him for first in team honors. 

Defender Jeff Parke notched his first assist as a Sounder by flicking the ball to Zakuani at midfield.  His speed carried the fleet midfielder the rest of the way, past Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton for a 10-yard drive into the net.

It was up to Ozzie Alonso to keep the momentum going.  Alonso scored his first goal since 2009 as he capitalized on assist from Zakuani and Fredy Montero to secure a netter from six yards out.  Montero now ranks third in MLS with 10 assists while Zakuani has 6.

Chivas coach Martin Vasquez has seen Friday‘s pattern repeated too many times, including the late goal that his team scored.

"Yeah but that has been the same story for us this season,” Vasquez said.  “We have given up early goals and have to try and chase the game and come up short. Knowing that we have to do better."

It turned out to be too little too late once more for the Los Angeles team.  The goal came at the 92-minute-plus overtime phase.  Jesus Padilla did the honors with his sixth goal of the season.  The assist was furnished by Rodolfo Espinoza, his third of the campaign.

While Vasquez bemoaned that one goal was too few, Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, seeking to whip his team into winning playoff form, found it one too many.

"I thought we started the game really well, “Schmid said. “Our goals were two well-taken goals. Good individual effort by [Steve] Zakuani off a good pass from Jeff Parke. The second was a great combination between [Fredy] Montero, [Steve] Zakuani, and the goal by Osvaldo. It was good to get him his first goal.

“I'm pleased for what we did for first 60 minutes. I was a little bit displeased in the last 30. Sometimes when you get to this stage and things are going well for your team, maybe you take your foot off the gas pedal a little bit and maybe that's what we did. Late goals are not something that we're ever happy about. For sure, we'll work on it on the training field."

With a crowd of 36,356, Sounders FC set a new MLS single season attendance record at 542,600.  Average attendance was a record-breaking 36,173. The match also marked the team’s 31st consecutive sellout.

Montero drew a second-half yellow card.  He will therefore miss the team’s final MLS match against Houston.  Schmid substituted Nate Jaqua for him in the 87th minute, not wanting to risk a red card that would prohibit the Colombia Comet from appearing in his team’s first playoff game.

Early in the season, when the Sounders were having trouble winning, the team often led in shots but fell short on goals. 

Now it has become more opportunistic, sometimes taking fewer shots but taking better advantage of chances. Chivas USA had a 14-11 overall edge in shots and a narrow 4-3 advantage on goal.  Each team had five corner kicks.

Seattle will return to the international scene for the final time this season on Tuesday night by hosting Saprissa of Costa Rica in the final CONCACAF test.  Action will commence at 7 p.m. PT with national television coverage supplied by Fox Soccer Channel.

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The Seattle Sounders FC continues positioning for MLS playoff competition as the team wraps up the regular season with some challenging tests, beginning Friday against Chivas U.S.A. in league competition against a team that has posed past difficulties.

While Seattle scored a win over Chivas in the semifinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition with a 3-1 win in Tukwila, enabling it to go on to the finals and defend its title, circumstances have been different in regular MLS action.  In the two seasons of the Sounders franchise the team is 0-2-2 against Chivas.  The Open Cup win marked the first match in which Seattle scored on the Los Angeles-based team.

Following Seattle’s Thursday workout in Tukwila, coach Sigi Schmid, in discussing the current challenge against Chivas, compared the opposition’s possession-oriented style alongside the tactics of Latin teams.

“Ball possession is a big part of their game,” Schmid related.  “It’s a big part of Chivas Guadalajara’s game as well. Certainly ball possession is more of a Latin element sometimes and sometimes European teams are too direct, unless you’re Spain, and sometimes teams in South America are too indirect, unless you are sometimes Brazil...They are similar a little bit but I think it’s more from the philosophy of the coach and Martin [Vasquez’s] philosophy is to keep possession of the ball and they are a good ball possession team.”

The Sounders are currently the hottest team in American soccer with a league mark of  13-9-6 and 45 points.  The emerald city team has won four consecutive matches after beating Kansas City, 2-1, on the road last week to clinch an MLS postseason berth.  It is undefeated at 7-0-2 at home in nine MLS and Open Cup matches since June 10.

The current season has not gone well on the whole for Chivas USA.  The team stands at 8-14-5 with 28 points.  Chivas snapped a three-game losing string with a 3-0 home victory over Toronto FC, but has fallen on hard times after qualifying for the playoffs four straight years.

After discussing the team tactically Schmid evaluated Chivas’ lineup:

“[Justin] Braun is not out definitely at this stage so he’s still a possibility. I think [Giancarlo] Maldonado obviously is somebody that will play. He will be back. [Jesus] Padilla came in and played up front. It changes them a little bit, for sure, because [Alan] Gordon and Braun are more big, powerful strikers...Maldonado and Padilla are quick guys who are going to run around, try to find little spaces and go around you. So it changes how you play a little bit. In the back it changes your mental side as you approach the game.”

Friday’s final MLS home game is Fan Appreciation night with action set to commence at 8 p.m.  The match will be televised nationally by ESPN2.

After facing Chivas U.S.A. the Sounders move back into international competition for the final time this season.  They face CD Saprissa of Costa Rica in concluding group stage CONCACAF Champions League competition on October 19.  That game is slated for 7 p.m. at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field for 7 p.m. PT and will be seen live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.  

The Sounders then close 2010 regular season play with a road jaunt.  The competition will be the Houston Dynamo in an October 23 faceoff.  

With the playoffs looming ever closer, Schmid responded to a question Thursday concerning the team’s prospective positioning.

“I think there is an advantage to (being) seventh,” Schmid said.  “The advantage to seventh is that if you’re seventh and you win your series and number eight wins their series you could be at home in the conference final, whichever conference that might be."

“But you could be at home in that conference final so there is a certain advantage to seventh. I try not to look at it because I learned a long time ago that I don’t wish for this team or that team. For sure there is an advantage to seventh. If you finish sixth or eighth then even if you win your series you are still going to be on the road for the conference final...Being East or West doesn’t matter.”

Schmid concluded the playoff discussion by comparing and contrasting the methods of MLS as opposed to the National Basketball Association.

“I have long been a proponent of what they do, like, in the NBA,” the Sounders coach stated.  “If you win your division, you get an automatic (playoff berth). But then when they actually seed the playoffs (and) get to the matchups, it’s 1 against 8, 2 against 7."

“I think that’s the appropriate way to do it...I think you can give the two automatics to the division winners and then I think you have got to look at it maybe and say, ‘OK, let’s seed the teams now. 1 plays 8, 2 plays 7,’ and we go that way because obviously two years ago you had New York winning the Western Conference championship and last year you had Real Salt Lake winning the Eastern Conference championship."

“It’s lost its point anyway...so you can call it whatever you want to call it but I think 1 versus 8, 2 versus 7 is better in my opinion. I think that’s something the league will look at, but obviously they don’t want to change the system every year.”

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Two familiar names in recent Sounders FC activity have been on fire in recent games.  Tonight history repeated itself as one scored the first goal of the evening and the other netted the final score.

Mike Fucito launched the scoring five minutes into the game while Sanna Nyassi, coming in as a substitute in the match’s final 10 minutes, tallied the last goal of the night to cap a 3-1 Sounders triumph at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field before 41,047 in an international friendly against popular Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara.

Massachusetts speedster Fucito can be counted on to move the action forward briskly.  This time he did it before a number of the fans had yet to reach their seats.  He drilled home a winner in the fifth minute on an assist from Roger Levesque to send the home faithful into hysterics and achieve a lead that the Sounders never relinquished.

It would remain for Sanna Nyassi to score the final goal.  After achieving the first goal of his MLS career a week ago Saturday against Toronto, he scored twice last Tuesday to lead his team to a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup victory over Columbus Crew.  He followed that effort up with a goal Saturday night in a 2-1 victory in Kansas City to insure a berth for the Sounders in the upcoming MLS playoffs.    

There is something about tough Latin opponents that brings out the best in Fucito.  In CONCACAF action he had scored three times.  His first tally came on the road against Monterrey.  He came close to a second score in moving the ball toward the opposition goal.  The ball went in but the score was counted as an own goal. 

Fucito’s activities, like Tuesday scored early in the action, put the underdog Sounders up 2-0 in a match that was lost in the closing stages 3-2.

In the next CONCACAF action for the Sounders, Fucito actually did score twice as the team won for the first time in Group C action with a 2-0 win over CD Marathon of the Honduras.  

With Fucito opening the evening’s scoring his teammate at forward for the evening, Oregonian Nate Jaqua, took little time to jump the Seattle lead to 2-0.  Midfielder Levesque generated another assist as Jaqua scored. 

The goal was generated as Fucito  turned and fired off the left post in the 26th minute.  He found Levesque down the left wing, who crossed to the far post.  Jaqua took care of the rest, slamming a header past goalkeeper Luis Michel from six yards away.

For most of the match it appeared that the large Chivas fan contingent would have nothing to cheer about in a shutout loss, but the deficit was cut in half in the 70th minute.  Marco Fabian did the honors with a cross from Michel Oviedo. Fabian had entered the match just six minutes earlier.

Good teams take advantage of opportunities and this is what the Sounders did to register the final score of the match.  Chivas Guadalajara was compelled to finish the night one man down following the ejection of Juan Ocampo in the 77th minute.  In the 90th minute Sanna Nyassi, who had just entered action two minutes earlier, took advantage of soccer’s second opportunity rule.

The Gambian midfielder got his chance when late evening substitute Fredy Montero drilled one of his patented fastballs from 30 yards out.  The Colombia Comet nearly scored as the ball bounced off the left post.

Nyassi was in the right strategic location.  His follow landed in the net as his hot streak continued.  He now has scored five goals in his last four matches.

Seattle goalkeeper Terry Boss made three saves, including a diving effort on a Miguel Ponce shot in the 74th minute.

Seattle had a 14-10 advantage in shots with a 5-4 edge on goal.  Seven of the shots were generated by Fucito.

Sounders FC heads back into action Friday night for the final MLS home game of the season at 8 p.m.  It is fan appreciation night and the Sounders, holding a 13-9-6 mark and 45 points, faces Chivas USA.

"I thought we played well in the first half,” Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid said afterwards.  “We pretty much had the game. They had better possession than us, but we were more dangerous.

“In the second half, they went to a 3-5-2 and we made some changes and we lost the plot there. There were about 20 minutes where they definitely controlled the ball on us and we didn't get possession. At the end, even before the red card, we started to get more possession again and after the red card we were able to hold onto the ball. That's why we went to [Fredy] Montero and [Sanna] Nyassi, to help us hold onto it a little bit better."

Schmid had a positive comment concerning the Chivas Guadalajara fans as well as his own team’s enthusiastic fan base.

"It's great for Chivas,” Schmid said.  “It's the first time that I think the visiting team has had good representation. Even though they had their fans here, the Seattle fans still dominated and hopefully we convinced some of the Chivas fans that the Seattle Sounders are worth supporting as well."

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It's a arrow-shaped, inch-thick silver plaque on a pedestal that sits at about two-foot tall. It has been blessed with the names of eight different clubs—current season leader included—etched on it, their place in league history secure for all to see.

And this Saturday, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are a victory away (or a draw and a heart attack away, depending on your end of the spectrum) from lifting the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield for just the third time ever in their existence.

On Oct. 16, the Galaxy clash with the Colorado Rapids in the hopes of claiming their place as the most consistent team in a season that saw their consistency questioned, their collective will interrogated, their tenacity and resiliency tested.

"Let’s be fair, it could go down to the end,” Arena said after training on Monday. “We can control our destiny with a win. If we win, it’s done.

"If there’s a draw, it’s a possibility given some other results. I think it’s important we’d like to have that … it obviously qualifies us automatically for group play in the (CONCACAF) Champions League, which is important. If you look around this league, there’s not a whole lot of difference from top to bottom. After 30 games, if you’re the team that comes out on top I think that’s pretty good.”

Los Angeles is currently 17-6-5 (56 points), good for first overall in the league and the MLS Western Conference. It seems that the G's have recovered from their midseason slump, winning four out of their last five matches.

There are three scenarios that could wrap this shield up for Los Angeles:

Arena chose to go with the "Haters Gonna Hate" approach to his club's detractors on Monday, opting to take the current circumstances all in stride.

“I’m constantly amazed at the sense of people feeling we haven’t accomplished anything,” Arena said. “We’re at 56 points now, we had 48 last year. We have 22 goals against, we had 31 last year. We have 41 goals now, we had 36 last year. Has it been perfect? No. But come on, it ain’t that bad.

“In all honesty, I think we’ve done fine. We’ve had a sluggish period … we’re still not out of it but we’ve won four out of our last five games. I’m not sure there’s too many teams in this league that have won four out of five games and gotten 12 out of 15 points at any time."

“Are we playing as well as we would like? No. It’s been a very awkward year with injuries, suspensions, personal matters, the World Cup … it’s been awkward from start to finish. It’s been much more difficult this year than last year with regards to that. At the end, to be able to say you came out on top, that would be fabulous.”

Defender Omar Gonzalez pointed out that the 2-1 victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders in the CONCACAF Champions League was a turning point for the team's chances in the ongoing race.

“We were away for four days, and there was great team bonding,” Gonzalez said. “That game really showed a lot of heart, and ever since then we’ve been on the up-and-up.

“To win the Supporters' Shield would be pretty amazing. The fact we’d have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs would be a great morale boost going into the playoffs.”

Fellow defender Sean Franklin shared the same mindset.

"It would be very special," Franklin said. "That was one of our goals this year. We’re sitting in a good spot right now, and we have a chance to clinch it at home.

“There’s not a better place to win it.”

Kickoff between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Colorado Rapids is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT and will be televised on tape delay at 8:30 p.m. PT by Fox Sports PrimeTicket.

INS & OUTS


Youth Academy Update

The Los Angeles Galaxy Youth Academy Under-18s and Under-16s continued their 2010-11 campaign in the US Soccer Development Academy. Last Saturday, the Galaxy U-18s and U-16s took on the De Anza Force with mixed results.

The Under-16s, led by Erik Gonzalez, defeated De Anza 1-0, while Eric Verso scored the only goal for the Under-18s in their 3-1 defeat. However, it was a different story on Sunday when they took on the Santa Cruz Breaker Academy.

A Jack McBean brace combined with insurance goals from Sean Dhillon and Drew Murphy paced the Under-16s to a 4-3 goal-festival victory. The Under-18s also scored a 4-0 shutout win, thanks to a brace from Juan "Crabby" Gutierrez and goals from Angel Ayala and Neil Ignacio.

The Galaxy Under-16s and Under-18 will have the week off. Up next for both those sides is a match on Saturday, Oct. 23 against the Seattle Sounders Academy. Kickoff for the U-16s is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT; kickoff for the U-18s is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.

On Sunday, Oct. 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 a.m. PT.

The Under-14 squads were also in action over the weekend. The A squad is a perfect 4-0-0 after their 2-0 shutout win over Cosmos Academy West and will take on Cruz Azul Academy on Saturday. As for the B squad, they improve to 3-1-1 with their 6-0 blowout win over Deportivo Morelos and will take on West Covina FC this weekend.

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There was a celebration in Kansas City Saturday night as the Seattle Sounders secured a berth in the postseason MLS playoffs with a 2-1 win over the host Wizards. 

Tuesday night champagne was uncorked and splashed in earlier celebration as the Sounders achieved their second Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup triumph in a row with a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew.

While delighted with both achievements, Coach Sigi Schmid said after the Kansas City victory that, while happy about gaining a playoff spot in the franchise’s second season in existence, the focus had to be on performing well in the playoffs.  General Manager Adrian Hanauer echoed Schmidt’s sentiments in saying that he hoped that this year the team would fare better in playoff competition than it had one year earlier.

Now Seattle Sounders FC moves into an important three game home stretch that will reveal if it will be going into playoff competition with the kind of momentum it has been establishing in the second half of the season.  An important test looms Tuesday at 7 p.m. PT with the opposition CD Chivas de Guadalajara, Mexico’s most popular team, at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field.

After Monday’s workout in the Sounders’ training facility in Tukwila Schmid had high praise for Guadalajara.

“They are a good team and they are well-organized,” Schmid said.  “They are a team that is going to keep possession of the ball. They have got some pretty experienced players with Bofo [Adolfo Bautista].  Omar Bravo is another (good) player, while Omar Arellano is another (good) player."

“All of those guys have played for the national team off and on and they are very experienced players. They have an American kid as well, [Miguel] Ponce, who plays for them some at left back and some at left midfield. So they are a good team."

“They will keep possession of the ball. They will knock the ball around. They will play some of the guys who haven’t had as many games. But I think it’s going to be a good soccer game and I think the last games we have played at Qwest have been good games, have been entertaining games for the fans and have been good soccer games.”

Friday evening the Sounders return to Qwest Field for the second of three home tests that will enable them to maintain focus and work toward a solid and cohesive effort in the upcoming playoffs.  Friday’s contest will be Fan Appreciation Night with the MLS opponent Chivas USA in an 8 p.m. clash.

Seattle defeated Chivas 3-1 in Tukwila in the Open Cup semifinal, but has had difficulty with the Los Angeles based team in MLS competition.  Chivas leads the regular series with a 2-0-2 mark.


Finally the group stage of CONCACAF ends Tuesday, October 19th as the Sounders host CD Saprissa at 7 p.m. in a match that will be telecast on the Fox Soccer Channel.  A Saprissa win would move it into the quarterfinals.  While the Sounders were earlier eliminated from advancing, a triumph could conceivably enable them to finish third in Group C competition.

Regular season MLS activity will then end October 23rd on the road against the Houston Dynamo.

It will be interesting to see the lineups Schmid uses in remaining matches with a team that has depth denied to him earlier in the season when injuries were more of a factor than is currently the case.  

Team strength was also enhanced from the international front following the World Cup when Blaise Nkufo of Switzerland and Alvaro Fernandez of Uruguay reported for action.  Each has sturdily assisted a Sounders forward push that finds the team at 13-9-6 in league play with 45 points.     

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After a scrappy 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy have found themselves on the doorstep of a major breakthrough in their 2010 Major League Soccer campaign.

If you follow the action in MLB, a magic number is a number used to indicate how close a front-running team is to clinching a season title. In this case, it would be the number of points a team needs to get combined with the number of points a team needs to drop.

If the magic number formula were to be translated into something comprehensible in the race for this year's MLS Supporters' Shield, the number would be two.

For Real Salt Lake, their scoreless draw with the New York Red Bulls makes the Galaxy's magic number two. For FC Dallas, their 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids makes their elimination number one, as it would take just a single point gained by Los Angeles or a single point dropped by the Hoops to eliminate them from the race.

To make things a bit simpler, a win by the Galaxy over the Rapids or a draw for LA combined with RSL drawing against Dallas on October 16 will clinch the Supporters' Shield.

“We are playing pretty well," team captain Landon Donovan said last Thursday. "We need to be a little better with the ball and a little better with our chances. Overall I think we are happy especially when we are on the road.

“From the day Bruce got here, he set the standard high defensively and brought in a lot of guys. Our team has been very good defensively. We know every game we are going to get the chances we have been if we stay organized defensively, we are going to be tough to beat.”

The Galaxy currently sit at 17-6-5 (56 points), good for the best record in the league. They take on a Rapids side that can clinch the final MLS Cup Playoff spot with a draw.

For Los Angeles, the high-octane tandem of Edson Buddle and Donovan have translated to a league leading 16 goals and 14 assists. Donovan has also added seven goals to LA's campaign, while Michael Stephens and Sean Franklin have done some work in a provider role with eight and six assists, respectively.

The midfield of Chris Birchall, Michael Stephens, Beckham, and Juninho will need to step up their production if they plan to be a factor on Saturday. Crisp passing and timely dispossession will form the minimum.

As for Los Angeles's defensive backline, the unit was solid in their 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union and will be counted on today. Todd Dunivant, Omar Gonzales, Sean Franklin, and A.J. De La Garza will look to stop Colorado's vaunted attack, led by Omar Cummings, Conor Casey, Jamie Smith, and Mehdi Ballouchy.

Cummings is Colorado's top scorer, with 12 goals this season, while Smith is the team's top playmaker with seven assists. However, Casey is the main catalyst behind the Rapids' success this season with 11 goals and five assists. Ballouchy is another threat to watch, with five assists to his credit.

Colorado's defense, led by Drew Moore, Pablo Mastroeni, Marvell Wynne, and Kosuke Kimura have a tough assignment in stopping Buddle, Donovan, and Beckham, who seem to be getting stronger as the season goes on.

Other players to keep an eye out for in this match include defender/midfielder Anthony Wallace and midfielder Wells Thompson.

Donovan Ricketts has a 17-6-4 record to go with 74 saves, a 0.81 goals against average, and a 77.1 percent save percentage. His counterpart, Colorado's Matt Pickens, has a 10-8-9 record to go with 80 saves, a 1.047 GAA, and a 73.4 percent save percentage.


Prediction:

This could be the day that Los Angeles clinches the Shield. This should be a shutout win, and the moment where the club becomes the finished product that will put on a magnificent display in the postseason.

Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Colorado Rapids 0

Kickoff is scheduled for October 16 at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be televised by Fox Sports PrimeTicket.

Ins and Outs

Galaxy Superlatives

• The 17 wins for the Galaxy set a new club record for most wins in a season since the end of the shootout following the 1999 season.

• The Galaxy remain on pace to become the third team in MLS history to record 60 points in a season. With 56 points through 28 games, the Galaxy need either two wins or a win and a draw over their final two games of the year to reach that mark. Only the 1998 Galaxy and 2005 San Jose Earthquakes recorded 60 points in a season in the history of MLS.

• Edson Buddle gave the Galaxy the lead in the 27th minute on Thursday against the Philadelphia Union with his MLS-best 16th goal of the season. That goal sets a new career-high for Buddle, who had never scored more than 15 goals in a season before this year. The goal also put Buddle alone in seventh place in MLS history with 89 career goals, including 41 in a Galaxy uniform, good for the fourth most in club history.

• Buddle now has three goals and an assist in two games against the Union this season after scoring two and setting up one in LA’s 3-1 win over the Union at The Home Depot Center on May 1.

• The Galaxy are now a perfect 16-0-0 when scoring first, making them the only team in MLS not to drop a point when scoring the game’s opening goal.

• Donovan Ricketts made three saves for the win. This was his first clean sheet since a 1-0 win at New York on August 14. Ricketts remains on pace to record the lowest single season goals against average in club history. With the clean sheet, Ricketts tied Kevin Hartman’s club record for shutouts in a season with 11.

This was the Galaxy’s 12th shutout in MLS play this season, tying the club record for most shutouts by the team in a single season, a record that they set in 2009.

• Philadelphia were the 11th different team to be shutout by the Galaxy this season.

• Landon Donovan played the 230th game of his MLS career, with 141 of those coming in a Galaxy uniform.

• Jovan Kirovski entered the game in the 76th minute, replacing David Beckham. This was his 20th appearance of the season and the 160th of his MLS career. This was the Galaxy’s final road game of the season. They finish the year with an MLS-best 9-3-3 record on the road for 30 of their 56 points.

• This was also the Galaxy’s final game against an Eastern Conference opposition this season. They finish the year with an 8-4-4 record against the East.

• The attendance for Thursday's match between the Galaxy and Union was a sellout crowd of 18,779 at PPL Park, setting a new stadium record.

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