The Seattle Sounders FC concludes a long and winding series of road matches in Chicago on Saturday before settling in at home for the majority of its remaining matches. The Sounders tackle the Chicago Fire at 5 p.m. PT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Saturday’s confrontation is not only an important match for both teams regarding MLS playoff implications in a season that has reached its late crucial stage.  It is also round two in the competition pitting the Sounders against its former star midfielder, Sweden’s international star Freddie Ljungberg.

Round one of the competition, August 28 in Seattle, against Ljungberg and his mates went to the Sounders 2-1 on an exciting game winning header by Fredy Montero two minutes into stoppage play.  The Fire is now poised to return the favor on its home pitch.

Saturday’s match features teams heading in separate directions in recent MLS play.  Sounders FC come into action with a 10-9-6 league mark and 36 points.  The Sounders stand sixth in the West on goal difference, but have lost only once in their last 10 league matches with an impressive 6-1-3 mark.

Chicago, conversely, is struggling to remain in the postseason hunt. The Fire come into play at 6-9-8 with 26 points.  The Fire are fifth in the East and winless (0-2-2) in four matches since losing, 2-1, on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field on August 28. It was the first win in the series after two draws a year ago.

Wednesday night the Sounders were defeated 3-2 at Mexico's Monterrey in CONCACAF Champions League play.  With its chances to advance out of Champions League Group C dwindled after dropping its fourth straight match, Sounders FC must win in its final two CCL dates and rely on additional help to stay mathematically alive.

The prospect of reaching the quarterfinal knockout stage in Group C is exceedingly slim.  The Sounders, however, as a team in only its second year of existence that possesses many promising young players has benefited from CONCACAF play through opportunities to take on some of soccer’s most talented teams on an international stage.  

With a 0-4 mark thus far, the Sounders would love to break into the CONCACAF win column.  Two matches remain and both are at home in the friendly confines of the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field.  Seattle faces Honduras' Marathón on September 29 and Costa Rica's Saprissa on October 19.

In regard to the MLS Cup Playoff picture a much brighter picture emerges.  An impressive 4-0 victory at Eastern Conference leader Columbus last week kept Seattle in the fourth and final wild card playoff position.

With Saturday’s important match on the road, it is significant to see how the Sounders are faring away from home against MLS opponents.  The Sounders on the season are 4-5-3 on the road.  The important recent statistic, however, is that three of those wins have occurred in the last five games.  Chicago stands at 3-2-6 at home.

Seattle sent shock waves through the MLS landscape on Saturday, dealing the Crew its worst home loss in five years. Furthermore, the three goals of striker Blaise Nkufo may signal the awakening of a potentially ferocious three-pronged attack featuring the veteran Swiss international alongside the speed and scoring punch of Fredy Montero and Steve Zakuani.

Beginning September 29 when it hosts Marathón at 7 p.m. PT in the Champions League, Sounders FC plays three contests in a row at home. On October 2 at 12:30 p.m. PT Toronto FC comes to town.  Columbus confronts the Sounders in an October 5 rematch, this time not in MLS play but for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.  Action begins at 7 p.m. PT.

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Yet again, another footballer is making headlines for reasons other than the game.

David Beckham has become that latest high-profile player linked to a sex scandal. Beckham has categorically denied the claims against him.

But coming away from that, let’s talk about David Beckham for reasons regarding his profession—the only reason he should be making headlines.

As the most recognizable figure in all of sport, David Beckham has certainly reached a worldwide audience, but is he up there with the greats of the game?

Beckham is one of the most decorated English players ever to play the game. He won everything possible with Manchester United.

He came up through the ranks as part of the phenomenal crop of youth that United developed during the 90s.

On top of winning multiple medals with United, he also picked up some personal honours. In 1997, Beckham was named the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Two years later, he was named UEFA Club Player of the Year award.

More recently, Beckham has found himself named in the FIFA 100, a list of players handpicked by Pele whom he thought were the best living football players. He was also inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

Beckham is just 42 career games away from hitting the 500 mark. Despite the tail end of his career becoming riddled with injuries, he should reach that milestone.

Along with club appearances, Beckham has also represented his country 115 times. Only Peter Shilton has played more times for England. Beckham surpassed greats such as Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton on his way to becoming England's second-most capped player.

David Beckham is one of the best passers of the ball in world football. Few players can match his ability to spot and delivery a pass.

He's managed to have a very successful career as a right midfielder without been gifted with any great deal of pace.

Beckham is one of the world's best dead-ball specialists. The term dead-ball specialist gets thrown around a lot, with anyone who scores a handful of free kicks having the label attached to them.

Beckham, on the other hand, is very much deserving of the accolade. Free kicks—close range and far from goal, penalties, and corner kicks—are all very dangerous situations when David Beckham steps up to take them.

Many people criticize Beckham for his choices later in career, which many claim to be geared more toward money and his off-field career rather than his footballing career. But that does not take away from what he has accomplished over the entirety of his career, and what he still may manage to take.

His arrival to Major League Soccer has certainly had its benefits for soccer’s popularity in America. If nothing else, that, in itself, is an accomplishment worthy of credit.

Beckham is certainly a bigger figure worldwide than the likes of footballing greats such as Diego Maradona, Pele, and Johan Cruyff, but will he be listed alongside them when he retires from the game?

In some eyes, it is possible.

But in most, I doubt it.

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New York Red Bull fans have been lucky this season.

The team is finally in a new stadium. The team not only finally signed Thierry Henry—long rumored to be coming—but they also brought in Mexico National Team captain Rafael Marquez. Most importantly, the team has gone from worst team in MLS to a legitimate title contender.

However, in the 15 years of the franchise’s existence, good fortune has not been the norm, which has left the fan base waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It may have finally done so.

Juan Pablo Angel, not only arguably the best player in team history but also the best Designated Player in the league’s history, is apparently unhappy.

The team’s leading scorer, this season and all-time, started last Thursday’s game against the streaking FC Dallas on the bench.

Pressing for goals, points, and momentum, Angel appeared as a substitute and was a key player in the Dallas own goal that would tie the game.

No big deal, right?

The team has a playoff spot pretty much wrapped up, and Angel has a history of injury issues. So, resting him and allowing newcomer Mehdi Ballouchy to get time with the first time was the right move one would think.

But there may be more than meets the eye here.

Angel, usually the consummate professional, has brushed off reporters questioning him about his role on the team. In the last year of his contract, there is no word from Red Bulls ownership of what they intend to do with him. There were rumors that Angel was shopped during the transfer window.

Is he being phased out of the lineup for good?

What happens beyond the season is one thing. Angel is 35 years old, has had lingering injury issues as said before, and he can be a streaky shooter. The Red Bulls may decide to go in another direction with their third DP slot.

However, Angel is instrumental to the team on the field and their championship aspirations this season.

Angel is a player with a lot of big game experience. He demands a lot of attention on the field from opposing defenses, which opens up a lot of space. He is one of the most talented and clutch players in the league. He also has formed a great partnership and understanding with Henry.

Let’s also not forget that not only is he the team’s all-time leading scorer, but this season he also leads the team with 12 goals. In second place? Benchwarmer Salou Ibrahim and his three goals.

Things still have time to turn around. Going into the matchup with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Henry is inactive because of injury.

So, playing on a nationally televised game, looking for credibility, momentum heading into the postseason, and ratings (MLS wants this more so), Angel should be back in the starting lineup. A goal and/or a win and all of this could be forgotten, at least until after the season.

Maybe it really is nothing. Rumors, a rest in the lineup, and a bad day could cause New York media to spiral a bit out of control.

But with everything going so well, New York Red Bull fans can’t help but to look over their shoulders and expect the absolute worst.

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Long considered a year that would forever change America's soccer landscape, 2010 has lived up to its billing of being a huge year.

From seeing the United States national team finally having a defining moment with Landon Donovan's stoppage time goal against Algeria in the World Cup to seeing Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez move from Barcelona to the New York Red Bulls, American soccer has really moved forward this year.

But tonight, we may see the biggest match in the 14 year history of Major League Soccer as those New York Red Bulls travel to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

This match will contain the likes of Edson Buddle (the league's leading scorer), Juan Pablo Angel (New York's top goalscorer), David Beckham (the biggest foreign star in MLS), Rafa Marquez (Mexico's captain) and Landon Donovan (the most famous American footballer of all-time), marking the biggest show of talent to ever be assembled on a prime-time stage in MLS history.

Despite the absence of Frenchman Thierry Henry due to injury for the Red Bulls, this is arguably the most important match in their franchise's history.

This match could be even bigger than the MLS Cup final that they played at the Home Depot Center two years ago, a match they lost to the Columbus Crew by a 3-1 scoreline.

Meanwhile for the Galaxy, they are the first club in MLS to clinch a spot in the playoffs this season, and are widely considered to be the best squad in MLS.

So what exactly makes this matchup the biggest match in MLS this season?

For starters, this is Los Angeles vs New York. The two biggest cities in the United States and both have always had major rivalries with each other in other sports (Yankees vs Dodgers in baseball, Lakers vs Knicks in basketball etc).

Now, we can see a new sports rivalry develop as we have the two biggest MLS sides now battling it out in what can become the best rivalry in the league's young history.

These two sides had one fantastic match on August 18, 2007 in which 66,237 went to Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

On that night, the Red Bulls won by a 5-4 score as future American international Jozy Altidore scored a late winner for the Red Bulls.

Tonight, we can possibly see a continuation of this potentially great rivalry as we can see a match that will showcase the greatest talent to ever play on the football pitch.

At least three players from the World Cup will be playing here, and there could be four should Henry somehow play.

And that is excluding the most famous foreign player in MLS's history in David Beckham.

This match could also be viewed as a way to get more Mexican fans involved with MLS, as Mexican captain Rafa Marquez will be facing Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle

With the most famous designated players in the league playing in this match, one must really wonder if this is the biggest match in the history of Major League Soccer.

So far this year, TV ratings have been flat as they have hovered around 0.2 view per game (or about 250,000 viewers per match).

The most watched match this season in MLS is a match from the fourth of July between the Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders that had 391,000 views and was a sellout at the Home Depot Center.

That match also was Donovan and Buddle's first match since the World Cup.

At the end of the day, this will be the biggest match in MLS this season as it can really help open some doors in making the sport of soccer more popular.

But who knows? Maybe these two sides could meet in an even bigger match on November 21 in Toronto in the MLS Cup final.

Both these sides are talented enough, and can really help MLS get bigger overall by playing in another prime-time window with a championship on the line.

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Seattle Sounders faithful knew that it was a huge mountain to climb, but for a large part of Wednesday night’s road match against potent CF Monterrey, it appeared as if a gigantic upset was in the making.

Seattle had grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead against the favorites and did a good job of withstanding numerous Monterrey charges for a good part of the second half. 

Ultimately, though, the form chart prevailed and Group C leader CF Monterrey answered with three goals in a swift and decisive four-minute span as Seattle lost 3-2, in round four of the CONCACAF Champions League group stage at Estadio Tecnologico on Wednesday night. 

The match drew 19,617 spirited fans who continued to loudly sing and cheer for the home team throughout the evening’s play.

The teams began and ended play as mirror image reversals of one another.  Monterrey stands atop Group C standings with a spotless 4-0 mark and 12 points, a cinch to advance to the quarterfinal round. 

Seattle sits at the bottom of the ladder at 0-4 with two more opportunities to break out of the winless column, both of which are at home at the X-Box Pitch of Qwest Field.

In earlier CONCACAF play, Seattle had been shut out 2-0 by Monterrey at home, so it had to have been a joyous double boost for coach Sigi Schmid to see his charges field a lineup consisting of numerous young players take a 2-0 lead while playing with great spirit.

"We played a lot of our young players today,” Schmid said after the match.  “We wanted to give them a look. I think we have been a little bit unlucky in CONCACAF. We should have probably won at Marathon. Without the red card at Saprissa we would have done much better. We had a bad 10 minutes today. But certainly we are still a young team in the second year of existence as a franchise. We learn every time we play together. We want to be back next year in CONCACAF and we will do much better."

Schmid’s concluding comment is worth careful scrutiny.  The positive message gleaned from a loss against a dominant Latin soccer power reveals that Seattle has some fine young talent.  While the closing phase revealed the mistakes of youth learning while on the rise, the future looks bright in building a winning franchise. 

Earlier in the season during an injury phase, Seattle raised eyebrows by starting a midfield crew that averaged 21 years of age against FC Dallas. 

Opposing coach Schellas Hyndman said following a 1-1 tie, “More power to Sigi.  He has talent and he knows how to coach young players.”

Schmid was disappointed by the fact that his team was unable to hold its lead, exclaiming,  “Obviously we are disappointed that we were up two-nothing and when you are up two-nothing you should never give the game away, so we are disappointed...I was disappointed with how we performed in the last 30 minutes of the game."

One bright note was the start and positive play of youthful former Harvard All-American Mike Fucito making his professional debut at midfield.

Fucito was returning from an injury that has sidelined him during most of the MLS campaign.  He had earlier become the sixth player in MLS history by scoring his first career goal in his initial start in overtime as his winner pushed the Sounders past Kansas City, 1-0.

The returning Fucito had a hand in both Seattle first half goals.  The initial tally was ruled an own-goal after Fucito forced the issue and was the score’s catalyst.  Seattle emerged on the scoreboard in the 27th minute when Fucito struck a right-footed shot that deflected off Monterrey's Hiram Ricardo Mier into the back of the net and was ruled an own-goal.

A steadily pressing Fucito returned for more as Sounders FC extended its lead in the 44th minute.  Nate Jaqua took a ball from Alvaro Fernandez and played Fucito into the box. Fucito poked the ball with the outside of his right foot and beat keeper Jonathan Orozco.

The scored remained that way until the emergence of Chilean national star and prolific striker Humberto Suazo emerged in the 61st minute, replacing William Paredes.  Monterrey’s 29-year-old star put his team on the board in the 74th minute. It came after Terry Boss stopped a shot from Suazo, but Aldo De Nigris headed the rebound past Boss.

One minute later Suazo was once more knocking on the Sounders’ door.  Suazo beat Boss from 18 yards out with a right-footed shot to the far corner.

The match’s clincher came in the 77th minute.  A hard-charging Suazo was being defended by veteran back line performer Tyrone Marshall, who was seeking to take him outside away from the goal. 

As Boss emerged, Marshall shouted for him to back off, but it was too late and the Seattle goalkeeper made contact with the streaking Suazo and was whistled for a foul in the box.  Perez stepped up and knocked the penalty kick past Boss for the club's third goal in four minutes.

The emergence and swift results from the determined Suazo recalled a comment made by Schmid following Seattle’s earlier home setback against Monterrey.  “Their forwards make a lot more money than ours do,” Schmid said, certainly taking note of Suazo in that select category.

Boss made five saves in his third competitive start, including a masterly tip save on William Paredes' header in the 39th minute.

Monterrey held the edge in shots.  The count was 15-11 overall in Monterrey’s favor.  To show the pressure that the Seattle defense endured, the on-goal advantage for the home team was an impressive 8-3 on goal.

Mike Fucito put the experience in perspective.   "Every time you come down here it is difficult to play,” he said.  “I think it's definitely a good learning experience. I thought we did a lot well, so it's a little bit frustrating. I think it was just a couple minute lapse that was the difference. We will take the positive things from this. I think there's some stuff that tactically we need to work on and make sure that we are concentrating for 90 minutes."

The Sounders have lost three matches this season on quick surge attacks.  In addition to Monterrey, Seattle was overwhelmed by swift strike attacks in an embarrassing 4-0 loss to the L.A. Galaxy at home and recently on Sept. 4 with a 3-1 setback on the road against the New England Revolution.

The frequent flier Sounders must quickly regroup and focus again on MLS play.  The team stands at 10-9-6 with 36 points.  On Saturday, Seattle visits the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park in Bridgeville, Ill. at 5 p.m. PT, facing its former star midfielder Freddie Ljungberg.

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Monterrey faced the Seattle Sounders FC in the Estadio Tecnologico located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The result was an exciting game with a historical moment. The referee was Marlon Alfonso Mejia.

The first half was dominated by the Sounders as they had the possession of the ball and field. They appeared consistent with Sergio Perez scoring the first goal at 27 minutes followed by Michael Fucito within the end of the first half.

Sergio Perez scored with a direct kick while Michael Fucito scored with an assist from Nate Jaqua. The second goal was the result of a foul which lead to a yellow card being issued to Jesus Arellano of Monterrey.

Zach Scott of the Sounders received one early for anti-sporting activity. It appeared that the Seattle Sounders FC was going to convert into being the first MLS club from the USA in winning a game inside Mexican Territory.

It was not the case since Monterrey started the second half of the game emboldened and strengthened with a positive attitude and the support of its home stadium.

Seattle srated to weaken in response to the onslaught with Monterrey and Mike Seamon receives another yellow card for the Sounders. They started playing in a disorganized manner and Monterrey took advantage of the situation.

Jesus Di Nigris scored the first goal for Monterrey with a direct kick within 72 minutes and then proceeded to assist Humberto Suazo in an electrifying equalizer with another direct kick.

The crowd went wild as the people celebrated the equalizer. They started to celebrate when Luis Perez scored a third goal for Monterrey as a result of a penalty.

The penalty was based on Terry Boss of the Sounders fouling towards Humberto Suazo of Monterrey.Monterrey continued forward without looking back.

The team (Monterrey) was looking great and refreshed. While the game was in their favor, Neri Cardozo received a yellow card for an infarction in football while Jesus Arellano received a red card and an expulsion for using force against Alvaro Fernandez.

The red and yellow cards were an inconvenience for Monterrey but it did not deter them from winning another game against the Sounders,

Monterrey 3-2 Seattle Sounders FC

Estadio Tecnologico Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Most valued player was Jesus De Nigris for his famous hattrick that surprised everyone and heloed Monterrey come from behind in a victory.

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After considering Blaise Nkufo’s stature as one of the great goal scorers in Dutch football history and a Swiss national team World Cup performer, it appeared only a question of time before he would begin finding the net for the Seattle Sounders.

In his period of time with the Sounders, Nkufo previously had some near misses. In the interim he played excellent soccer as a distribution factor, delivering the ball to teammates for scoring opportunities.

A clue to his effectiveness lies in the statistic that Seattle is a spotless 5-0-1 in games in which the Swiss star started at forward.

Saturday night was Nkufo’s breakthrough game. Exercising a deft touch, he became the first players in Sounders history to score a hat trick, the fourth in the 2010 MLS season. His three goals led the Sounders to a devastating 4-0 shutout over Eastern Conference leader Columbus on the Crew’s pitch.

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid addressed the subject of Nkufo following his team’s Monday workout.

“MLS is a difficult league,” Schmid began. “It’s not an easy league like some people necessarily think overseas at times. It’s difficult because of the travel and it’s also difficult because the quality of play and the athleticism is better than I think is realized. It always takes every player a little bit of time to adjust.

“But the good ones like Blaise always make that adjustment. He found his feet. I said even before he was scoring goals that his holdup play was really important to us because he allows us to get other players into the attack and allows us to have a flow into our game, which really helps us. It was great to see him get on the board.”

Schmid was delighted by the return to practice by Brad Evans, who last week was added to the roster after a period on the disabled list.

“It was great to see him out there, for sure,” Schmid said. “We’re up-training him again now this week for two or three days and then we will back off again. This is the first time he has been in as a neutral player. He said he felt pretty good.... Hopefully each day and each week he will make a little more progress.”

Coach Schmid also discussed CONCACAF Champions League competition:

“Yeah, we have to look at it a little bit differently. We are still going to try and put the team out there that we think is going to win the game, for sure. We are not giving any games away.

“We are not handing them in or writing them in. But certainly there are some guys on our team that have logged a lot of minutes, been playing game in and game out. Now we have got to manage their minutes a little bit. Those other guys who haven’t logged as many minutes can play a bit more. But we are still going to field a team that is very experienced.

“We are going to field a team that has got good quality in it. But we have to see how guys feel tomorrow as we get into Monterrey. There’s a couple guys who can’t play in Monterrey, like Leo Gonzalez and Roger [Levesque]; Leo because of the red card and Roger because he has two yellows. [James] Riley we’re going to hold out because of his ankle. We want to give him just a few more days but he will be back for Chicago. But outside of that everybody else is somebody we are thinking about playing.”

Sounders FC faces a tough test in CONCACAF action at Mexico's CD Monterrey on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. PT. That match is followed by a contest bearing MLS playoff implications at the Chicago Fire Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.

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The return of Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham to match fitness has been one of sheer acceleration, with more minutes added on to his slate in the Galaxy's 2-1 victory over D.C. United on Saturday.

Beckham came on in the 53rd minute of play for Jovan Kirovski.

“It was a good workout for myself,” Beckham said on his performance. “I was puffing a little bit more than I was last week, but it was more minutes on the field and that’s what I need.”

Los Angeles manager Bruce Arena reiterated the current state of affairs regarding Beckham.

“Again, we need to appreciate [that] this is a player that six months ago tore his Achilles tendon,” Arena said after the match. “To be back this quickly and be able to contribute what he has the last two games I think is very impressive. He’s ahead of schedule.”

With this Friday's match against the New York Red Bulls a marquee matchup featuring one of Beckham's old rivals in Thierry Henry, the possibility of LA's No. 23 making his first start this season looms large over the pitch at Victoria Street.

“When you’ve been out for six months, and obviously with this kind of injury, it’s hard to do too much workout while you’re rehabbing it,” Beckham said on the layoff. “For four months, I probably didn’t do hardly anything and then try to step it up. It’s going to take a while to get my match fitness and [Saturday] helps.”

“Our goal is to get him completely match-fit by playoff time,” Arena said when asked of the eventual objective. “I think we’re ahead of the curve. If everything goes well and there are no setbacks, he should be on schedule.”

But this is a question worth wondering as the seconds, minutes, and hours tick before Friday night's showdown with the Red Bulls. What do you think? Share your thoughts. Be sure to keep it clean...

Attention, attention: Lalas Hill is open once again

The grass berm known unofficially as "Lalas Hill" is back for a second act this season. This general admission seating area costs just $24, and it's first come, first get...for the best spots.

The last time Lalas Hill was open was on Independence Day, when the Galaxy hosted the Seattle Sounders. And sadly, unless divine intervention comes into play it will most likely be the last time fans get a View from The Hill this season.


34 games...real deal, no gimmicks

With the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps coming on board, Major League Soccer will move to a 34-game schedule for the 2011 season, with no breaks for CONCACAF Gold Cup or any international competitions next year.

Therefore, the battle to choose between club and country will prove a testy one for some of the shining stars in MLS.

Landon, pick your poison wisely...

The 2011 campaign will kick off on Saturday, March 19, 2011, and the 34 matches will be played in the span of 32 weeks with the regular season coming to a close on October 22. The postseason format, MLS Cup 2011's date, and the 2011 regular season schedules are forthcoming.


Showdown of the Heavens looming in the future?

Goodbye energy drinks, hello tradition.

This has already been publicized on Bleacher Report, but the New York Cosmos are back. Yes, the Cosmos that saw Pele and Franz Beckenbauer among its stars and who left an indelible mark on the NASL's legacy. THOSE New York Cosmos.

Even though they are starting off with cherrypicking local youth academies here and there, the Commissioner known as Mr. Donald Garber has always looked to New York for a second team.

This might as well be the one. All other consortiums, either pitch in or get out the way...the Cosmos want IN.

While I am not a follower of the Beautiful Game in the Big Apple, I can sense that some Red Bulls fans may also be tempted to jump ship and support a team that has built itself on a successful tradition in the 1970's.

If they do become the next MLS team to come into the fold, we really have the fine "we'll give you a refund for your problems" folks in Seattle to thank for this one.

If it hadn't been for those revivers of the dead, we wouldn't have seen the sleeping giant known as the Cosmos awaken from its slumber.

Even though there is a long ways to go before this is set in stone, I can imagine the possibility of a game involving the New York Cosmos and Los Angeles Galaxy.

We'll call it The Showdown of the Heavens. Let's hope that if they do keep the logo, they keep the uniform layout, too.

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Landon Donovan and David Beckham have a history in U.S. and English Football/Soccer respectively.

Both men are playing for the MLS team the LA Galaxy. While there have been reports of rivalry and competition, I usually have the burning question as to which of the two are the greatest.

I would like to extend an invitation to the writers at Bleacher Report and outside of it to leave comments as to who is the best football/soccer player of the 21st Century.

Enclosed is a segment dedicated to these two 21st Century soccer personalities.

Please feel free to leave your comments about who is the greatest.

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Was it an impressive evening for the Seattle Sounders? 

It was the team’s most impressive performance of the season and arguably the best overall in the history of its MLS franchise.

The broad-shouldered player served as the evening’s catalyst scoring the first three goals of his Sounders career in a stunning 4-0 shutout win. What made it all the more impressive was that he did it against the Eastern Conference leader, the Columbus Crew, and on its home turf before 17,144 patrons.

The Swiss World Cup performer Blaise Nkufo shot home three goals and silenced his impatient critics. 

What they should have realized was that it was just a question of time before he secured his breakthrough.  His midfield work was steady as his physicality and presence combined with an astute role as a facilitator aided the team’s effort. 

Consider this fact—the Sounders are 5-0-1 in matches Nkufo started at forward.

Prior to joining the Sounders for active duty Nkufo received the supreme honor of having a statue of him unveiled in Enschede, where he set a scoring record with 111 goals in seven years for FC Twente in Eredivisie, Holland’s first division.  When one adds the additional goals that he secured during that period for Switzerland in international play the number expands to a whopping 200.

The match began on a spirited note. 

Both teams moved at a swift pace, determined to break on top first with a score as goalkeepers Kasey Keller of Seattle and William Hesmer of Columbus were called into immediate action.

Columbus is where Sigi Schmid had coached with great success before moving to Seattle.  It's a team he notably does not wish to lose to for good reason, given his close Crew contacts.  “You don’t want to lose to your friends because you hear about it more often,” Schmid has frequently noted.

Nkufo broke the deadlock early en route to the first hat trick in Seattle franchise history. 

It came in the 4th minute. 

Nathan Sturgis whipped in a corner kick that Fredy Montero headed into the chest of Crew goalkeeper Hesmer. Nkufo knocked the rebound past Hesmer for his first goal as a Sounder. Nkufo’s goal tied the mark for earliest in club history that was set by Steve Zakuani on May 1 of this season against Columbus in the team's Seattle meeting.

Nkufo’s scoring had interesting timing.  The first tally came early in the match, his second in the middle phase, and his final score in its late stage.

His big night resumed with a goal in the 39th minute.  The Swiss star took a cross from Sanna Nyassi, dribbled into the 6-yard box, and slid a left-footed shot into the corner of the net.

The red hot Sounders were not about to stop there during perhaps the best first stanza in the club’s history.  Just three minutes later Nyassi was taken down in the box by Crew defender Danny O'Rourke.

Sturgis stepped up and buried the shot.

Sturgis' score produced two more records on a historic record setting night.  His boot into the low left corner was the first penalty kick score in team history while tying a record for most first half goals. 

The other time that Seattle produced a 3-0 halftime lead was at home this season against the New England Revolution.  This feat was more impressive considering that it came against a team currently leading its conference who entered the contest with a glossy 13-6-5 mark and 44 points playing on its home pitch.

Columbus came out for the second half determined to turn things around after having been wounded before its home faithful.  It struck repeatedly, but an alert Kasey Keller chalked up 5 goals while several second efforts just missed the mark. 

It was one of those evenings when destiny was wearing Seattle blue.  

This was Keller’s 50th consecutive MLS start.  The shutout was his 10th, delineating a  clean sheet every fifth match.  

Nkufo set the franchise hat trick mark and became the fourth player this season to reach that milestone in the 75th minute.  Steve Zakuani beat the Crew defense to the end line and found Nkufo at the top of the box.

Nkufo blasted a right-footed shot into the top corner of the net for the game's final goal.

Seattle held an advantage in shots of 16-14 and an 8-5 edge on goal. The seven first half shots on goal set one more club record.

The Sounders lead the all-time series with the Crew 2-0-2.  The clubs will lock horns again in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on October 5 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

The victory put Sounders FC in a tie for fourth in the Western Conference.  The triumph was its first on the road since July 31.  Seattle‘s MLS seasonal record stands at 10-9-6 with 36 points.  

Seattle continues CONCACAF Champions League group stage play when it visits Mexico's Monterrey on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT. The match will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. Sounders FC concludes its four game road stretch next Saturday when it faces the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park with kickoff set for 5 p.m. PT.

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