MLS Cup Final - 2008

First off, that was a decent enough display of what we love about the sport. Angel made some decent runs and was squashed. There was end-to-end movement by both teams, the fans were alive, and there were four goals.

It was a game that if it had been given a chance was enjoyed.

I enjoyed watching it in Redmond at a recently opened place called the Carolina Kitchen. I know the pit boss (not casino but SMOKE) and that drew me in, sorry ECS, but sometimes supporting my friend's paycheck trumps overall atmosphere. The three of us got there in time for first kick and took over the seats at the bar. We grabbed the bar TV, because with 3 paying customers we deserved it. We didn't even have to pull the "our friend works here" card out.

I'm working on getting a pic up, and would love to see the stuff from soccer pubs around the region and nation.

But for me this was a tale of the best team winning. GBS was golden. He displayed the talents that we have seen from all year, from set-plays and in run-of-play he delivered the ball with precision and led the Crew to a dominating performance over the final 75 minutes or so. Red Bull was clearly outclassed on the afternoon, and have some difficult choices coming up regarding Kandji, DVDB and others.

It was also great to see Jesus/Frankie Hejduk win the MLS Cup. As one of the founders and stalwarts of MLS he deserved success in his homeland, and he earned it.

That goal there was the symbol of the game. It was a team that was better coached, that had a consistent chemistry, that was unified in purpose. I hope the hard working Crew prove themselves in the 09/10 CCL like the Dynamo are trying in the 08/09. I don't just want to follow a league that is best in Anglo-America, but that is best in CONCACAF. That's the next step.

Sigi, I hope you decide to come here and work with Hanauer, Henderson and Schmetzer. Only in Seattle will you make enough of an impact to move beyond being just one of the top three coaches in MLS history. Only in Seattle will you capture a nation and the world's attention. Currently you are on the level of Arena and Kinnear, but with the vision that SSFC has you can move beyond their mere success in MLS.

Wear our scarf with a Rave Green shirt underneath.

We might not win the MLS Cup for you in 2009, but we will get you to Abu Dhabi in 2010.

GBS to Jesus!

And the most disappointing moment of the afternoon