MLS Cup Pre-, In-, and Post-Game Thread: Houston at Los Angeles, 1 December

Serious, PLENTY of stories here. Maybe my most anticipated MLS Cup other than the one the Red Bulls were involved in.

 

Houston sold Cameron in June as well.
Then added Mr. Boni "I Play for Fun" Garcia.
Brad Davis is not injured unlike last year
Taylor plays centerback now over leftback.
He's paired with Bobby Boswell now, both are in tremendous form.

Keane has gone ballistic since coming back from the Euros in June.
So has Donovan recently.
Becky is on his last game.
L.A.'s D is stout.

The two best U.S. born coaches ever in a rematch.

The plot lines are there for one of those really evenly matched Cup Finals that if the weather holds should be great action.

 

Dom was born is Glasgow, cmon Celt!

 

It's hilarious to know that Phil Anschutz has already won his own trophy before the game even started. From oddschecker...

Winner
LA Galaxy 1.5
Houston Dynamo 3.3

 

But he played at St. Johnstone. Eww................

Luckily he didn't see the field enough to besmirch his reputation.

Actually Dom did the St. Johnstone-Necaxa double, which is quite cringe-worthy.

 

as someone who loves what Beckham did, I hope it ends with a loss to the Dynamo. i think it's a better sign for the quality jump this league has taken if someone else beats an in-form LA for the cup.

if the Galaxy do win, I hope Keane scores at least one.

 

Just hope its an entertaining match. Will go live into Australia on a Sunday morning think its an 8am kickoff for us so many people will tune in, for the sake of the game I hope la gets an early goal to open the match up a bit, if houston get it you know they will just bunker down and the remainder of the match will be played on one half of the field.

 

If Houston does score and bunker down, maybe the fireworks will entertain everyone.

 

This game will be won on Houston bringing men forward for corner and LA somehow getting a crazy good counter on them and putting one in the "old onion bag".

 

Both teams are good, and in good form. I think the Gals should be favored, playing at home. But things have fallen so much in place for the Gals during the playoffs (hosting, as a 7th seed or whatever they were?), I feel like somehow the soccer gods are going to intervene. Plus I think Houston has a distinct advantage at goalkeeper. I'm gonna call:

2-1 Houston

 

So for one side it will be the last game for a team icon who hails from an island, and for the other it will be Beckham's last game.

 

I'm surprised more people aren't talking about Geoff Cameron. If Keane and Donovan start clicking Houston's defense will have a long day.

That said, as a Galaxy supporter the Dynamo scare me more than any other team in the East. They're the only team from that conference that has CCL experience, so the atmosphere at HDC won't bother them (we expect it to be more raucous than last year.) They really are still a Western team in a lot of ways.

Can't wait!

 

Why would we be talking about a Stoke player?

 

Pretty sure Houston will miss him in this game more than the Galaxy will miss Adam Cristman.

 

Um, Houston has had 3 months to adjust their backline and get comfortable with their current starters. Win or lose in the final, it's not going to have anything to do with Cameron's presence or lack thereof.

 

Taylor has been a beast out back. Ashe - Taylor - Boswell - Sarkodie with Hainault and Sturgis are back ups is good. I'll be only worried if Hainault got the start.

 

Don't underestimate "the Beast"

 

It is. I went to Toronto and the difference between that and last year was night and day. The weather had something to do with it, but the weather sucked here too.

This year there will be almost no neutrals so it should be electric. I have to say any of the five teams in the Western playoffs would have been amazing spectacles for MLS Cup.

 

I'm not a huge Galaxy fan, but it would probably be a storybook ending for LA and the league if they win the Cup one more time. We already know that Becks is leaving after this game, and there have been rumors throughout the entire last part of the MLS season that Landycakes is seriously contemplating retirement. Physically he is far from washed up and could contribute for several more years if he wanted to, but i think he is feeling burned out. Although Keane is an absolute soccer beast on the field, if both Donovan and Beckham leave it will definitely be the end of an era for the Galaxy and the beginning of a scramble to the top for other teams in MLS.

 

LA could probably get more DP's.

 

What you're saying is true-- they could always go out and buy new DP's---but at any given point in time just how many quality dp's are there that at the same time make sense from a business perspective? There are guys that are very good on the field of play but whose marketability and recognition are not necessarily the best. And there are guys who are extremely marketable whose on the field ability may be on the decline.

The 1-2 punch of a Donovan-Beckham lineup is, i believe, something that wont be easily replicated. In those guys the Galaxy had 2 game changers that at the same time could make a lot of $$$ for the club and the league as well. I guess what I'm saying is that it will be very difficult indeed to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

 

I have to say, I think you're giving the 1-2 punch of Becks and Donovan way too much respect here...

There are better teams in this league imo. They aren't as dominant as many are led to believe.

Solid team no doubt though.