I don't know if or how much of the game i will watch. But i do know that i hate New England like i hate Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The only player i like on their team is Ralston. So i hope Houston wins. And i hope it's an exciting game so there is good press about our sport for once.
I don't want an Eastern Conference also ran to win, and I like Houston's fans and the way they play, but my son married into a Massachusetts family and is involved in the soccer community there, so I am torn. BTW, NE has some solid citizens on its squad: Ralston (twice the Fair Play winner), Parkhurst (only 10 fouls all season!), and they got rid of that punk Franchino. But please explain the hate on Heaps. It can't be because he is a "dirty" player - he committed 32 fouls, not even close to Joseph's 55 and Lawrentowicz's 61. SEVEN players on DC United had more! It must be that he had the poor taste to attend my alma mater (and that of my two sons as well), and it seems gospel here in the DC area that anyone who attends Duke is by definition a slimeball, compared to those saintly chaps who went to Maryland, or UVA, et. al.. But seriously, did he do something nasty to one of our guys, like spitting on him? - no, sorry, that was Christian Gomez. Can anybody enlighten me? Now I know why people hate Reis, because they think he deliberately kneed Esky in the head (he didn't; it happened right in front of me.) But Heaps?
Heaps is an A-1 instigating punk who is at least as dirty and whiny as any other player mentioned negatively in this thread. He's the kind of player who tries to get away with smacking opponents (ask Jaime) in the face. He didn't get much flak for JP Angel's concussion but I certainly wondered whether he intentionally left his knee high so Angel could come down hard on it. I hate Heaps and hope his team loses again. In spite of decent guys like Ralston being on that team.
The whole "I'm pulling for New England because if the Clash-Quakes-1836-Dynamo win they'll have won four cups like DC United" argument is 1) weenie because it makes you look insecure about DC United's standing in the league and 2) silly because next year when the Quakes return and are playing under the same name and the same uniform and have the same fans as they always did the whole Clash-Quakes-1836-Dynamo continuity will be obliterated. Let's put it this way: the Houston fans do not claim their team won the cups won by San Jose. So neither should you.
Its say I want RFK to implode on itself with both teams underneath it all in the locker rooms, but then DC wouldnt have a place to play next season! But seriously,... here is what I posted on a similar thread in MLS General:
MLS needs fans. Houston fans have shown great support for their team. They actually play a very dynamic type of flowing soccer, i.e. they attack and defend in numbers. I have been to NE for a few games and wished they would have better support (the few they have are certainly passionate about their soccer), they have a great city, and great getaways. They play a conservative type of soccer that minimizes mistakes, while giving fans plenty of time to spend in the Guinness line (they were one of the first to get the beer thing right!). Move the NE team to Rochester (beer is cheaper there and no Sunday blue laws!).
Family ties=New England Hating Heaps (since he's a whiny punk who went to Duke-- maybe we can get a shot of Coach K in the stands sanctimonious defending him and whining at the refs)= Houston NE fan smack on other Big Soccer Boards=Houston Hating Texas=New England I'm just hoping for a good match with lots of fouls and goals.
For me i'm going for houston simply because i hate any and all sports teams that have anything to do with Boston and/or Massachusetts. Any revs wearing Red Sux and cheating Pats headgear deserve a right smack upside the head on sunday.
DC United. F@ck the rest. I wasn't going to go, but now I think I'll just leave the kids at home, get nice and toasty, and heartily boo both teams and the refs for 90 minutes, plus overtime, and penalties.
I dunno, im not sure you're going to get that. NE has scored just 2 goals in 3 playoff matches (0-0, 1-0, 1-0) 2 freakin goals to get to MLS Cup. Houston has scored 6 in 3 playoff matches (0-1, 4-1, 2-0) NE has given up 0 goals, Houston 2. NE is going to try and play extremely careful, defecive oriented soccer here. Either Houston is going to explode and run away with it, or were going to see a 0-0, or 1-0 borefest. I wouldnt be surpised to see this one go down into the books w/ a PK winner honestly. Oh.. and I hate texas as much as the next guy, but really, I just cant root for NE.
I can't stand the pain of watching the Revolting and their stultifying hit and run game, like a bad English team in 1985. As far as I know the next competitive game an MLS team is playing is DC United vs. a yet-to-be-determined CAF qualifier in February.
order of importance: 1. explosive diarrhea / stress fractures for Reis, Noonan, Heaps and Twellman 2. slashed tires on all the free NE to DC buses 3. mini-stroke for bob kraft 4. Spontaneous combustion for anyone in patriots gear 5. 4-0 victory for Houston (though I hate texas as much as the next...)
I'm going to cheer for which ever team scores first to score again. I personally hope it's Houston who scores first, but if it's New England, than I suppose I'll cheer for them... even though I think it would be good for the league and Country if we had another cursed New England sports franchise But overall, I do not want to watch another boring MLS Cup final. Unfortunately, a Houston / New England rematch doesn't have my hopes up.
Very well said, Knave. But with that being said, I am still going to pull for NE. They will be easier to beat next year on our way to winning the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Good lord, no! The very thought of New England representing our league in any international competition makes me want to puke. Houston all the way. Ricardo Clark nails Heaps with a projectile from the stands.
Saying that Houston gets 2 SJ cups is like saying Metros get all the Cosmos victories, except Metros have a better case to make
I didn't know Pele played for the Metros (I'm sure that is what the zombie who got to take a picture with BB [Bobby B not BBBulldog] is arguing), but I suppose I shouldn't put it past RBNY to try and sign him to a DP slot!
Except that its almost the exact same group of winners from SJ that is winning in Houston, which kind of kills that analogy.
Not a full-proof analogy, but I get his point. Count me in the Houston-may-have-a-lot-of-the-same-players-and-coaches-but-those-cups-and-records-say-San-Jose Camp.
Ok, let's try this again. Hypothetically, let's imagine the following scenario. In the next year or so DC United's chances of getting a stadium built anytime soon dwindle to zero and officials in DC decide to tear down RFK sometime in 2009. Again, hypothetically, let's say in these conditions MLS decides to move DC United to Philadelphia at the start of the 2009 season, but - and here's the crucial thing - MLS also says the United name, record, uniform and tradition will remain in DC and if a DC stadium ever came to fruition DC United would be resurrected. How many MLS Cups would this hypothetical Philadelphia team have won at the start of 2009?