Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 9:25 pm Share this

OK, for the last time for a while ... a look ahead to the game:

REAL SALT LAKE (11-12-7)
VS. LOS ANGELES GALAXY (12-6-12)
5:30 p.m. Sunday, Qwest Field.
TV: ESPN. Radio: 97.3 FM.
Head-to-head: This season, the teams played to a 2-2 draw at Salt Lake on May 6; then RSL won, 2-0, on June 13 at Los Angeles. The all-time series is even: 5-5-5. RSL has a 24-23 advantage in total goals.
Team leaders: For Los Angeles – G 12, Landon Donovan; A 6, Donovan/Mike Magee; S 56, Donovan; SOG 29, Donovan. For Salt Lake – G 12, Robbie Findley; A 7, Clint Mathis; SH 64, Yura Movsisyan; SOG 29, Movsisyan.
Notes: This is Los Angeles’ sixth MLS Cup appearance – most of any team. Salt Lake is appearing for the first time. The Galaxy won MLS Cup in 2002 under current Sounders coach Sigi Schmid and again in 2005. … RSL becomes the second team created through expansion to make MLS Cup, joining Chicago which did it in its inaugural 1998 season. RSL is the second consecutive No. 8 seed to reach the final (joining the New York Red Bulls, who lost to Columbus last season.) … The Western Conference has won six of the last eight MLS Cups; and of course, a Western team is certain to win this one. … Kevin Scott of Chino, Calif., will referee his third MLS Cup. … MLS announced Saturday that ticket sales topped the 40,000 mark, assuring the largest crowd for a competitive soccer match at Qwest Field. Tickets remain available. … The Washington Department of Transportation reminds that there could be traffic delays related to construction on South Royal Brougham Way between the Qwest parking garage and Safeco Field. … MLS’ Soccer Celebration will be held from 1:30-5 p.m. Qwest Field’s north parking lot. … Stadium gates open at 3:30 p.m.
Next: The First Kick game of the 2010 season is scheduled for March 25: Philadelphia Union at Seattle Sounders FC.

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 4:26 pm Share this

Schmid

Sounders FC announced this afternoon that coach Sigi Schmid was admitted to Overlake Hospital on Thursday night after experiencing difficulty breathing.

He was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition was stabilized and he is now improving, although he remained hospitalized through Saturday.

Schmid is 56.

The Sounders say that cards and good wishes can be sent to:

Sigi Schmid
c/o Seattle Sounders FC
Virginia Mason Athletic Center
12 Seahawks Way
Renton, WA 98056

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 3:35 pm Share this

That was one of the most interesting ideas I heard tossed out at the Supporters Summit today at Qwest Field, and it came from minority owner Drew Carey.

Here's the way he explained it: "When the Portland-Vancouver thing happens, I hope that we (Sounders FC) could buy season tickets in Portland and up in Vancouver and have them just for our supporters, and we’ll sell them to you. When you go up there, we’ll have a section already bought up there for you in Portland and Vancouver, and you can have them every time we go up there because we own it."

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 1:44 pm Share this

Just a heads-up for those of you who want to get in the mood a little bit early...

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 11:42 am Share this

The Don Garber portion of the Supporters Summit just concluded. A few highlights:

* He began with praise for Seattle as the host city, and of course, the supporters groups who put this group together. "The Seattle experience was unprecidented in professional sports," he said. "… Our country celebrated what our league could be in Seattle."

* "I think we stay at a 20-team league for our generation."

* Owners have spoken to officiating group to improve quality of referees in MLS. He said he doesn't expect instant replay anytime soon. Says Henry incident shows officiating errors are worldwide, not just leaguewide.

* He said the quality of league play depends on money and union issues. However he aded that "going out of business no longer part of the decision making." (Related to the league-quality experience, he said the league wants to improve player development, is talking about establishing minimum standards across league; volunteered that "Houston has to get out of Robertson Stadium;" said football lines sometimes still remain, but only due to unavoidable logistical issues and “I believe that we’re getting much better.")

* The league has made "big progress" in marketing and said 150 MLS retailers are having a summit as part of these Cup events. As far as getting more MLS merchandise into more stores, he said: "This is a very simple thing: It's about demand."

* Said "I think promotion and relegation is cool. It's the ultimate structure that makes every game count." ... But he added that the logistics of making that happen today and probably for many many years to come makes it almost impossible.

* Finally, Drew Carey said something interesting about the Sounders organization trying to buy seats/sections in Portland and Vancouver and selling those seats to traveling Sounders supporters.

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 21, 2009 at 11:17 am Share this

This just in from MLS:

As of late Friday, 40,000 tickets had been sold to MLS Cup 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle. Some tickets are still available for purchase. Seattle Sounders FC, the host club, set an MLS record by averaging more than 30,000 fans per game this season.

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 20, 2009 at 7:06 pm Share this

Information on this year’s Supporters Summit weekend hosted by the five official Sounders FC supporter groups, is available at www.sounderscouncil.com/summit The event is open to the public (admission is $10 suggested charity donation). The summit also will be streamed live on MLSnet.com.

Here's a release the Sounders put out today:

Seattle Sounders FC owner, Drew Carey and MLS Commissioner Don Garber and will participate in the 11th annual Supporters Summit hosted by Seattle Sounders FC supporter groups on Saturday.

The MLS Commissioner will deliver a special address to some of the League’s most dedicated and fervent fans, after which Carey will moderate a question and answer session. The summit will also include a formal discussion addressing the officiating and technical structure of MLS with top League stakeholders, Joe Machnik and Alfonso Mondelo.

WHAT: 11th Annual Supporters Summit

WHERE: West Club Lounge – Qwest Field (Please enter the stadium through the north gate.)

WHEN: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 20, 2009 at 6:55 pm Share this

One piece of news coming from today's press conferences was Landon Donovan saying that David Beckham has been playing hurt, and Beckham following up that he has an ankle bone bruise, but will play in the MLS Cup final Sunday.

"Today was the first day I trained," he said. "... You have to be kind of careful with it not to get any kicks on it. So it's been frustrating, but I'm sure it'll be fine for Sunday -- definitely be fine for Sunday. It's one of those things that you just have to get through. After five-10 minutes of the game, I'm sure I'll forget all about it."

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 20, 2009 at 3:21 pm Share this

Landon Donovan, left, and David Beckham met the press this afternoon after the Galaxy training at Qwest Field.

The pair drew probably four times the media crowd that the RSL press conference had drawn a couple of hours earlier.

If they broke any news, I missed it. Beckham said he'll go to Milan after the season, hopes to play with England through the 2010 World Cup, and then return to the Galaxy. He said he thinks he might have as many as four more years left as a player, and he said he is considering buying an MLS franchise when his career is done.

Donovan said he'll consider his career plans at the end of the season.

They were unfailingly complimentary to each other.

"Life is about choices," Donovan said. "(Beckham) could have come in and chosen to be something different than he has been. He chose to be an man and (wanted) this team to be successful. Without him, we're not where we are."

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Posted By Don Ruiz on November 20, 2009 at 12:39 pm Share this

MLS Cup 2009 has a storyline and Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman and goalkeeper Nick Rimando know it.

The story line is the glamour and starpower of Los Angeles versus, well, the other team.

The RSL pair heard it this morning in a press conference in advance of Sunday's MLS Cup. Neither player seemed in any mood to apologize for their presence here, but Beckerman had a nice line: something to the effect that he wishes it was 11 RSL players against just Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

Other topics to come up today: they believe wet FieldTurf could affect the game, but Beckerman pointed out that several RSL players have experience on artificial surface from the club's days at the University of Utah stadium.

Rain aside, both also had nice things to say about Seattle and the soccer atmosphere here.

And both said that while Columbus' Supporters Shield is a meaningful accomplishment, that in this playoff-focused country, MLS Cup is the league's top prize.

More later.

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