Special Guest Post by Zach Woosley - cross-posted to Ginge Talks the Footy


I'm not feeling particularly inspired this morning. The 2009 MLS Cup Final left a bad taste in my mouth, very similar to the feeling you get from that awful concoction dentist use to "polish" your teeth. I just feel like we were cheated out of a good match by a few controlling factors. I'll do my best to outline these factors and explain my thought process; all is not negative however and I'll be sure to talk about some positives as well. And since I love spaghetti westerns, I think I'll throw that in the mix.

The Good: The Atmosphere

Seattle was a great host for the 2009 MLS Cup Final. The stadium looked great (aside from the pitch, which I'll address later), the crowd was loud and boisterous, and despite a rather boring first half and dreadful extra time, the second half and penalty kicks gave us plenty of tension and drama. I hate penalty kicks, absolutely despise them, but much like the analogy of a car crash, you just can't look away. Last night's were particulary good though. We had Landon Donovan's amazing miss, Edson Buddle and the exhausted Andy Williams both with unfortunately poor efforts that turned the momentum, and finally Nick Rimando, looking particularly Smurftastic, amazing again just as he was against Chicago in the Eastern Conference Final. It definitely could have been a better match, but it felt like a Cup final and had all the drama you expect from a Cup final. What more can you really ask for?

The Bad: The Plastic Pitch

That field in Seattle sucks, but then all plastic surfaces suck. Toronto knows it and are getting rid of the crap. Seattle can't really do anything as they are stuck with the field thanks to time sharing in an NFL stadium. It really doesn't do any good to complain, so I'll keep this brief while still saying what needs to be said...which is this: That was embarrassing last night for Major League Soccer. The ball bouncing and skipping everywhere, passes going off target; it was really poor stuff. It doesn't help that the art of the first touch is often lost in MLS when you make these guys play on what equates to being in a FC Dallas bounce house.

The Ugly: The Assault on Javier Morales.

Not the flashiest player, but much like Schelotto in Columbus last season, Morales is the engine that turns the wheels for Real Salt Lake. He is entertaining to watch and when he left the match early yesterday, RSL spent most of the first half looking listless and lost on the attack. Halftime adjustments by Jason Kries righted the ship, but you have to believe that game might not have needed extra time, let alone PKs, if one David Beckham hadn't eliminated Morales from the match. The first collision I can let go but it's the second tackle that ruffles my feathers. Beckham's assault on Morales' knee was nothing more than a calculated strike to knock arguably RSL's best player out of the match. Morales knew it and he was none to happy with Golden Balls as he limped off the pitch unable to continue. The skill and talent that Beckham has lost has been replaced by petulance, dirty play and a serious case of entitlement. He bellows at referees and rages at opponents and more than one time this season has been the catalyst for escalating on the field disagreements to near full-fledged fights. Worse still, it's rubbing on his Galaxy teammates. Landon Donovan has been especially petualant this season, including his rage filled arm swing and a shout of "F*** YOU!" in the direction of the referee during the Western Conference Final. Last night though, Beckham physically removed an opposing player from the match with dirty tactics...and that is pathetic.


So there you have it: the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2009 MLS Cup Final wrapped up in a couple easy to enjoy paragraphs. Congratulations are in order to Real Salt Lake for winning their first MLS Cup. Now the fun part for Jason Kreis and his players...trying to repeat. Only 122 days to MLS First Kick 2010 and how fitting that it's back in Seattle on their awful turf.