WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

I can’t say I thought it wouldn’t happen this way. I don’t exactly like repeating myself but again when you are right you are right. I said long ago that this year’s MLS Cup would be a repeat of last year’s MLS Cup. The only change really would be the venue.

Neither Houston or New England has changed all that much since last season. Both added some new rookies that made some marginal impact. New England lost a fairly important Clint Dempsey and probably got better in the process. Houston stumbled and then dominated defensively and then slightly stumbled only to then realize who they were and dominate defensively again.

The Revs did add some hardware to their chest for once by winning the US Open Cup a couple months back. That may be the biggest difference too.

A repeat of the MLS Cup isn’t all that bad really. It doesn’t mean the MLS got it right or wrong, whatever it really is. But I think as a whole, this will be probably be best match-up that the league could possibly have left on the table out there for us this season. DC and Chivas would have been fun but both were too banged up at the end to move on. Seeing Chicago would have been nice but would anyone take a league serious who’s champion was 10-10-10 in the regular season? Same goes for if New York, Dallas, and Kansas City, I doubt anyone would have taken a champion from those clubs serious outside of the US.

I have to say I am looking forward to this coming weekend’s Cup. Its been a long hard season with many ups and downs but it should be a good one.

This week has plenty to offer us as well. Seattle will be announced as an expansion site this week and we will probably hear about another city (I think St. Louis) getting the nod as well for the 2009 or 2010 season.

Also I may start releasing some expansion draft information that I have been gather up over the past could weeks. Time to start figuring out who should stay and who should go for some clubs. Houston and New England I can figure out after the Cup is over.

I still am sticking with my pre-season prediction of Houston and unless something drastic happens this week, I am staying with it. What’s your prediction for the Cup? You like the match-up or hate it? Let me know.

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