More MLS Cup hype, this time again from ESPN with their preview of the game from JP and Harkes.

I think this was posted a day or so ago but still worth putting up here to hype tomorrow’s big game. ESPN’s Adrian Healy, Janusz Michallik and Robbie Mustoe give us a preview of this year’s MLS Cup Final.

Thanks to MLSinsider for posting these videos. Check out that new blog by the league if you haven’t already. SF from The Offside Rules does an excellent job of keeping us up to date with the latest news around the MLS Cup this weekend.

I hope to do some actual weekend posting for a change due to the Cup this weekend. First up is a little video hype with the Galaxy arriving at Qwest Field yesterday.

Raw Video: LA Galaxy Arrive at Qwest Field for First Practice from mlsinsider on Vimeo.

Consider this the Evening Links and Thoughts for the night. I’m a bit busy at work at the moment so things just didn’t come together like I wanted today. Plus I’m still in shock over the Henry handball from the France-Ireland game earlier.

Evening Links and Thoughts appear on WVHooligan typically each day (Monday – Friday). We try to cover topics that surround MLS, the US national team and other items that are of interest. If you have a link for the ELT send them in!

Kyle Beckerman and RSL are going to MLS Cup 2009. (Getty Images)

Looking back on this past weekend that was the conference finals I must say the result isn’t as shocking as it initially was. The thought of a LA Galaxy-Real Salt Lake MLS Cup final was something no one would have called back in March, hell or even back at the beginning of this very month.

We knew going into the playoffs the hot side was LA. They unlike so many other clubs headed into the playoffs didn’t stumble in going 8-3-3 in the final couple months of the season. That right there is just getting it done. On the flip side RSL needed a couple wins late in the year just to qualify for the playoffs and as we know the rest is history with the big upsets on the road. But even with that Jason Kreis’ club did go 5-1-1 when it mattered most to finish the season.

MLS got not just one overtime game this weekend they got two. Sure some blackouts and a slightly tough judgment call on Brian Ching had to do with one of the games going into overtime. The other went all the way to PKs and as we know anything is possible from the penalty spot.

One thing these past couple of weekends have shown me is that Real has banished their road issues, possibly for good. For a young club like that the sky is certainly the limit for them. They may actually have me believing in them on the road for once.

Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy head to MLS Cup 2009. (Getty Images)

Its just funny seeing last year’s MLS Cup be all eastern conference teams and now this year’s version being all western teams. I think it may be time to re-do some formats here but that will be a topic for later this week.

Is this the best matchup we could have gotten at the start of the playoffs? No. I’ll be honest I wouldn’t have wanted this very matchup even two months ago. But after it is all said and done I do believe we got the best possible MLS Cup matchup we possibly could have gotten. Sure it would have been nice to see Seattle at home for this game but I’ll take two clubs that are hot rather than some clubs with good records that stumbled into the playoffs.

What do you think of this matchup? Did MLS get the best matchup here or will this be another MLS Cup like last years where a top seed dominates the lower seed?

Major League Soccer has unveiled the official logo for MLS Cup 2009.

What do ya think? Simple and not too flashy I think.

Man, I nearly overlooked this bit of news this morning. I read earlier that CenterLine Soccer reported that MLS Cup would indeed be in Seattle this fall. At first I was a bit shocked to see that site report it and not Steve Goff (who had orginally been tracking that story if I recall).

Anyways, this year’s MLS Cup will be held at Seattle’s Qwest Field on November 22. Time of the game has yet to be announced but probably mid-afternoonish?

First time an expansion club gets to host the league’s big prize. Not to shabby, can we expect a sell-out?