Great Victory, a reflection of coaching & players will

Four of us flew to Seattle to watch the game, I had bought 4 Sounders tickets on their ticket exchange. We were about 6 rows up in the north end zone, looking about 20 yards out from the edge of the goal.

On the venue: I really enjoy Seattle as a city, plenty to see, eat and do. I don't love Qwest Field for soccer, reminds me of Rice Eccles, to wide, and puts the spectators at to large a distance for good viewing. I feel like it was very unfortunate to play on artificial turf. It affected play. Sitting around Sounders fans they would comment on the choppy play and poor flow and how RSL wouldn't stand the test of the might Galaxy. A lot of it was due to the turf. balls were playing to fast and errant, balls definitely don't float at that altitude like they do at Rio Tinto. MLS should have demanded that they put grass in for this event. I also think some of the injuries could have been prevented. As for Sounders fans, I think they need a couple years of seasoning.  They weren't sure what activity to clap for, and boo for, and its as if they expected some kind of Beckham-Donovan score fest. Have a little better expectation of a final game. Let the Sounders go through a few of RSL's seasons and lets see how the shimmer lasts. Often times I thought they were auditioning for an episode of Glee. They seem to be more interested in the impression they leave with the world, than watching the game. In my view Toronto FC is still the model of introducing a franchise. Cheerleaders, coordinated singing, marching band....no thanks I take my soccer traditionally with a side of Guinness. I did enjoy the pubs around and marching to the match. However, that area isn't what I would call welcoming.I felt the Seattle crowd was pro-Beckham. Many SLC fans may not know it, but the Galaxy published a letter in the Seattle Times congratulating the Sounders on a great season and asking for their support, signed by Beckham, Donovan, and Arena....Pathetic. The Sounders fans seemed to gobble it up. By the way, it was a hell of alot colder than I thought it would be. Wow!

On the officiating: I thought it was actually well officiated in the fact that it wasn't an effect on the game. The official let the players play, didn't make silly game changing calls, and kept the flow of play going just as he should. It wasn't a terribly chippy match. Sure you culd pick apart a few calls, but soccer is not about justice, its about playing and drama. This one had plenty of drama, but it was squarely on the shoulders of the players.

On the Play: Simply put, Jason did a great job adjusting for the injuries and the style of play on the field. The Galaxy showed their age, and lack of respect for RSL's possession game in the second half and extra time. I really expected the game to end 2-1 in RSL's favor as I thought the replaced keeper could have been tested earlier and a rebound goal could have been expected. I don't feel it was one of those incredibly flowing back and forth games with attacks and counterattacks, it was a game at the midfield, which was to RSL's advantage. Arena should have pulled Beckham at the half, he was clearly lethargic, and was slowing the entire play of the Galaxy. It reminded me of a quote by George Best on Beckhams play "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right". It was very true in form last night. Overall, I was impressed with the fortitude of the RSL team and staff, they gutted it out, and didn't give up, even though the play was often chunky. Unbelievable composure through the shootout and extra time. You could just tell that RSL was a team, where Galaxy were a set of individuals on the same field. Simple huddles at the beginning of the half were representative of the attitude of RSL.

MLS has come along way since the early days. Excellent game, and an even better result. Go RSL! Proud to be a fan.

As a famous soccer coach once said "We didn't underestimate them, they were just alot better than we thought". Ditto. Great win RSL! We appreciate the tremendous effort.