Houston Dynamo

The inaugural CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals took place this past week with Mexican teams continuing their dominance of the region’s premier cross-border club prize.

In 43 years of the antecedent Champions’ Cup tournament, Mexican clubs lifted the trophy on 24 occasions.

Atlante, Cruz Azul, and Santos Laguna remain alive this year in a draw that increasingly resembles last season’s UEFA tournament when it took English teams to eliminate English teams.

Mexico’s only casualty so far are Universidad Nacional—2-0 aggregate losers to Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals see Santos Laguna hosting Atlante while Cruz Azul travel to meet Puerto Rico Islanders—an unlikely opponent from United Soccer Leagues First Division, the second tier of professional soccer in North America.

Puerto Rico, along with their USL adversaries Montreal Impact, have breathed life into an otherwise stale competition that has failed to gather the public’s interest.

The Islanders, under the guidance of former Northern Ireland striker Colin Clarke, qualified for the first time in their six-year history via the Caribbean Championship.

Clarke’s men caused a huge shock in the preliminary round by defeating Costa Rican powerhouse Alajuelense 3-2 on aggregate—a team that won the Champions’ Cup as recently as 2004.

Their successful run continued when, after narrowly emerging from the group stages, they prevailed 3-1 on aggregate against Marathón of Honduras to reach the last four.

The Irishman has had mixed experiences in his managerial career in the U.S. over the last decade with abrupt stints at a number of lower level clubs.

His sole MLS appointment at FC Dallas ended in dismay at the end of 2006 when he was dismissed for failing to translate three years of promising regular season form into playoff success.

In two years with the Islanders, Clarke has transformed a team of USL also-rans into championship contenders. They finished top of the regular season table last year before losing the play-off title decider 2-1 against Vancouver Whitecaps.

Clarke’s popularity with the natives has escalated to the point that he now combines his club role with that of Puerto Rican national team manager.

Montreal appeared certain to become the second USL team to reach the semi-finals when they took a 2-1 half-time lead against Santos Laguna in Torreón to build a 4-1 aggregate advantage.

Santos’ Argentine striker Matias Vuoso scored twice as Montreal dangerously retreated toward their own penalty area, but the hosts still needed two goals as normal time expired.

Unbelievably, Colombian international Carlos Quintero supplied the required strikes in the third and fourth minutes of injury time to complete an amazing turnaround as the Canadians shriveled under relentless pressure.

Despite such a cruel exit, the entire Montreal soccer community can be proud of their team’s progression to the quarter-finals.

While the tournament has been characterised by feeble attendances, Impact have impressed with average crowds approaching 20,000 for their five home games—almost 7,000 higher than any other club.

Their first leg encounter with Santos Laguna was switched from their 13,034 capacity Stade Saputo to the adjacent Olympic Stadium to meet unprecedented demand for tickets—a staggering 55,571 fans inspired a 2-0 win for the 2008 Canadian Cup winners.

Montreal were in the running for one of two MLS expansion slots being granted in 2011. Liverpool co-owner George Gillett expressed his interest in jointly investing with club owner Joey Saputo, but the bid was rescinded last November stating concerns around meeting the necessary capital requirements in the current economic environment.

The success of the two USL clubs proved to be an acute embarrassment for Major League Soccer. New England Revolution and Chivas USA stumbled against weak opposition in the preliminary round, while D.C. United limped to a single point from six group games—the lowest of all 16 teams.

Houston Dynamo soldiered on as the sole MLS flag-bearers until being dismantled by Atlante in the second leg of their quarter-final. After conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo travelled to Cancún looking for their first ever win on Mexican soil.

Woeful defending quickly shattered that possibility as Atlante strolled to a 3-0 win.

MLS and USL teams are severely hampered at this stage of the tournament as their respective seasons have yet to commence.

Puerto Rico’s league season starts on April 18, at which point the Mexican Clausura championship will be in Round 14 of 17.

Should the Islanders manage to reach the two-legged Champions League final, the first leg will be played four days after their league opener with Vancouver.

Four of the previous seven CONCACAF finals have been all-Mexican affairs. Despite the heroics of Clarke’s team, another such occasion seems highly likely.

The Recent Results: HOU had a great 2008 only to be upended in the Western Conference playoffs by NYRB, a team from the East. Don’t get me started again on the wacky MLS playoff format.

They still won the West and finished third in goals and first in goals against, so they didn’t have a bad year, though they did finally fail to hoist the Cup.

The Man in Charge: Dominic Kinnear is one of the best coaches in the league and undoubtedly the most successful manager in recent history. He continues to get the most out of his team day in and day out despite losing key players every season.

This year he will have to get it done without Dwayne de Rosario, and I bet he will.

On the Offensive: The loss of their be-dreaded Canuck field general will be hard to cope with, but the Dynamo still have some pretty sharp tools on the offensive side of the ball. Brian Ching is probably one of the most underrated players in league history and Stuart Holden could become this season’s breakout star player in the midfield.  

For the Defense: Houston has consistently been the best defensive team in the league and I see no reason why this year will be any different. It starts back at the net where Pat Onstad continues to be one of the most reliable keepers around.

With Robinson, Barrett, Boswell and Waibel all returning too, I think HOU has to be the best in the West.

Movie They Resemble: I am going to go with Apollo 13 here. Now, I am not selecting this film simply to make a joke where I say “Houston, we have a problem”, because I don’t think the Dynamo have any problems (except possibly depth), and I believe they are poised to be dominant in 2009 once again.

Rather, I have selected that film because it had a great cast of actors, but none of them were really the star. They all played off of one another perfectly though, and the end result was an award-winning film. I am betting HOU wins a few award this year, too.

UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg shook off the rust to win the first leg of their last-32 showdown with Stuttgart 2-1.

Szabolcs Huszti gave Zenit the lead after just two minutes only for Mario Gomez to equalise, but Anatoliy Tymoshchuk - who has agreed to join to Bayern Munich next season - made it 2-1 two minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Valencia put their poor recent domestic form behind them to take a slight advantage in their tie against 10-man Dynamo Kiev with a 1-1 draw at the Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium.

David Silva netted a vital away goal for Los Che after nine minutes and, although Dynamo drew level just after the hour mark when Florin Cernat’s thunderous free-kick was deflected in, the visitors will be the happier of the two sides - even though Dynamo had Artem Milevskiy sent off.

St Etienne produced a classic away performance to claim a deserved 3-1 victory over Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. First-half goals from Ilan and Geoffrey Dernis set Alain Perrin’s side on their way before Predrag Djordjevic pulled a goal back from the penalty spot just after the hour.

Substitute Bafetimbi Gomis added gloss to the scoreline for Les Verts with a stoppage-time strike to put the French side firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return leg next week.

AC Milan earned a valuable away draw at Werder Bremen. Filippo Inzaghi opened the scoring after 36 minutes for the Italian giants, with Brazilian playmaker Diego equalising in the 84th minute after Bremen forced a number of great chances.

Loan star David Beckham started the game on the bench, coming only for the final two minutes plus stoppage time for Ronaldinho.

Bordeaux and Galatasaray played to a stalemate in France, while Hamburg took a huge step towards the last 16 with a comfortable 3-0 victory against NEC Nijmegen at De Goffert.

Two goals in the last five minutes of the first half from Piotr Trochowski and Alex Silva made life very tough for NEC.

And Croatia forward Ivica Olic added a third with 15 minutes to go to give Martin Jol’s side a very healthy advantage with the home leg to come next week.

Paris St Germain will take a commanding lead into the second-leg tie against Wolfsburg next week thanks to Guillaume Hoarau’s late double at the Parc des Princes.

The tall striker headed home twice in the final 11 minutes to give the Ligue 1 team a deserved first-leg cushion.

Denis Oliynyk scored the only goal of the game to give Metalist Kharkiv the upper hand after the first leg of their tie against Sampdoria in Genoa.

The impressive Anders Due struck twice as AaB Aalborg netted three second-half goals to take a strong grip on their tie against Deportivo La Coruna.

Michael Jakobsen wrapped up the victory for the Danish side.

Braga all-but sealed their place in the last 16 with a comfortable first-leg victory over Standard Liege. The Portuguese side were two up within the first half-hour through goals from Wason Renteria and Andre Leone. Chances were few and far between after the break but Luis Aguigar made it 3-0 late on.

It must be fun to be a Houston Dynamo fan. The team has only been around for three years, yet they already have two MLS Cups (2006, 2007). Most expansion teams struggle right of the bat, but the Dynamo did not. But, that’s probably because they were not really an expansion team. They were the transplanted San Jose Earthquakes.

Quakes fans probably hate Houston fans too. SJE’s back-to-back titles ended up being hoisted thousands of miles away in Robertson Stadium. But, what’s done is done and the San Jose fans at least now have their own team to cheer on once again. The only problem is that the New Quakes really are an expansion team, so they are quite bad.

So, the Dynamo have a short, but successful, history. They recently lost offensive maestro Dwayne De Rosario to Toronto, but they still have most of the core of their Cup winning sides, including Brian Ching, Pat Onstad, and youngster Stuart Holden. All signs indicate that they will continue to be a dominant force in the Western Conference.

Houston’s MLS side was initially known as Houston 1836, which paid tribute to Texas’s independence from Mexico. Hispanic organizations disliked the name though and called for a boycott, so Dynamo was selected instead. It’s good they didn’t upset Mexican Americans either, otherwise boxer Oscar De La Hoya may have never bought the team.

Even with a schedule of over 200 games, there are some that jump out at you as must watch games. These are the 11 games that Jeff Bradley from ESPN wants to see this season

11.  Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls. Qwest Field, Thursday, Mar. 19.

How can you not get excited about a First Kick game that is a curtain-raiser for an entire organization? Man, I remember like it was yesterday getting all jazzed up for the Miami Fusion’s first game (vs. D.C. United) and the Chicago Fire’s first game (against Miami).

I vividly recall Real Salt Lake taking on the MetroStars in a monsoon in their first-ever game. The opener for Seattle promises to be a fun night for Kasey Keller and Co., and an interesting test for Juan Carlos Osorio’s Red Bulls, who enter the season with high goals and expectations after their run to the final a year ago. Expect a huge crowd, too.

10.  Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew. Robertson Stadium, Saturday, Mar. 21.

In my heart, I’m thinking that Houston believes it was the team that could’ve kept Columbus from raising the Cup last year, if it weren’t for their hiccup against the Red Bulls. To be fair, it was more than a hiccup. They lost 3-0 on their home field.

Now, with that bitter memory on their mind, Dominic Kinnear and his crew will look to get back to the top of the MLS mountain once again. How better to prove your back than by taking down the defending champions right out of the gate?

9.  Colorado Rapids vs. Kansas City Wizards. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Saturday, Mar. 28.

Two teams — one from each conference — with a lot to prove in 2009. The Rapids need to show they’re a playoff team once again, while the Wizards need to prove they’re a team ready to take the next step up, to contender.

These two teams split their two meetings a year ago, with both teams holding serve at home. Both games were tight, one-goal affairs. Add in a 2-2 draw in the U.S. Open Cup (a game won by K.C. on penalties) and you can see a couple of teams that match up very closely. This should be a good opening month match.

8.  San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo. Buck Shaw Stadium, Saturday, Mar. 28.

I still get a kick out of this rivalry. How could you not, given what went down, when the old Quakes became the new Dynamo and went out and won a couple of Cups. Frank Yallop will have a firm grasp on things in San Jose in Year Two, and the Quakes are going to challenge for a playoff spot for sure.

Can they take down the Dynamo in this early-season match? On their home field, with a whole lot of crazies screaming for them, for sure. What’s more, I expect this rivalry to be one of the big ones out West this year.

7.  LA Galaxy vs. Chivas USA. The Home Depot Center, Saturday, Apr. 11.

The SuperClasico belonged to the Galaxy a year ago, even though it was Chivas making the playoffs for a third consecutive year and LA missing for the third year in a row.

With injuries and defections taking their toll on Preki’s squad, and Bruce Arena doing an Extreme Makeover of the Galaxy, there’s no telling what will happen this year. But for sheer color, drama, and pageantry, this game is always a must-see match on the schedule.

6.  Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas. BMO Field, Saturday, Apr. 11.

Two teams who missed out on the playoffs a year ago who are expecting to dance into the postseason this year. For Toronto FC, it’s time. They were near-misses a year ago, but continue to make progress, both in the way they play and in their overall effectiveness.

Plus, factor in the BMO Field advantage for this game. As for FCD, a good start is critical for Schellas Hyndman, after a winless October in 2008.

5.  Chivas USA vs. Seattle Sounders FC. The Home Depot Center, Saturday, Apr. 18.

While Sounders FC are not the USL Sounders, it should be noted that there is a bit of history between Chivas USA and Seattle. Chivas USA went down to the USL Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup in each of the last two years.

As well, the two clubs were involved in a couple of player transfers in recent years, most notably the move of Maykel Galindo from Seattle to Chivas USA a couple of seasons ago.

In addition, Galindo, if healthy, will certainly want to make an impression on the team that represents the city where he found U.S. freedom.

4.  Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution. Toyota Park, Saturday, May 9.

For my money, the best rivalry in MLS right now. Not sure exactly how it evolved, probably back in the 2002 season when then-interim coach Steve Nicol’s club came back from the dead, beginning with a miracle win in Naperville.

Last year, however, the rivalry took a turn for the weird, as Chicago took all three meetings, including 3-0 and 4-0 blowouts in the early part of the season, then eliminated New England in the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 3-0 second-leg drubbing. That’s got to be sticking in the Revs’ mind.

3.  New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo. Giants Stadium, Saturday, May 16.

OK, here we go. Grudge match in the Meadowlands. Not much needs to be said here, except that Houston’s still hurting from that 3-0 loss to the Red Bulls last October. It was perhaps the greatest playoff upset in league history, and it came out of nowhere.

I think the scoreline was pretty deceiving as Houston got down 2-0 quick, spent much of the day pounding away to make it a one-goal game, only to see it get away late. That said, the Dynamo have probably been looking at the scoreline all winter.

2.  New England Revolution vs. D.C. United. Gillette Stadium, Saturday, May 30.

One of my favorite traditional East Coast rivalries. The spin this year is: what direction are these two traditional powers going? While the Revs made the playoffs a year ago and D.C. did not, I’m not so sure these aren’t two teams going in the opposite direction.

That is, I am expecting United to make a climb this year while New England remains a mystery to me. I hate to ever sell Steve Nicol short as his teams always seem to rise, but I can’t help but wonder if the Revs are going to be a scrambling outfit this year. This game will provide many insights into what lay ahead for both clubs.

1.  Seattle Sounders FC vs. Columbus Crew. Qwest Field, Saturday, May 30.

And who won’t be able to sink their teeth into this match? Sigi Schmid and his Sounders playing host to his old friends from Columbus. Will the Crew carry Sir Sigi’s ring out to the Pacific Northwest for a little pregame presentation? I doubt it. Will Robert Warzycha want to make a big impression on his former boss? Something tells me yes.

Do you agree with Jeff? What games are you looking forward to seeing this year?

Que los jugadores no tienen técnica, que no dan más de cinco pases seguidos, que los partidos son aburridos, que se abusa del pelotazo, que las canchas son de fútbol americano, que los hinchas no tienen pasión. Un sinnúmero de críticas y argumentos. Todo, claro, nos llevan a lo mismo: La MLS es una liga mala.

Pero, es tan así? Cuántos de los críticos saben del desarrollo de esta liga en los últimos años? Cuántos de verdad se han sentado a ver un partido completo? Cuántos de estos vieron jugar a un muy buen equipo como el Columbus Crew durante el 2008? O al mismo Chicago Fire de Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Cuál es la diferencia entre un Morelia vs. Necaxa, Cúcuta vs. Junior de Barranquilla, Aucas vs. Barcelona o Universitario vs. Sporting Cristal y un partido entre el New York Red Bulls y el Houston Dynamo? De verdad son tan distintos? Y si lo son, por qué son mejores los de ese lado del mundo?

Sólo porque los latinoamericanos nos sentimos dueños del fútbol o porque nuestro nivel es tan alto que da como para que nos riámos de los norteamericanos?

Es cierto que el fútbol de Estados Unidos es menos técnico que el latinoamericano, pero es también cierto que es más rápido y frontal. Los jugadores nuestros buscan el pase preciso, en la MLS prefieren la verticalidad, los nuestros son más pulcros, los gringos más físicos. Los jugadores latinoamericanos no creen mucho en el juego aéreo, los estadounidenses pasan largos minutos tratando de encontrar cabezas.

Distintos. Ni mejor ni peor. Simplemente distintos. El fútbol en Latinoamérica y el que se practica en la MLS son diametralmente opuestos. Y cuando se trata de elegir uno u otro, son factores, muchas veces sin ningún tipo de fundamento, los que marcan la diferencia. Que los gringos esto y que los gringos esto otro. Y una vez más; que las canchas, que los hinchas.

Y que pasó con el fútbol mexicano? O ya todos se olvidan de lo que nos provocaba esa liga hace 15 años?

Cuántos escépticos que se rieron de los esfuerzos que los mexicanos hicieron por mejorar su competencia están ahora mendigando un contrato con cualquier equipo azteca! Entrenadores, jugadores, representantes, "entendidos."

No creo que la MLS esté a la altura de las grandes ligas del mundo. En lo absoluto. Pero se está moviendo y el hecho que me tenga a gran parte del mundo y sobre todo a mí, incrédulo por naturaleza y amante del buen fútbol, pendiente de sus pasos, algo ha de significar.

Q: Qué tan justas crees que son las críticas a la MLS y qué tan mala crees que es la liga estadounidense en comparación a las del resto del mundo (sobre todo las latinoamericanas)?

There is not a ton of action to report on out of MLS as clubs begin a period of hibernation during the cold winter months. But luckily, there is still plenty of excitement in the American footballing world, especially with regards to transfer news.

First, a big-name MLS star is on the move. Canadian international and two-time MLS Cup Winner Dwayne De Rosario will not be suiting up for the Houston Dynamo in 2009. He has been given a dream move to his hometown club Toronto FC, where he will possibly finish his career.

This move dramatically alters the landscape in MLS. It immediately makes Toronto a frontrunner for a playoff slot in 2009, especially if they hang on to Marvel Wynne during the January transfer window. It also adds to the considerable strength of the Eastern Conference, which already boasts the defending MLS Cup champs Columbus Crew, MLS Cup finalists Red Bull New York, and good Chicago and New England clubs. The playoff picture just got a lot blurrier.

The Los Angeles Galaxy were rebuffed by Brazilian club Internacional after placing a bid for Argentinian international midfielder Andres D'Alessandro. The Galaxy's offer was rumoured to be in excess of $10 million, more than Internacional paid for D'Alessandro earlier this year.

It's important to emphasize that the offer was not denied because it came from MLS, it was denied because Internacional want to hang on to D'Alessandro. It's refreshing to see MLS clubs making bids for foreign stars in their prime rather than those who are past their peak. If the league can snag three or four such players, the quality will improve considerably.

MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall might be close to a move abroad, but won't know for sure until the calendar turns over to 2009. Marshall had been training with Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05 recently and impressed their coaches. Mainz is thin in defense and is looking for a boost in the January transfer window.

While Marshall is a far less heralded player than compatriot Landon Donovan, his potential move to the Bundesliga could be just as important. Marshall is 24 and is hoping to establish himself as a regular in Bob Bradley's national team. A stint in the Bundesliga could be just what the doctor ordered for the young defender.

Moving to a club like Mainz as opposed to giants Bayern Munich will also mean that Marhsall will have more opportunities to break into the starting lineup. More chances to play means greater improvement. Marshall has to be hoping the move materializes.

US Women's coach Pia Sundhage has had her contract extended until 2012 after leading her team to the gold medal in Beijing this summer. So far, the US Women's Team is 33-1-1 under Sundhage and has regained the number one ranking in the FIFA table.

Pretty impressive results for a team that doesn't get a whole lot of press.

All I Want for Christmas

Total 90 was able to get its hands on the Christmas lists of some of your favorite MLS and American football stars. What are they hoping to find under the tree on December 25th? Read on and find out!

Three More Caps

Mexican international and Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco was honored to receive his 100th international cap against Canada in a World Cup Qualifier back in September.

That is, until FIFA double-checked their math.

According to FIFA, Blanco is stuck on 97 caps and left to decide whether or not he tries to pursue the century mark. If he does, one of those appearances could come against the US in 2009 when the two countries meet in the final round of World Cup Qualification.

If that's the case, I'd love to see tickets to that match under my tree.

A New Head Coach

The Columbus Crew have said goodbye to their MLS Cup-winning coach Sigi Schmid, and he has made his way to the expansion club Seattle Sounders FC. Columbus has been stuck to look for a suitable replacement, but how do you replace a guy who just brought you the first title in club history?

Early money is on Crew assistant coach Robert Warzycha to step into Schmid's spot, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

A Decent Chance to Prove Himself

US international Landon Donovan is set to begin his loan with Bayern Munich in January and is hoping for more success this time than his first two stints in Germany.

Donovan is 26, and this may be his last chance to prove himself in Europe. Failure here will mean that any sensible club in the European top flight won't take a risk on an aging American who hasn't had any success in three tries in Europe.

The stakes are certainly high but it seems that Donovan has matured mentally since his time with Bayer Leverkusen. He has the physical tools to succeed, but homesickness and a severe lack of confidence scuttled his hopes the last time around in Germany.

El delantero canadiense Dwayne De Rosario vuelve a su tierra.

Toronto FC anunció hace algunas horas que ha adquirido los derechos del volante de creación del Houston Dynamo y cuatro veces campeón de la MLS (nuestros amigos de MLS Rumors fueron los primeros en anunciarlo esta mañana. Bien por ellos!).

Para los que no lo conocen, les cuento que este flaco juega bastante bien. Es goleador, potente y nada malo con la pelota en los pies.

Sus números? De Rosario ha marcado 51 goles y registra 42 asistencias desde que llegó a la liga hace ocho temporadas, ha ganado cuatro Copas MLS y ha sido nombrado al Equipo de las Estrellas de la MLS los años 2006, 2007 y 2008.

De Rosario además ha sido elegido el Futbolista del Año de Canadá en tres ocasiones. Nada mal, De Rosario, nada mal.

... Ojo con el Toronto que ya tiene una hinchada de primera y se empieza a armar con jugadores que conocen el medio y garantizan goles.

Revisa el video oficial que publica el Toronto FC sobre la llegada de Dwayne De Rosario al equipo canadiense.

Today was the MLS expansion draft and the Seattle Sounders picked up a couple of good players to play alongside Sebastien Le Toux, Kasey Keller, Freddie Llungberg and Sanna Nyassi .

Each of the other 14 MLS teams were allowed to protect 11 players and Seattle then went ahead and selected one player each from 10 of the 14 MLS teams. The four teams with no players selected were the Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, D.C. United and FC Dallas.

With their first pick, Seattle picked Houston Dynamo forward Nate Jaqua. Jaqua was is a good target man and he will benefit from playing alongside Ljungberg and LeToux.

Jaqua was the expected #1 pick according to Ives Galarcep and his mock MLS expansion draft yesterday.

Some of the other Seattle picks included:

Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)
Before injuries derailed his young career, Sturgis was regarded as a future star. The former U.S. Under-23 player has struggled for two years to stay healthy but just might be a gamble worth taking for Seattle. If the Sounders he isn’t worth the risk, don’t be surprised to see Seattle grab young and inexpensive midfielder Joe Vide (D.C. United), who impressed as a defensive midfielder late in 2008.

Bread Evans (Columbus Crew)
If Schmid is providing input into this selection then look for Evans to get the nod. Evans was a real revelation for the Crew this past season and his modest salary makes him even more appealing to a Seattle team already carrying Freddie Ljungberg’s designated player slot. Eddie Gaven seems like an enticing pick as well, but Evans makes a fraction of Gaven’s salary and there are other wing options for Seattle.

“We feel like we got a great mix of players,” said Adrian Hanauer, Sounders FC general manager. “We got an experienced veteran who has been there in the trenches and played lots of MLS games in Peter Vagenas. We got mid-tier experienced guys in Parke, Jaqua and Khano Smith. We’re very excited about the young players we were able to select.”

“We weighted the draft a little more defensively, rather than the attack,” said Hanauer. “We feel very good about our expansion draft players as they complement our existing four players. Together, they comprise a very solid core.”

BELOW IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYERS SELECTED IN THE 2008 MLS EXPANSION DRAFT

1. Nate Jaqua (Houston Dynamo)
2. Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)
3. Jeff Parke (New York Red Bulls)
4. Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)
5. Khano Smith (New England Revolution)
6. Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles Galaxy)
7. Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards)
8. James Riley (San Jose Earthquakes)
9. Stephen King (Chicago Fire)
10. Brad Evans (Columbus Crew)

The NY Red Bulls stunned the two-time defending champions Houston Dynamo 3-0 in Houston to win this semi-final contest 4-1 on aggregate.

They will now play Real Salt Lake on Sunday at Robertson Stadium for the chance to go to the MLS Cup final.

New York got off to a great start when then Dane Richards put them ahead in the 25th minute. Sinisa Ubiparipovic supplied the pass that set Richards and he beat Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad with a great shot from 20 yards out.

“Everything I try to do, I try to do the best that I can,” Richards said. “Today was just my day.

Ten minutes later the Red Bulls found themselves two goals up as Houston’s Ricardo Clark was whistled for a hand ball on a cross into the box. New York captain Juan Pablo Angel calmly scored from the penalty spot.

The Houston Dynamo are not two-time defending champions because they give up easily and they continued to attack the Red Bulls, outshooting them 16-7.

Houston created several great goal scoring opportunities early in the second half but Red Bulls' keeper Danny Cepero made several good saves to keep Houston at bay.

The Red Bulls put the match away in the 80th minute on goal by John Wolyniec. Richards made a remarkable run to the byline, crossing the ball in front to John Wolyniec, who tapped the ball into the empty net to ensure that there will be a new MLS Cup champion as the two-time defending champs were ousted.

“It’s very overwhelming. We battled so hard and had an up-and-down year,” Wolyniec said. “To defeat the defending champs on their home field, it’s a really good feeling. The guys came in and they started thinking about next week. We have a great opportunity.”

This has to go down as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

New York is struggling with injuries and this win is not only their second-ever road playoff victory in club history, it is just their second victory away from home this season.