MLS Cup 2011: 10 Teams That Could Join the Championship Party

Major League Soccer announced the location of the 2011 MLS Cup Championship match on Tuesday.For the fourth time in league history, the match will be held at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.The match is scheduled for Nov. 20, 2011 at 9 p.m. ET.While it is very early in the season, and anything can happen in the playoffs, here is a list of the top 10 teams that could make it through a long season, survive a brutal playoff schedule and make it into the championship match.Begin Slideshow

Real Salt Lake Beats Chivas USA, Loses Playmaker Javier Morales

In a rare afternoon game for Real Salt Lake, they were able to take advantage of a great opportunity by putting in a needed goal while playing much of the game up two men. After battling the eight-man Chivas USA defense for most of the second half, and after having multiple scoring chances fall away, Will Johnson finally punched in the only goal of the match for a 1-0 victory over the visitors. While Real Salt Lake did get the win and was able to move to 15 points in just six matches, the news of the day was another major injury to an elite Major League Soccer player. Playing down a man due to two yellow cards shown to teammate Andrew Boyens, Chivas forward Marcos Mondaini needlessly and recklessly tackled fellow Argentine Javier Morales after being beaten near the corner of the box.It appeared that as Morales planted to shoot, Mondaini slid into the back of his leg and ankle to break up the play. Not only did he break up the play, he broke Morales' ankle, and sent him to the bench for what looks to be the remainder of the season. Morales was immediately taken to the ...

Major League Soccer Week 7: Recapping All 9 Matches

Week seven of the 2011 Major League Soccer season featured some great matches, and some great individual performances.In a week full of action that saw all 18 clubs play, an expansion team pulled of a major upset, a rookie scored a hat trick to lead his team to victory, and a late goal from distance brought down a conference leader.Multiple players also scored their first MLS goal this week.The following slides will recap each match.Keep in mind that this is not a ranking list, and the matches are in no particular order.Begin Slideshow

Real Salt Lake Loses a Heartbreaker in CONCACAF Final

In the biggest international sporting event in the state of Utah since the 2002 Winter Olympics, Real Salt Lake matched up with Monterrey in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League finals Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. Despite all of the hype and potential for Real Salt Lake to make soccer history, it just was not meant to be as the visiting team from Mexico left with a 1-0 victory.In the aggregate scoring, Monterrey finished the series and became the champions with a 3-2 advantage. Both teams scored two goals in the first leg in Mexico.After the match, head coach Jason Kreis pointed to a 15 minute stretch just before halftime where a defensive lapse proved to be the difference in this match.Just seconds before the first half whistle blew, Chilean forward Humberto Suazo knocked in the only goal of the match. The goal was scored as his teammate got free in the box and Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando just missed the ball on his dive as the ball was left for Suazo instead of shot.Real Salt Lake did have plenty of moments to pull even in the match in the second half, but just missed several ...

Five Reasons Why Real Salt Lake Will Win the CONCACAF Champions League Title

Real Salt Lake gets ready to take on Monterrey for the second time in a week in the final leg of the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday night.Real Salt Lake comes into the match having already made United States soccer history by becoming the first Major League Soccer team to play in the finals, rank in the top 25 of the World Club Rankings, and be one of a few teams to earn a draw in a match played in Mexico.This all important second leg will be a home match played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.The first leg of this series ended in a 2-2 draw, which gives Real Salt Lake the first tiebreaker advantage with 2 goals on the road. At the end of the second leg, all goals scored are added together and the Champion is determined by the total number of goals.For Real Salt Lake to become the Champions and advance to the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan, they must: Win the match by any score Play to a draw of either 0-0, or 1-1 (They would advance due to the two road goals scored in the first leg) Real Salt Lake will not ...

World Club Soccer: Real Salt Lake 22nd in Recent Rankings

Real Salt Lake continues to make soccer history by becoming the first team from the United States to be ranked in the top 25 of the World Club Soccer rankings. In the recent rankings that were put out before their strong showing in the fist leg of the CONCACAF final in Mexico on Wednesday night, Real Salt Lake checks in at No. 22. According to the ranking site, a perfect start to the Major League Soccer season, and a strong showing in the CONCACAF tournament propelled them to this prestigious ranking. The top ten of this list includes many teams that are expected to be on this list including: 1. Manchester United2. Barcelona3. Real Madrid4. AC Milan5. Borussia Dortmund 6. Arsenal 7. Porto8. Chelsea9. Lille10. Napoli Teams that fall behind Real Salt Lake in the rankings in no particular order include: Shalke 04 Lyon Tottenham Hotspur Celtic All of MLS Following the first leg of the CONCACAF finals, one would think that this ranking will only go up. If Real Salt Lake were to win the title against Monterrey, it will be interesting to see how high they can rise. To view the rankings please click on this link: World Club Soccer RankingsRead more MLS news ...

CONCACAF Finals: Real Salt Lake Gets a ‘Win’ in Mexico

I know. I watched the match. I saw the final score. I realize that it wasn't actually a victory, but there is a saying in soccer that a draw on the road is as good as a win. In most competition, the result of a draw is a win-win situation for both teams. You both get a point and you move on. On a hot Wednesday night in Monterrey, Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake got a whole lot more than a point for the draw that they played to against one of the toughest teams in Mexico. They gained the advantage in a two leg series and are headed home for the final. Representing Major League Soccer for the first time in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League finals, Real Salt Lake played well enough to earn a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the tournament that determines the North American Champion and who wins the right to play in the FIFA Club World Cup later this year. Wearing their alternate yellow jerseys for only the second time in the history of the franchise, the club from Utah started out strong by keeping possession and limiting chances for the Mexican side that was ...

Real Salt Lake Ready To Make U.S. Soccer History in CONCACAF Final

One of the biggest playoff series this country has ever seen begins on Wednesday night, and very few people are talking about it, or even know what it is. While it features some of the world's greatest athletes, and will be more exciting than a first round NBA playoff game, the majority of sports fans don't even care that it is going on. I am not talking about anything to do with the Heat or the Lakers, the NFL has not started and Major League Baseball did not shorten its season. The event that I am talking about comes from the relatively unpopular (only in the United States) sport of soccer. Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake begins a two-game playoff with Mexican club team Monterrey to determine the winner of the CONCACAF Champions League for this year. CONCACAF is the governing body for soccer that spans North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Teams contending for this title are taken from the winners of various club leagues across 20 nations. The prize for the winner is to move to the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup that will be held in Japan later this year. The Club World Cup ...

Real Salt Lake vs Colorado Rapids: Salt Lake Tops Colorado in Rocky Mountain Cup

Major League Soccer showcased it's best rivalry Wednesday night as the last two MLS Cup Champions met in the first leg of the battle for the Rocky Mountain Cup. The Cup, given annually to the winner of rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids, may be staying in Utah for another year. In what is becoming the norm for these fierce rivals, the two teams battled hard and held each other scoreless until the game was won with a little bit of last minute drama.  It wasn't until stoppage time that the first and only goal of the match was scored. In a somewhat desperate effort to put a goal in, RSL players worked in front of the goal when the ball popped out and defender Jamison Olave was able to draw a foul just outside the box. On the ensuing free kick, Javier Morales bent a nearly perfect strike around the defensive wall that hit the near post. In the scramble for the ball, second half substitution Paulo Jr. collected the rebound just in front of the goal. Before he could fire a shot, his teammate Fabian Espindola slid into the ball and kicked it into the back of the net. His goal ...

Major League Soccer: Real Salt Lake Second Team Beats the New England Revolution

Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis knew that his reserve players were good, but did he know they were this good?Starting a line up of primarily reserve players worked out very well on Saturday night when Real Salt Lake met the New England Revolution at Gillette stadium. The result was a dominating 2-0 victory for the visiting team.Following an emotional win in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal on Tuesday night, and with another MLS game coming up Wednesday, it was the perfect time to give the reserve players some game experience.Real Salt Lake did well to keep possession and limit opportunities for the Revolution. The game was scoreless until the 27th minute when Ned Grabavoy fired a strike that beat the goalkeeper, but not the near post. A Revolution defender cleared the ball out of bounds and Real Salt Lake lined up for a corner kick.Collen Warner sent a good ball just in front of the net that found the head of defender Chris Schuler, who got just enough of the ball to put it in the back of the net for 1-0 lead.After the game, Schuler discussed his goal with the KUTV broadcast team and said, “I don’t ...