This afternoon, the 2014 MLS Cup final was decided:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjjuEOTSE8[/yt]
The Los Angeles Galaxy hosted the 2014 MLS Cup final this afternoon, beating the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time. The Republic of Ireland's Robbie Keane scored the decisive goal.
This marks the fifth time the Galaxy have claimed the league championship (the most of any team) and the sixth MLS Cup won by Landon Donovan (the most of any individual player). With this win marking his final professional game before his retirement, Donovan leaves behind a legacy as one of the highest-profile Americans to have played the sport for both club and country.
The Revs, meanwhile, are 0 for 5 at MLS Cup, though they were unlikely finalists for much of the season and did well to turn their season around strongly enough to make the final (and to take it to extra time). In the longer term, perhaps the true prize for the club would be to secure a new home for themselves away from Gillette Stadium, by moving into a (potential) new soccer-specific stadium somewhere in or around the city of Boston.
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Going forward, 2015 will mark the entry of two new teams (a second New York side, plus one in Orlando), as the league builds towards having 24 clubs in play by the year 2020.
Atlanta will join in 2017, along with a re-booted second LA franchise. Miami had been provisionally nominated for an expansion slot, but haven't been formally locked in yet due to local stadium issues. San Antonio, Sacramento, two rival bids in Minnesota (one by the NFL Vikings' ownership, and another led by the pre-existing second-division club Minnesota United), and Las Vegas are each vying for the remaining slot/s.
Although, in the long run, no-one knows just how large a league MLS will "level out" at. So it could be a matter of when, not if, certain would-be candidates make the cut.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjjuEOTSE8[/yt]
The Los Angeles Galaxy hosted the 2014 MLS Cup final this afternoon, beating the New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time. The Republic of Ireland's Robbie Keane scored the decisive goal.
This marks the fifth time the Galaxy have claimed the league championship (the most of any team) and the sixth MLS Cup won by Landon Donovan (the most of any individual player). With this win marking his final professional game before his retirement, Donovan leaves behind a legacy as one of the highest-profile Americans to have played the sport for both club and country.
The Revs, meanwhile, are 0 for 5 at MLS Cup, though they were unlikely finalists for much of the season and did well to turn their season around strongly enough to make the final (and to take it to extra time). In the longer term, perhaps the true prize for the club would be to secure a new home for themselves away from Gillette Stadium, by moving into a (potential) new soccer-specific stadium somewhere in or around the city of Boston.
-----
Going forward, 2015 will mark the entry of two new teams (a second New York side, plus one in Orlando), as the league builds towards having 24 clubs in play by the year 2020.
Atlanta will join in 2017, along with a re-booted second LA franchise. Miami had been provisionally nominated for an expansion slot, but haven't been formally locked in yet due to local stadium issues. San Antonio, Sacramento, two rival bids in Minnesota (one by the NFL Vikings' ownership, and another led by the pre-existing second-division club Minnesota United), and Las Vegas are each vying for the remaining slot/s.
Although, in the long run, no-one knows just how large a league MLS will "level out" at. So it could be a matter of when, not if, certain would-be candidates make the cut.
