Thu, 20 Nov 2008
As the New York Red Bulls charter flight landed at Long Beach Airport on late Thursday afternoon, Gordon Kljestan looked out the window and thought, "I'm home. Indeed, Kljestan, who grew up in nearby Huntington Beach, is the local product on this Red Bulls team and, as such, has the most ticket requests for Sunday's MLS Cup Final at The Home Depot Center.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008
Gino Padula doesn't see Sunday's MLS Cup against New York as a chance for payback on the one blemish to his season. The Argentinean defender, signed by the Crew on March 24, struggled through early injuries to appear in 17 regular and postseason matches.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008
The happiest person running around the sun-splashed practice fields at The Home Depot Center was Columbus Crew equipment manager Rusty Wummel. No longer would he have to spend a few more hours each day washing the cold-weather gear that Crew had donned for the better part of a week.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008
Statistics such as 19 assists -- tied for the second-most in league history -- and contributing to 10 consecutive goals are impressive, but what made Guillermo Barros Schelotto the 2008 MLS Volkswagen Most Valuable Player was his role off the field.

Thu, 20 Nov 2008
One can only imagine what sort of season Juan Pablo Angel would have enjoyed had he been healthy. The first part of the MLS was a living hell and a major pain in the back in more ways than one for the 33-year-old Colombian, the second half pure heaven.