SI.com awards RSL's Fans (good).

[SoccerPrime]

2. Real Salt Lake support. Heading into the season, most folks thought Salt Lake would struggle to keep up with its expansion counterpart Chivas USA on and off the field. Both teams have miserable records, but RSL have gotten the job done off the field, drawing 18,318 fans a game (No. 2 in MLS), hosting a wildly successful World Cup qualifier and announcing plans for a new stadium.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/grant_wahl/10/11/mls.awards/2.html

[RSL_Fan]

It's too bad they didn't include Jason Kreis' 100th goal in the Goal of The Year section. That was an AWESOME goal. Maybe if it had been a game winner...hmmm.

Still was an awesome goal. 🙂

[Rover]

Grant Wahl replaces the power rankings with end of the season awards, with some RSL representation. Article is here

Highlights:

Bust of the Year

1. Clint Mathis, Real Salt Lake. The RSL folks rolled the dice with the talented but troubled Mathis, signing him to a guaranteed $410,000-a-year deal. In return, Cletus has given Salt Lake just three goals and four assists while leading the league in suspensions (four games) and fines (at least $6,000).

Also receiving votes: Jovan Kirovski, Eddie Pope, Tony Sanneh, Steve Sampson, John Ellinger, Edson Buddle, Thomas Rongen, Ante Razov.

Surprise of the Year (Good)


2. Real Salt Lake support. Heading into the season, most folks thought Salt Lake would struggle to keep up with its expansion counterpart Chivas USA on and off the field. Both teams have miserable records, but RSL have gotten the job done off the field, drawing 18,318 fans a game (No. 2 in MLS), hosting a wildly successful World Cup qualifier and announcing plans for a new stadium.

It's a good read, and I think Wahl gets things just about right.

But I do wonder why his pick of cheetos as a lock for the playoffs a few weeks ago didn't make something like "bonehead call of the year."

[SpiffCoug]

How is Kries' 100th goal not one of the goals of the year. Taken out of the air from 25-yards out with the left foot to the top corner! Come on! That was nearly the exact same goal as Zidane's in the CL Finals a few years back but on the other side.

[beaveman]

Originally Posted by Rover

Highlights:

Bust of the Year

Also receiving votes: Jovan Kirovski, Eddie Pope, Tony Sanneh, Steve Sampson, John Ellinger, Edson Buddle, Thomas Rongen, Ante Razov.

Eddie Pope received votes for bust of the year? Am I missing something? Sure he missed several matches due to National Team duties/Eddie Johnson/etc. but does that warrant bust of the year? When Eddie was on the field, he anchored the back line and was a great leader. I commented to Nelson Akwari after the final match on how he's improved throughout the season and asked if he's been taking lessons from Eddie. He said that Pope is a great teacher. Not only has Eddie helped us limit the opposition in games where we could have been blown out by a lot more (imagine if Matt Behnke were on the field the whole season), but he is helping to develop our future defenders.

[clarette]

Hey, at least we didn't go for Jeff Agoos.

[BetterThanChivas]

The 10 Most Ridiculous Moments of the Year

1. Ruiz skips the All-Star game, only to be caught by photographers at the opening of a Hooters in Guatemala City.

2. ESPN's SkyCam crashes to the field during the Galaxy's 3-1 win against Chivas USA on April 23, never to be heard from again.

3. Garber tries not to look embarrassed in the Real Madrid VIP tribune when the camera shows him after Madrid's 5-0 pasting of the MLS Select Team.

4. Chivas USA investor Antonio Cué dyes his hair green after losing a bet to Galaxy GM Doug Hamilton over a Chivas-Galaxy game.

5. San Jose fans mark Donovan's return to his former home stadium by destroying a Donovan piñata before SJ's 3-0 win on June 25.

6. D.C.'s Facundo Erpen takes the most embarrassingly fake dive of the year at New England on Aug. 27.

7. Andrew Murstein is presented as a new potential owner by MLS in San Antonio, then fails in a bid to buy the Wizards and ends the year looking more like the Tony Amanpour of '05. (Amanpour, you might recall, bailed on his big-talk bid to buy the San Jose Earthquakes last year.)

8. Chivas USA head coach Hans Westerhof and Ryan Suarez nearly come to blows on the sideline after Suarez is removed from a game; Chivas releases Suarez the next day.

9. Kirovski rips head coach Steve Sampson to reporters on his way out of L.A. after scoring just four goals in 24 games for the Galaxy this season. Classy.

10. Due to shorthanded rosters, the Lalas brothers (Alexi and Greg) play in reserve games for San Jose and New England, respectively.

That's funny. :dancing: