The Beckham Experiment comes to a head.

The Los Angeles Galaxy won their third MLS Cup Championship in style as they bested the Houston Dynamo in front of their home fans courtesy of a cheeky finish from captain and USMNT international Landon Donovan. The DP trio of Robbie Keane, David Beckham, and Landon Donovan all had a hand in the goal. It marked the first time in league history that a team with a designated player lifted the trophy, who better to do it than the leagues first and the leagues best home grown talent?

Dreamland.

The biggest question mark now is will Beckham be back for another go or will he ride off into the sunset with MLS Cup in tow? P.S.G have reportedly offered Becks a deal that the Galaxy could never match but his family is settled here, there are arguments for both sides but P.S.G seems the most likely destination at this point. After a sour start to his MLS career that led to a public feud with Landon Donovan and the home fans booing him at the Home Depot Center he turned it around in the last two years and became the player that American fans have wanted to see since he first came over. He finished second in the assist tally and was easily the most important cog in the Galaxy's playoff machine having set up Mike Magee three times in the first two games. The most poignant memory for most Galaxy fans will be his decision to carry on against New York despite having very serious problems with his back. He finally showed the fans that he cared, that he was driven, that he wanted it just as bad as everyone else out on that field.

Landon Donovan added another goal to his record MLS playoff tally and cemented himself as a Galaxy legend after bringing home his second MLS Cup as a Galaxy player. Sweet redemption for Donovan after going through most of the playoffs on auto pilot. He was nursing a hamstring injury throughout but was there when it mattered and that's all Galaxy fans will care about.

Bruce Arena captured his third MLS Cup reminding everyone that he is one of if not the best coach in MLS and certainly the best in US history. He finally got the reward for turning around a Galaxy squad that was completely wrecked by old, washed up superstars like Ruud Gullit and Abel Xavier. He molded the team in his own vision and turned it into the best MLS side of all time. Stubborn and powerful in defense, decisive and calculated in offense. A finely tuned machine that churned out great results for the past two seasons.

Jealousy.

It was sweet as a Galaxy fan to see this incredible team get what it deserves. The supporters shields were alright but no one recognizes them despite them being the league title equivalent of the European leagues. Everyone was waiting for the big one and they delivered at what could end up being the last chance. Your 2011 LA Galaxy, the best MLS team of all time.

Manchester United struggling.

Manchester United succumbed to defeat in Switzerland and went crashing out of the Champions League group stages becoming the first team to go out in the group stages after a Champions League Final the previous season. The loss has only increased the pressure on United after a slew of boring 1-0 wins in the domestic league.

Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young look bored and devoid of any creativity or drive, Nani is trying to be the superhero and is reverting back to the selfish play we saw years ago, the problems are endless. Sir Alex is in a sticky situation though as dropping these players would probably lead to the results getting even worse. Young has failed to impress since coming back from injury and hasn't registered an assist or goal in a United shirt since the home leg against the same Basel team over two months ago. Wayne Rooney isn't much better, having not made an offensive contribution since the away game at minnow Galati. Nani's stats are a lot better, having registered one goal and two assists since that same Galati game. But it's still not what we have come to expect as United fans from a player as talented as Nani.

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing about this loss is who SAF chose to start in central midfield behind Phil Jones. Ryan Giggs and workhorse Ji Sung Park conspired to produce one of the worst United midfield performances of all time. Giggs continually tried to thread the needle and play the Hollywood ball, he managed to create six chances which is decent but his incessant rushing of the play hurt United overall. Patience is needed in an away tie like this one where Basel were content putting ten men behind the ball and playing on the counter. Park was deployed a bit further forward than Giggs behind Rooney and looked just as clueless. The only notable thing he did all night was fall in the Basel penalty area and get all muddy. Jones takes less of the blame considering he did his job sweeping up in front of the back four well and was the biggest offensive threat from midfield despite being the deepest of the three.

The defense was solid and didn't deserve to concede two goals in all honesty. The decision by the referee to allow play to continue after a head injury occurred on Nemanja Vidic was questionable but there was no excuse for leaving Streller that open. The second goal was a result of young naive central defender Chris Smalling falling asleep and letting Frei sneak in behind him. He was out of position at right back and never looks convincing there but should have dealt with the cross better than he did.

Vidic was taken off on a stretcher and Sir Alex confirmed today that he will miss the remainder of the season. Which makes getting booted out of the Champions League a blessing in disguise for me, imagine playing against Barcelona or Real Madrid with Johnny Evans at center back? We would have been absolutely slaughtered.

Seriously?

I urge Ferguson to give Smalling and Jones a chance to form a partnership in the center of defense. They're the future and its time for Rio Ferdinand to pass the torch to the new guard. The experience in the big games domestically and in the Europa League will help them immensely and it looks unlikely that we will win either competition at this point with the other Manchester team running away with the league title and also being involved in the Europa League with their incredible squad depth.

This Weekend.

 A busy weekend came to a close yesterday and saw Manchester United finally open up a gap between the other Manchester club, Scudetto favorites A.C Milan fall in Naples, Jose Mourinho led Real Madrid fail to score against Barcelona impostors Levante for a second year running, and the Galaxy get that much closer to the MLS Supporters Shield.

In England the big talking point was the big Manchester United vs. Chelsea clash. It lived up to the hype, fans were treated to an extremely open match with tons of goal scoring opportunities for both sides. In the end Chelsea failed to take their chances and United ran out 3-1 winners with goals from Chris Smalling, Luis Nani, and Wayne Rooney. Wayne Rooney missed from the spot but it will be overlooked as he continues his scorching start to the season. He is on 9 goals and 1 assist after 5 games this season, his influence on this new younger United team cannot be overlooked. It's early days, but if he can maintain this form he will be the one challenging Messi at the end of the season for the Balon D'or and not former United player Cristiano Ronaldo. Elsewhere in England the promoted teams all won, the highlight was new look Q.P.R putting 3 past Wolves at  Molineux. New signings Joey Barton and Sean Wright-Phillips looked sharp in the thrashing, with Barton getting on the score sheet in the process. They look the most likely of the promoted sides to stay up after their  spending spree at the end of the transfer window.

In Italy current Scudetto holders A.C Milan were humbled by a rampant Napoli side who won 3-1. Edinson Cavani was the man of the match, the matador scored a hat trick to help his side roll past a Milan side that looked tired and devoid of any creativity without star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Inter and Roma continue to struggle with new managers at the helm, as the sides played to a 0-0 draw at the San Siro. Roma looked the more likely to score but never manged to get one past Julio Cesar. Juventus continue to set the pace though after a tidy 1-0 win against promoted side Siena. Alessandro, Matri got the only goal of the game.

Barcelona made up for their two draws last week by thrashing Osasuna 8-0. Messi does what Messi does, putting 3 in for Barcelona. Real Madrid stumbled against a gutsy Levante side, losing 1-0. The talking point of the match came just before half time. Angel Di Maria was his usual theatrical self, and it cost his team in the end as Sammy Khedira pushed a Levante player in an attempt to come to Di Maria's aid despite the player not being in any pain or harm. He was already on a yellow, the push got him his second and Madrid were down to 10 men for the rest of the game. Madrid still managed to control the game but struggled to create clear cut chances against a resilient Levante side and the breakthrough came on a counterattack where Marcelo was caught out of position. On loan forward Arouna Kone scored the only goal which saw Madrid fall behind Barcelona for the first time this season. Is it already the end for Jose Mourinho and co.? It's too early to tell but with Barcelona having the upper hand in the Clasico's in recent times dropping points outside of those matches is really going to hurt Madrid's chances at dethroning Barcelona.

In MLS the playoff race heated up and LA got that much closer to its second consecutive Supporters Shield. Robbie Keane was on form against Vancouver and scored a goal and assisted one of Mike Magee's two goals as the Galaxy ran out 3-0 victors at the Home Depot Center. Questions will be raised about the referee denying Vancouver a penalty just before the Galaxies first goal though. This Galaxy team has been head and shoulders above everyone else for a second year running now, but it will all be for nothing unless the Galaxy can make a deep postseason run and make it to the MLS Cup Final which will be at their house this year. Anything less than an MLS Cup will be a failure for Bruce Arena's men.

David Beckham: Should he stay, or should he go?

According to this link, the Los Angeles Galaxy have offered designated player David Beckham a one year extension on his current deal which would see him earn 8.9 million dollars should he choose to continue plying his trade in the white and gold of the LA Galaxy. However there is speculation that Beckham might be tempted at a return to the Premier League for one last swan song. Reports suggest both Tottenham Hotspur and premier league new boys Queens Park Rangers are interested in acquiring his services once his current deal expires with the Galaxy at the end of this year. So the question is, should he stay or should he go? As a Galaxy fan I would love him to stay but I will try and outline the pros and cons of both.

If Beckham decides to stay in LA it should surprise no one, as he has many reasons to stay here. The most obvious being his massive salary he earns in LA, which minnows QPR and financially astute Spurs will struggle to match or even come close to. The level of play here isn't nearly as demanding here as it would be in the premier league, it would be interesting to see if his body could hold up at the top level of the English game. Tugay played into his late 30's for Blackburn so no one should rule out Beckham as of yet. But he regularly misses away games with the Galaxy in order to rest his aging body, like last night against Monarcas where his services would have been a massive benefit to a Galaxy side the struggled to hold onto the ball. He would probably play a bit part role for any premier league club should he leave the Galaxy but those teams likely wouldn't be willing to put up with him missing a lot of games every season like the Galaxy do every year.  He also has to take into account his wife and families needs, both his kids and his wife love LA according to reports and would probably object to a move to England.

However, England isn't such a horrible option either. He would have the chance to link up with Harry Redknapp who is the favorite to be the next England manager. Which could lead to another chance in the national team that Beckham craves so much, and which caused him to miss out on many games for the Galaxy in previous years. He would also be back where he grew up, closer to old friends and family. I have no idea how that would effect someone like Beckham but you have to take that into account regardless. He would get to play at a higher level with better players, something frustrates him when he plays in LA when you look at his body language.

I see him staying in LA though, they have offered him big money once again and have brought in Robbie Keane to appease him. I have a hard time seeing him jetting off to England after such a fantastic season in a league that he can excel in with very little energy expended.

USA vs. Costa Rica, thoughts.

• Robbie Rogers was useless, no gusto or "oomph" in his performance, just meh. Impact sub at best. Jurgen is trying his best to call in a variety of players and really give everyone a fair chance. But he has shown from his last two call ups that he is not a national team caliber player yet.

• Castillo looked no better than Johnny B out there, excluding his ability to constantly draw fouls. For the love of god just call in Bobby Convey or Todd Dunivant. They'll do the job just fine in these friendlies until Lichaj gets back to full health and gets his club situation sorted.

• Shea looked good again, European move is right around the corner for him surely. Also keep in mind that he has played in 400 plus minutes since last Wednesday according to Grant Wahl, pretty mind blowing. He was the only constant threat for the states and created the best chance of the game which Donovan spurned.

• Goodson should have been brought on at half time, Orozco Fiscal was having a hard time dealing with Alvaro Saborio's physicality throughout the game. It's quite clear that Fiscal is not the answer at center back, so the search will go on. Oguchi Onyewu's shocking regression has hit this team hard, and it looks like he might never get back to his old self.

• For all the hype around Agudelo he is a very 50/50 player, for every mesmerizing run (there was one of this game that almost led to a goal, his best moment in the game) there is a run where he will run himself into a wall and either give away possession or try some audacious flick or shot that will never work. 

• Donovan was on and off at times as well and is still getting used to his new role, he was often to close to the striker and was not adequately linking up the play, especially in the second half. There wasn't enough of his dangerous and pacy runs through the heart of the defense and when he did they were very timid.

• I am really liking way were playing under Jurgen, the constant switching of the play and little link ups just before the final third is very attractive and a far cry from the lackluster stuff we saw under Bob Bradley, just lacked the cutting edge tonight, the kind of edge players like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley will bring. Under Jurgen the taem is actually trying to take the game to teams that we should be beating handily, like Costa Rica. 

• The drop off in the second was shocking too, only after we went down and they parked the bus did the team wake up and take the game to the Costa Ricans again. But it was too little too late and the late goal that often defines this US team never came.

Paul Scholes testimonial

The Paul Scholes testimonial match kicks off in 30 minutes, it signals the end of Manchester United's pre-season and it also signals the rebirth of the New York Cosmos franchise who will be looking to enter MLS within the next few seasons.

Expect this to be a boring match, the Cosmos are made up of a combination of world class veterans (Cannavaro, McBride, Pires) and some players from the Cosmos youth ranks. Expect United to play a reserve team with an eye towards the big Community Shield match on Sunday against arch rivals Manchester City, any injuries this late into the pre-season could be disastrous for Sir Alex and co. so expect very short cameos from the top players in this game.

Squad for Mexico

Jurgen Klinsmann has made his selections known for his first game in charge of the USMNT. It will be about a tough a first game as any US manager has ever faced, with the US having recently been knocked off by El Tri in Bob Bradley's last game in charge.

Some surprise inclusions include D.C United netminder Bill Hamid, Michael Orozoco Fiscal who is remembered for his stint with the Philly Union of MLS, Jose Torres whos creativity and ability on the ball was overlooked by Bob Bradley on more than one occasion. Puebla winger and former NT constant Damarcus Beasley, who will be looking to revamp both his club and national team career in the next year. 

There were also some pretty big absences from Klinsmann's first roster, most due to conflicts with European clubs. These players are Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Brad Guzan, and Johnathan Spector.

I like the squad overall, it shows that he is going to give a bigger variety of players a chance to impress and isn't willing to shake it up from time to time.

A possible starting XI for the game against Mexico.

---------Agudelo

------Shea-Adu-Donovan

--------Bradley-Jones

Boca-Ream-Goodson-Cherundolo

---------Howard

With the friendly being against such a big rival you have to put out your best team to start at the very least. Hoping that the likes of Castillo, Torres, Chandler, and Edson Buddle get to prove their worth though.

Balotelli embarrasses himself!

I have no words.

LA vs. Columbus recap

Sean Franklin's long range bomb gave the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday in a match the Galaxy never looked like losing. Sean Franklin scored his first MLS goal and eventual match winner on Wednesday night at the Home Depot Center. Finally being recognized as one of the league elite full backs, he is an MLS all star for the first time in his career and adds that accolade to his Rookie of the Year honors.

Galaxy took control early on and never really lost control but didn't have the finishing touch on the night. Much of this has to go on Juan Pablo Angel's shoulders. The designated player has not lived up to his billing since joining for his first season with the Galaxy. He looks a shadow of his former self who used to put them away for fun in his New York days. Bruce Arena needs to figure something out fast, the output from the strikers this season has been shocking and isn't MLS Cup winning quality. There were rumors of a move for Turkish striker Nihat but nothing ever materialized and I for one am not surprised considering the fact that LA already has three DP's on its books. If Angel doesn't come good by the end of the season the Galaxy should definitely considering cutting ties from JPA.

Chileans on the move!

The first big name signing has been completed as Barca have completed the signing of versatile forward Alexis Sanchez from Udinese. San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the fee to be around 54 million US. The signing will only make the best club team in the world better, he can play anywhere across Barca's front three and is creative/talented enough to allow Pep Guardiola to rest Messi against some of the La Liga minnows. Presentation and medical will be on Monday, so I don't have any pictures of him in a Barca shirt.

With the signing of Alexis Sanchez completed Barcelona young'in Bojan Kirkic has left to Italian giants Roma for a chance at first team action. It's a signing that has been widely reported but is only just getting finalized. Bojan will link up with former Barcelona B coach and new Roma coach Luis Enrique at Roma where he will compete with Marco Boriello for a starting spot just ahead of Franceso Totti. It appears Mirko Vucinic is on his way to England to play for Spurs so Bojan won't find a better environment or chance to prove that he is of the highest caliber. Barcelona will have the option to buy Bojan back in 2 years should he meet his potential, which suits them taking into account David Villa's age.

Juventus have signed Arturo Vidal from German team Bayer Leverkusen for 15 mil, according to multiple reports. Hes a talented box to box player who will be their midfield star for many years to come, and will partner veteran play maker Andrea Pirlo in a new look Juventus midfield. He will probably be one of their mos important players for this coming campaign if they are to qualify for the Champions League after the match fixing scandal that they have yet to recover from. 

This move saw current Juve midfielder Felipe Melo move on a seasons long loan to Turkish giants Galtasaray with an option to buy. While Melo is much maligned and often a hot and cold player this move makes no sense to me, if anything you should keep him around for squad depth and his undeniable potential. A midfield trio of Vidal, Melo, and Pirlo would be one of the most formidable in Serie A but with this loss it only leaves more questions for Juve fans before the start of the next campaign.

Break Shea does TFC dirty.

Brek Shea is the baddest man in MLS right now, scoring multiple screamers and quickly establishing himself as an elite MLS player. The potential has always been there and we have seen flashes of it since he joined Dallas but he is finally starting to bring it on a nightly basis and is now tied atop the MLS scoring chart. Dallas fans couldn't have asked for a better time after star player and DP David Ferreira went down earlier in the season.

Last night he single handedly brought Dallas all three points against the new look TFC team complete with new star player Torsten Frings, who Shea burns en route to another wonderful goal. Check the video.

Today's Action

Sounders vs. Manchester United
The red hot Sounders welcome Manchester United to CenturyLink field as part of the World Football Challenge tonight on FSC. The Sounders are perhaps the team most capable of causing and upset in all of tonight's action. Designated player Fredy Montero will improve on his great form over the past couple of weeks and Osvaldo Alonso will show everyone why he should have been on the All Star team to take on Manchester United.

Los Angeles vs. Columbus
The top team in MLS welcomes the Columbus Crew to the HDC tonight in what looks to be a pretty straight forward match on paper. The Galaxy are yet to lose at home this season and are riding a 12 game unbeaten run. I think a draw or a narrow one nil win for the Galaxy are in order especially after some poor results in the World Football Challenge and US Open Cup.

Real Madrid vs. Chivas USA
Not much to say about this one, I expect Real Madrid to wipe the floor with Chivas USA days after beating the Galaxy 4-1. This Chivas teams is one of the poorest in MLS and this Madrid team showed no mercy to the Galaxy.

Also, FSC has picked up the WPS match between the Western New York Flash and MagicJack. Around 15,000 are expected to be in attendance for this game welcoming back the USWNT stars. Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, and Marta will all be on show in New York tonight.

Tidbits

Altidore to the Netherlands?

Jozy Altidore looks poised to start a new chapter in his young career, reportedly on the verge of joining Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. Hopefully he can get regular first team action and a chance to prove his so far untapped potential. It's obvious the multitude of loan deals wasn't doing him any good, so maybe being in this more permanent setting will help him keep his mind on his game.

Hargreaves to Whitecaps?

Vancouver have finally made their interest in former Manchester United midfielder and current free agent Owen Hargreaves official, but can a deal be done? The player has been posting youtube videos in an attempt to prove his fitness to potential suitors. Should Hargreaves join the Whitecaps he would immediately become their best midfield option and would help fill the gap left by recently departed Terry Dunfield.

Casey out for season.

Another big blow for MLS as another one of its marqee stars goes down following Javier Morales and David Ferreira, however they might make it back for the playoffs. Casey will not after tearing his Achilles tendon in a no contact situation against the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink field on Saturday. The Rapids will now rely heavily on their other big star attacking play in Omar Cummings and young talent like Quincy Amarikwa and Macoumba Kandji.

Women's World Cup Pt.2

Homare Sawa and co. were able to overcome attack after attack from the US women to win the FIFA Women's World Cup on penalty kicks. Credit to Japan for their never say die attitude but the Americans only have themselves to blame for not being able to replicate the memorable 1999 win. Their poor finishing and poor defending were their downfall, they completely outplayed Japan bar a couple 5 to 10 minute spurts. Japan's 2 goals came out of nowhere, both against the run of play and both after the US had seemingly put themselves out of reach.

I'm surprised that we have yet to see a scapegoat named yet for the United States shocking loss. Look no further than Rachel Buehler who was at fault for both goals. Multiple factors could explain this poor showing, being thrown into a World Cup Final after missing the last game, perhaps it was a mental thing after her red card dismissal against Brazil? Regardless, there is no excuse for what she did on the first goal and I am surprised no journalists have touched on this. Even at the recreational level you're told to never pass or kick the ball across the face of goal and that is exactly what she did, IN A WORLD CUP FINAL! I don't care if it was last ditch defending and she was doing whatever she could that should have been seared into her brain after 15+ years playing the game. She also didn't properly track Homare Sawa on the corner kick that sent the game to penalty kicks, while not nearly as much of an abomination as her first miscue its still very frustrating to see someone play so badly in such an important game. These were probably the only two moments in the game where she was called upon and she failed miserably both times.

Overall we should be proud of the US Women for their performances at the World Cup but in the end they failed to reach their goal/destiny after overcoming all the odds in what seemed like the perfect set of circumstances.

Umami Burger

Yesterday my family and I went to Umami Burger on Hollywood Boulevard. As the name implies, it's an asian themed hamburger restaurant that specializes in high end hamburgers. I got the Manly Burger which has "beer-cheddar cheese, smoked salt onion strings, bacon lardons". I'm not sold on the fancy ass names they give their ingredients, the bacon tasted like bacon, the onion strings tasted like onion strings, and the cheddar cheese tasted like cheddar cheese. I didn't taste any beer or any smoke. That being said I still really enjoyed my meal, especially the truffle cheese fires which you can see in the picture above. The burger in that picture is not mine, fyi. The Mexican Coke was like the cherry on top. It was a great meal and I hope to go back soon.

Los Angeles Galaxy-Real Madrid

It's the same story once again as a former Beckham employer comes to LA to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy in a friendly match at the LA Coliseum. Despite the impending "carmageddon" a sellout is still expected as fans will come from far and wide to see the marquee names duke it out. Beckham, Ronaldo, Donovan, Mourinho, all on show tonight.

Last time these two sides met the Galaxy ran out to a 2-0 lead, only to be brought back down to earth by a Madrid side that wasn't prepared to take that kind of hit early on in the second coming of the galacticos. Expect a similar match this time, although I think a much lower score is in store for us.

Don't be surprised if the Galaxy manage to sneak out with a win this time, both Beckham and Donovan will want to make an impression for the fans. Madrid have had another blockbuster summer, signings multiple world class players to add to their already magnificent squad. Although the cohesion could be an issue for Jose Mourinho and co.

Toronto FC transfer activity

Toronto FC have been extremely active this week in the transfer market. On top of adding two designated players in Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans they have been reinforcing with smaller names in attempt to improve on what has been a dismal season so far.

Their first move saw them give up Alan Gordon, Nana Attakora, Jacob Peterson, and an international player spot to get Jamaican forward Ryan Johnson. Not a huge fan of this trade, they definitley needed more attacking options in wide areas which is exactly what Ryan Johnson will give them but they gave up a whole heck of a lot to get him. Including a quality backup striker in Alan Gordon, someone who can come off the bench whenever and immediately make an impact. In my opinion Johnson isn't that much better than Alan Gordon so to lose Alan Gordon, 2 more players, and an international spot represents very poor business.

The second move saw them send Tony Tchani to Columbus to get Andy Iro and Leandre Griffit. This one will really work well for TFV I think. They had way too many defensive midfielders to begin with and adding Torsten Frings meant someone had to go. I don't think Julian De Guzman has shown himself to be any better than Tchani but he is the clubs first DP and a Canadian international so Tchani was the obvious candidate to get the boot. Iro should be immediately be moved into Toronto's starting XI and will definitley help solidify a defense that has been horrible all season long. Griffit has played a small role for Columbus since joining but will have more of a chance to get into the starting line up in Toronto due to how poor their wide players are across the board.

Hopefully these moves workout for TFC, its bad for the league when a team with such a rabid fan base is always among the worst teams at the end of every season.

Women's World Cup

Women's soccer is the buzz world now around the US as we anxiously await the final on Sunday. Not since the famous final in 1999 has a women's sporting event been so publicized in the United States. 

The Women's World Cup comes to an end this weekend, the US ladies will face Japan in the final at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. After a strong start the U.S ladies were humbled by Sweden, only to respond in heroic fashion against Brazil. Against all odds, including many poor calls from the referee such as rewarding Brazil a penalty for a 50/50 challenge and then turning down a clear cut US penalty later on in regulation. As we all know by now, Abby Wambach managed to tie it up in the 122nd minute to send the game to penalties, which the US ladies eventually won 5-3 courtesy of a save from Hope Solo.

That game against Brazil was one of the most entertaining soccer games I have ever seen in my life, regardless of gender. The emotions, and the character that was displayed from the US women made for a great story and a great finish to the game. The fight and the heroics are typical from US teams regardless of sport and the way Brazil acted throughout the game made them an easy villain for the US to overcome.

This Japan team has been one of the surprises of the tournament so far and play some of the best soccer at the tournament, they will be a very fine opposition and should not be underestimated by the US team despite their small stature and relative obscurity when it comes to the women's game. They keep the ball on the ground and work it into the goal, they rely on their understanding and their technical ability to win games.

While I think Japan will be a great opponent and a tough one for the US in the final its hard for me to look past the United States in this game. Expect players like Hope Solo and Abby Wambach to step up on the big occasion, US to win 1-0.