First XI: Thanks again

A week late, but fully recovered from the feast, First XI looks back at the 2008 season and ahead to 2009 by offering up its annual list of things MLS fans can be thankful for:

11. Double winners. Let's give it up one more time for the 2008 Crew. Seriously, who predicted Columbus would emerge as the best team in the league this year? And the word "team" is key here. As great a playmaker as MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto is, and as great defender as MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall is, the key thing with the Crew is the way the pieces all fit together. Give credit to Sigi Schmid for that, and to Columbus management as well, for allowing Schmid's plan to develop. Also, it was pretty evident in the final that Frankie Hejduk is a great by-example leader. When a team can win a Supporters' Shield and an MLS Cup without a single 10-goal scorer, that shows how balanced they are.

10. Expansion teams. With Seattle's first 10 in place following the expansion draft (OK, 14, really), we can look forward to a 15-team MLS in 2009. And with the groundbreaking that took place outside of Philadelphia yesterday, we can look forward to a 16-team MLS in 2010. The Philly team is particularly exciting for me as it will set up a fantastic three-way feud with Philadelphia, the Red Bulls and D.C. United. I also have a feeling the state of New Jersey (my home state) is going to be split down the middle between Philly and Red Bull. And the line of demarcation figures to be very close to my home on the Jersey Shore.

9. The remaining '96ers. I hope I've got the count right, but the last remaining MLS players who have been in the league essentially in every season since the inaugural campaign are: Jaime Moreno, Steve Ralston, Jesse Marsch, Zach Thornton, Ante Razov and Diego Gutierrez. In addition, there are five players who were around then who have returned after jaunts abroad: Ramiro Corrales, Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Lewis, Brian McBride and Greg Vanney. We know Gutierrez and Vanney have called it quits already, but will it be the end of the road for any more of them? I guess we'll see, but with 13 seasons now in the books, that's quite an accomplishment for this group of players.

8. The Red Bull run. If it had been any other sub .500, fifth-place in their own conference team -- any other team that entered the playoffs backwards -- well, I'd probably look at it differently. But because it was the Red Bulls, the team that used to be called the MetroStars, I have to say it was fun. I've also got to tip my hat to all those involved, because the Red Bulls were not only battling teams on the field, they were battling ghosts of teams past. This is a team that had been past the first round of the playoffs once in its entire existence. A team that, from its first year in the league, always seemed to be defined by the bad bounce, the unlucky break. So, the Red Bulls and their fans deserved everything that came their way on the road to MLS Cup. What was ironic (to me, at least) was that I felt the Red Bulls might have played their best postseason game in the final. For the record, I'll feel the same way if FC Dallas makes it to the final some day.

7. Players staying in the game. When MLS was launched in 1996 behind a great cast of U.S. players, I'd have to say, the ideal scenario for the future was for many of those players to move from the field to the management side. And this is exactly what we're seeing. From Brian Bliss in Columbus and Peter Vermes in Kansas City, to Frankie Klopas in Chicago, Jason Kreis and Garth Lagerwey in Salt Lake, Chris Henderson in Seattle, Jeff Agoos in New York, Mike Burns in New England, Preki with Chivas USA, Dom Kinnear in Houston and Frank Yallop in San Jose, it's been awesome to see.

6. MLSLive.tv. The single greatest invention in the history of MLS. I do not know where I'd be without it. On the road in hotels, in my house, wherever I need it, I've got my MLS games and highlights. And a tip of the hat to the guys who get the highlights up so fast.

5. The new stadia. I go by Red Bull Arena at least once a week and it's starting to look like a stadium. I watch the games from the soccer stadiums on television and, well, there's just no comparison to the way those games look when compared to the games from places like Giants Stadium. Having both conference championship games in soccer stadiums was a landmark occasion in MLS and both cities delivered with atmosphere.

4. Will Johnson's golazo. From the guy who seems to complain every year about the Goal of the Year, I must say the voters got it right this year. I was watching Will's blast live with my sons on television and all three of us said simultaneously, "That's the Goal of the Year." We didn't even realize until we saw the replay that it kissed the post.

3. The hex. What else to say about the final stage of World Cup qualifying but it's always fun and always interesting. Which MLS players will step to the fore for the U.S. and other CONCACAF nations? It's almost like MLS will start in February this year.

2. Intrigue. MLS Cup wasn't over for five minutes and there was already speculation about where players would be playing and coaches would be coaching in 2009. Throw in an expansion draft and you've already got the hot stove burning. Keep it warm!

1. MLS supporters. Seems like just yesterday I was writing a piece for ESPN The Magazine about Sam Pierron and his idea to create the Supporters' Shield and award it to the regular season points leader every year. Watching the final and seeing the supporters of both the Crew and the Red Bulls singing their lungs out, knowing how far they had to travel, and the sacrifices they had to make to get to Los Angeles, reminded me how passionate MLS supporters are. Year to year, it only gets stronger.