Crew notebook: Trio hopes to return

CARSON, Calif. - As Clark Hunt and members of the Hunt Sports Group walked through the stands of The Home Depot Center prior to the start of the MLS Cup, Crew fans chanted, "Re-sign Sigi."

"That shows we have very smart fans," said the investor-operator of the Crew.

He will know soon whether the fans will view him in the same manner.

"Sigi" is Crew coach Sigi Schmid -- make that 2008 MLS Coach of the Year and MLS Cup champion Sigi Schmid after Columbus beat New York 3-1 Sunday at The Home Depot Center.

While the smell of champagne engulfed the victorious locker room, Hunt -- the son of the late Crew founder Lamar Hunt -- stood in a hallway and addressed the status of Schmid, midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- the regular season and MLS Cup MVP -- and 2008 Defender of the Year Chad Marshall.

All will be out of contract.

"It's our goal to have all three of them back," Hunt said. "It's not easy to keep championship teams together but all three of them really want to be back in Columbus. We've got the financial resources to make it happen."

NEWSMLS Cup recap
• Crew capture first MLS Cup
• MLS Cup Notes: Crew win Cup
• Schelotto named MLS Cup MVP
• Hejduk adjusts style in MLS Cup
• Lewis: Right team took Cup
• Davis: Tactics trumped by talent
• Wolyniec rewards Osorio's faith
• Red Bulls waste strong first half
• Cup win sweet for Crew's Moreno
• Red Bulls can't dodge final dagger
• Crew win Cup with team effort
• Crew notebook: Trio hope to return
• Red Bulls notebook: Still proud
MLS Cup Sights & Sounds

Highlights: CLB 3, NY 1

ExtraTime: MLS Cup Final

Crew top Red Bulls, 3-1

Crew celebrate MLS Cup win

Crew locker room celebration

MLS Cup trophy ceremony

Schelotto postgame interview

Crew players react

Crew press conference

Red Bulls press conference

One-Touch spotlight: Angel

One-Touch spotlight: Schelotto

Hejduk's late clincher

Marshall's game-winner

Wolyniec's equalizer

Moreno puts Crew on top
Nov. 22 headlines
• Tactical surprises unlikely
• NY native Gaven still growing
• Sidelined Stammler supportive
Nov. 21 headlines
• Carroll is Crew's unsung hero
• Goldthwaite stabilizes Red Bulls
• Crew expect strong support
Nov. 20 headlines
• Backline is Crew's backbone
• Angel key to Red Bulls' success
• LA weather sweet as Crew train
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

State of the League Address

Extra Time: Red Bulls preview

Extra Time: Crew preview

Crew arrive in Los Angeles

Crew practice Thursday

Red Bulls talk Cup

Crew talk beards, MLS Cup

While the three have expressed interest in returning, Schmid would likely be in line for the job with the expansion Seattle team if a new deal is not reached.

"It's my expectation," he'll be back, Hunt said. "We've had a lot of good conversations over the last six, eight weeks. I believe he wants to be back in Columbus and as a family and an organization we want him back. Being in the sports business gives you an appreciation for championships. They're very hard to get. We've been in this business a long time. When you have a chance to win a championship go ahead and get it."

Schmid said he wanted to enjoy the moment of taking a second team to the both the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup in the same season -- he did it in 2002 with the LA Galaxy -- but knows a decision is forthcoming.

Hunt understands what's at stake.

"Today was the Cup. Tomorrow we start worrying about 2009," he said. "We've got a great core group of players. There's a lot of players who are very young. We're in good shape from a (salary) cap standpoint. I think we'll be able to keep the core together. Certainly we're thinking about repeating in 2009. Nobody remembers who finishes second, including their owners.

"They capped off today, I think, one of the best seasons in MLS history in terms of their season and playoff run -- got the double. We're thrilled."

Hunt also knows what his father, who died on Dec. 16, 2006, would have said about the victory.

"He would definitely give the credit to the player and the coaches. For him, it was never about him. It was all about the organization and the people who make it up, not only the guys on the field but the guys in the front office," he said. "He would tip his hat to both groups on the year the club has had."

Aerial assault grounded: Schmid said he was worried about the play of Red Bulls wingers Dane Richards and Dave van den Bergh. After one half of play, Schmid might not have liked what he saw.

Goalkeeper Will Hesmer had to come off his line time after time in the opening half as van den Bergh consistently wriggled free down the left and bombarded crosses into the box. While the Red Bulls couldn't any of those efforts on goal, Hesmer still had to deal with the considerable aerial traffic.

"That was the biggest thing for me in the first half," Hesmer said. "We really weren't sharp. They made some crosses in there to some dangerous spots. That was about all I had to do."

Van den Bergh and Richards didn't enjoy similar success in the second half as the match shifted and the Crew fullbacks asserted their will over the wide players. Hesmer became the first goalkeeper in an MLS Cup Final not to record a single save.

"Our back line found a way," Hesmer said. "Obviously, Angel is a special player. How you take him out of the game is by shutting down Dane [Richards] and shutting down [Dave] van den Bergh. If we can take those guys out of the game, I thought we could take Angel out of the game. I've said this all year long, I think we have the best two fullbacks in the league."

Hair today, gone today: Before the champagne bottles were popped, many of the Crew players had some grooming to take care of.

Most had grown scraggly playoff beards and one of the first things they did was to get out the electric trimmer and buzz away. Midfielder Eddie Gaven went from the mountain man look to a goatee but said that would probably go after his wife saw it. Adam Moffat had his fur removed with the aid of Jason Garey and others went clean-shaven.

More than faced were trimmed. Duncan Oughton had a swath of hair razored from his forehead and fitness trainer Steve Tashjian sported a new Mohawk.

The craziest stunt had nothing to do with the hair cutting. Encouraged by his teammates, Chad Marshall did a naked cartwheel as the players formed around them.

"It's something I do in the locker room to lift the spirits. I'm glad I could do it in front of all the media,' he said sarcastically.

Two with three: Alejandro Moreno didn't want to broach the subject last week but after the final he was more than happy to discuss winning a third championship with a third team as he and Ezra Hendrickson accomplished.

"There's no jinx now," he said.

Moreno and Hendrickson were teammates on the 2002 Galaxy when they won the MLS Cup. Moreno also was a winner with Houston in 2006 while Hendrickson joined Crew midfielder Brian Carroll on D.C. United's 2004 championship team.

"The Crew's been a class organization since the inception and to finally win a championship, I'm excited for everybody," Hendrickson said. "Even though it's my third it's my first with the organization. Every organization I've been with one of my goals was to make it better.

"I'm happy for guys that have been with this organization for awhile like Chad Marshall and Duncan (Oughton) and Frankie Hejduk. "Me and him (Moreno) talked about winning three championships with three different teams. Not many people have done that."

Hendrickson said he was honored to be on the same team as regular season and MLS Cup MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who had three assists against the Red Bulls.

"This is the kind of game that superstars like Guillermo show up in. He's special. He's a class act," he said.

Finally: After being on the losing side with the New England Revolution the past three seasons, forward Pat Noonan was a winner and it didn't matter that he was on the bench the entire playoffs.

"This is a little better feeling. It's well deserved for the team and organization. I'm proud to be a part of the Columbus Crew," said Noonan, who joined the team in a trade with the Revolution in August after returning from a season in Norway.

"Of course you want to be playing but you support the guys who are out there. They worked hard for it and did the job. It was still great to run out there and celebrate with them.

"I'm sure it will sink in more in a couple of days but having lost three straight it sinks in pretty quickly. I'm not surprised we won it. This team has had great confidence and fight for each other. I've seen it every day since I've been here."

Davis: Who was left on the cutting-room floor?

We know a ton more today than we did yesterday about Seattle Sounders FC, Major League Soccer's newbie from the Pacific Northwest.

We already knew that Kasey Keller would be the BMOC in the back, as Seattle had previously signed one of the country's most decorated goalkeepers. And we knew who would be steering the attack, as general manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson had been fast to scoop up fast Freddie Ljungberg.

Now know a little more about the rest of the roster, following Wednesday's expansion draft for the league's 15th team, set to rock the house at Qwest Field starting in about four months.

Everyone will have the weeks and months ahead to debate the selections, as fans watch the squad come together in training camp and then in games around mid-March. But what if, just for a day, we consider the players who weren't selected, the talent left on the table following Wednesday's important process?

These are weighty decisions, to be sure. If you don't think the expansion draft can be a critical building block in expansion team fortunes, then you weren't paying attention to what San Jose did in 2008. Manager Frank Yallop's shrewd use of the November 2007 expansion draft process was a key element in the quick build of a respectable side, one that never seemed to be fighting out of its weight class in 2008 -- and one that very nearly crashed the old-timers' playoff party.

Names selected a year ago, like Ryan Cochrane, James Riley, Ned Grabavoy and Jason Hernandez, became part-time starters for Yallop, at least. And others, like Ivan Guerrero and Brian Carroll, became important chips to play on the trade table.

So, suffice to say, this was a big day for young Seattle. To a lesser extent, every other club knows a little more about its roster setup for 2009. Four clubs didn't lose a player: D.C. United in the East, and Chivas USA, Colorado and Dallas in the West. (You might recognize three of those clubs from the list that didn't make the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs; only Chivas was a postseason participant.)

There were some interesting goalkeepers among Wednesday's list of available players, including at least six that could be considered starters. Pat Onstad, for instance, was available just one year removed from setting an MLS record for best goals-against average in a season.

And Louis Crayton, who shined in the D.C. United net and was the catalyst behind the RFK outfit's late postseason charge, was also left unprotected. Ditto for veteran Kansas City starter Kevin Hartman, Toronto starter Greg Sutton and others.

But most teams could feel relatively safe leaving their goalkeeper exposed, since the Sounders are well-armed at backstopper. With the longtime U.S. international in charge, the Seattle braintrust did, indeed, pass on all available goalkeepers.

But it was not exactly a slam-dunk. Even when the odds seem stacked against taking Player X or Y, clubs do risk something by leaving valuable starters exposed. Dangle too pretty a carrot before the expansion teams, and the new guy on the block might just grab X or Y and set him out as trade bait. Real Salt Lake once made that mistake, leaving Jason Kreis unprotected back when he was a high-scoring sniper, before he became the league's youngest manager. Toronto took Kreis in the expansion draft, and then immediately traded him back to reeling Real, effectively gaining something for absolutely nothing.

Houston's list of exposed talent was surely a GM's delight. The Dynamo have built the league's deepest roster, never mind that surprise first-round playoff exit of early November. No matter whom he protected, Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear was going to leave some enticing talent there for the taking. Seattle got a good one in Nate Jaqua, who appeared to return from a short stint in Austria last summer as a more polished product.

In taking Jaqua, the Sounders left quick midfielder Corey Ashe, who would have been a fantastic midfield depth provider behind Ljungberg. Dynamo left back Wade Barrett might have been exposed a bit recently by Red Bulls blazer Dane Richards. But the Houston captain is a rock-solid locker room presence and is a left back that probably would have started anywhere in MLS in 2008 except perhaps Chicago or New England.

Jaqua always appeared to the logical choice, as he has roots in the Northwest (Eugene, Ore.). But there were plenty of intriguing choices out of Robertson Stadium, even beyond Jaqua, Ashe and Barrett. Craig Waibel, Richard Mulrooney and U.S. Olympian Patrick Ianni were other potential starters left unselected from Houston's roster. Barrett, Ianni and Waibel made a combined 57 starts on the league's top defense in 2008. Waibel, in fact, has started in three MLS Cup matches (all wins). At 33, his best years might be behind him, but that's still a heaping helping of veteran guidance to have on what could be a young team past Keller and Ljungberg.

New England was another team to dangle some interesting options. Seattle went with the long legs and big left foot of Khano Smith, but feisty midfielder Wells Thompson could have been a good choice, too. He has less experience than Smith, but also makes a little less in salary.

Salary is always a major component in these matters, especially as Seattle already has two big compensation packages on the books in Keller and Ljungberg.

Cap management probably helps explain the day's big surprise among the "passes." The Sounders elected to not to scoop up Columbus midfielder Eddie Gaven. The Sounders took a good player off the newly crowned league champs in attacking midfielder Brad Evans.

But in Gaven the league's newest club had access to a potential game-breaker. Here's a guy who just scored the game-winner in the Eastern Conference semifinal, a well-regarded midfielder who, at age 22, still has his best years ahead. He was a critical element in the Crew's historic season, which included the 2008 Supporters Shield and the club's first MLS Cup. Gaven's salary, commensurate with a six-year veteran, compared to that of Evans, after just two years in the league, surely made the difference.

Salary considerations might similarly help explain why experienced fellows like Duilio Davino, Chris Klein, Terry Cooke, Viktor Sikora, Mulrooney, Hartman and a few others were available but weren't selected. All that experience comes at a price -- which is exactly why clubs feel OK about leaving some of those guys exposed. They know Seattle is already in a position where they need to pinch the pennies, so they leave their more pricey vets off the protected list, fairly confident those guys would still be in their familiar colors once Seattle had made its selections.

In other cases, the word might have been put out through proper channels that certain players would be uncomfortable playing home matches on an artificial surface. (The Sounders will play on a synthetic field at Qwest.) That might help explain why a terrific talent like Ronnie O'Brien, the Earthquakes energetic right-sided midfielder, could be left unprotected without much concern of being lost.

Then again, Seattle did take Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas, who will soon move into his ninth MLS season, and who certainly carries a vet's salary. Which just goes to show you: All of this is more art than science.

Revolution's 2008 a tale of two halves

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- As New England Revolution captain Steve Ralston lifted the SuperLiga trophy on Aug. 5, observers couldn't help but wonder if Ralston would finally lift that elusive MLS Cup to end the season.

Prior to that moment, the Revolution had sailed through everything in their path. Waging war on three fronts, the Revs excelled in all of them by topping the MLS table, reaching the U.S. Open Cup semifinals in their title defense and lifting the SuperLiga crown.

The performance showed all the underpinnings of previous Revolution squads: a rock-solid defense, quick and tidy play through midfield and rotating contributions up front. When that formula failed, the Revs just ground out results. It didn't matter that Ralston and Taylor Twellman had both missed significant time through injury -- the Revs didn't lose back-to-back games until August.

"We came out of the gate so strong and played so well," Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst said. "We were just cruising. We had our youthful energy at that point."

Neither Parkhurst nor his teammates knew the team would descend into an injury-plagued and fatigue-induced abyss in the months that followed. The Revs went 2-10-4 in all competitions after the SuperLiga crown, including two separate winless streaks of five and six games.

"It's real straightforward for us," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said. "The first part of the season was great. The second part of the season wasn't so great."

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NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION • Revs' 2008 a tale of two halves
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• Buy Revolution gear

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES • Strong '08 provides a foundation
• Five big questions for San Jose
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SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Check out the best of 2008

The line of demarcation fell on that early August night. Winning SuperLiga might have proved the culmination of a month's worth of arduous games, but it also saw the Revs take a break from league play for most of that stretch.

Playing those extra fixtures in August and September -- in addition to an abortive stint in the CONCACAF Champions League and an unsuccessful U.S. Open Cup semifinal -- strained a roster that was deeper than in previous seasons, but not deep enough to handle 23 games between June 6 and Sept. 11.

"It hurt us big-time," Nicol said. "Our bread and butter is league play. It was a fantastic tournament to win, but we ultimately paid the price for it."

Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis said his team had to cope with the euphoria of winning the title and its residual effects during the second half of that hectic stretch.

"Teams go through highs and lows during the season," Reis said. "After SuperLiga, we got hit with an injury bug. After you win a championship, there's usually a sag in form. We went through both of those things at the same time."

As the games piled up, Nicol rotated his squad more frequently. The striking corps looked threadbare as Twellman, Kheli Dube, Kenny Mansally and Adam Cristman all struggled with injuries at various points. Parkhurst missed time after being selected for the U.S. Olympic team. Even the seemingly injury-proof Reis missed a few games.

Nicol brought multiple younger players into the lineup -- Dube, Mansally, Sainey Nyassi and Chris Tierney all saw significant playing time -- but the absences meant increased playing time for players who might not have been ready to cope with those demands.

"Ideally with young players and rookies, you want to give them time," Nicol said. "You want to put them in and then take them out. When you're asking them to play 90 minutes week after week and have the consistency of a Ralston or a [Shalrie] Joseph, it's difficult."

That consistency never came as Nicol had to chop and change from week to week depending on availability. The hallmark of previous Revolution sides -- a regular starting XI -- faded away.

"It was a long, crazy season," Parkhurst said. "The good thing was that so many guys got some experience and some guys got minutes that probably wouldn't have if the starters had stayed healthy throughout the year."

Even those younger players hit the wall as the season continued and the results never improved. Nicol said the controversy surrounding his team's struggle to adapt to a 4-4-2 formation mandated by the options available didn't matter as much as the team's inability to get its legs back.

"It all boils down to fatigue and the extra physical toll," Nicol said. "It catches up with you at the end when you're trying to go for that extra yard. All of these things add up. During the important part of the season, we were playing with half a team. I dread to think what would have happened if we had advanced in the Champions League."

A dismal home record -- two wins from eight games in all competitions -- during that stretch didn't help as the previously fortress-like Gillette Stadium turned more hospitable.

"We didn't find a way to win games, especially at home," Ralston said. "In previous seasons, we had established a great home record. We fell behind a lot early in games and had to play catch up. We probably played a lot better on the road than we did at home."

The performances improved as the legs returned. A resounding home win against Chivas USA and a rare away draw in Colorado in mid-September seemed to indicate a return to form was soon around the corner. A narrow loss in Columbus did little to dissuade that feeling.

"As we got healthy, we got hit for a bit more," Reis said.

A Herculez Gomez tackle broke Ralston's fibula in Kansas City with two regular season games to play. As Ralston limped off the pitch at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, most of the Revolution's hopes to generate offense went with him.

"We got our legs back under us and then we lose Ralston," Nicol said. "We don't have another guy in that position."

The offense sputtered in Ralston's absence. Losing Twellman to lingering concussion symptoms prior to the start of the MLS Cup Playoffs and watching Joseph limp through the two games with Chicago in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series didn't help either.

"You can't just blame the injuries," Ralston said. "We think we're a good enough team where we can deal with one or two players going out."

A 0-0 draw in the first leg proved a false dawn as Chicago ran out comprehensive winners at home to end the Revolution's streak of three consecutive MLS Cup appearances.

The early playoff demise raises questions about the future of the current squad. Substantive changes could come to the team's core this offseason with Parkhurst out of contract and Twellman's off-again, on-again interest in a European move.

If the Revs are to lift that elusive first MLS Cup everyone thought beckoned after that SuperLiga trophy, those changes might end up being more than cosmetic.

"I don't know where we go from here," Ralston said. "That's for [club president] Sunil [Gulati], Mike [Burns, Revs vice president of player personnel] and the coaching staff to decide. I imagine we'll make some moves, but you never know who may come in or out. I'm interested to see what happens."

Cup win sweet for Crew's Moreno, Schmid

CARSON, Calif. -- Words didn't need to be spoken. A player and coach both exiled from Los Angeles had reunited in Columbus last season, and Sunday made a triumphant return to their site of past glory.

The player, Alejandro Moreno, scored the game's first goal and was his usual workhorse for 90 minutes. When the final whistle blew and the Columbus Crew had defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 to win the MLS Cup, he found coach Sigi Schmid and the two hugged on the field at The Home Depot Center.

"This was very emotional to me. When me and Sigi embraced I started to lose it a little bit," Moreno said. "He stuck his neck out for me and I've been able to respond and I'm very happy to be able to do this with Sigi and not only with Sigi but doing it here in L.A.

NEWSMLS Cup recap
• Crew capture first MLS Cup
• MLS Cup Notes: Crew win Cup
• Schelotto named MLS Cup MVP
• Hejduk adjusts style in MLS Cup
• Lewis: Right team took Cup
• Davis: Tactics trumped by talent
• Wolyniec rewards Osorio's faith
• Red Bulls waste strong first half
• Cup win sweet for Crew's Moreno
• Red Bulls can't dodge final dagger
• Crew win Cup with team effort
• Crew notebook: Trio hope to return
• Red Bulls notebook: Still proud
MLS Cup Sights & Sounds

Highlights: CLB 3, NY 1

ExtraTime: MLS Cup Final

Crew top Red Bulls, 3-1

Crew celebrate MLS Cup win

Crew locker room celebration

MLS Cup trophy ceremony

Schelotto postgame interview

Crew players react

Crew press conference

Red Bulls press conference

One-Touch spotlight: Angel

One-Touch spotlight: Schelotto

Hejduk's late clincher

Marshall's game-winner

Wolyniec's equalizer

Moreno puts Crew on top
Nov. 22 headlines
• Tactical surprises unlikely
• NY native Gaven still growing
• Sidelined Stammler supportive
Nov. 21 headlines
• Carroll is Crew's unsung hero
• Goldthwaite stabilizes Red Bulls
• Crew expect strong support
Nov. 20 headlines
• Backline is Crew's backbone
• Angel key to Red Bulls' success
• LA weather sweet as Crew train
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

State of the League Address

Extra Time: Red Bulls preview

Extra Time: Crew preview

Crew arrive in Los Angeles

Crew practice Thursday

Red Bulls talk Cup

Crew talk beards, MLS Cup

"There's a lot good friends I know and a lot of people supported me when I was here. It was pretty special for both of us to come back here and win the title. It sends a pretty loud message."

The pair were linked in 2002 -- Moreno's second season with Los Angeles and Schmid's third full year -- when the Galaxy won the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup.

No team had done it since until the Crew pulled the feat this season.

"The chemistry was right," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said. "We had good quality players in key positions and they were willing to buy into it. We didn't particularly have the best game today but we worked hard and did what we needed. That's been the mantra all year."

Moreno played two more seasons for the Galaxy, including 2004 when Schmid was let go despite having LA in first place.

Moreno was traded to San Jose in 2005 and moved with the club to Houston in 2006, when he won a second championship. Meanwhile, Schmid took control of the Crew in 2006 and traded for Moreno in May 2007.

Although the Crew missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season that year, the foundation had been laid and the team responded with a 17-7-6 regular-season record and its first trip to the MLS Cup Final.

That it was back where Moreno and Schmid had first become acquainted was momentous. "I know this meant a lot to Ale being here as it did for me," Schmid said. "I'm numb with all the emotion right now. It's great. It's special because it's Columbus' first championship. It's special because it's in L.A. It's special because it happened in front of friends and family."

While the Galaxy have struggled in recent years without Schmid, the Crew are basking in their triumph.

"We're very proud of what we were able to accomplish," Moreno said. "Where we were last year and where we were this year, this team has grown a lot. We're very proud of the Columbus Crew organization, the Columbus Crew fans and certainly all of the players here."

Moreno's arrival in 2007 coincided with the signing of 2008 MLS Volkswagen MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The pair were in sync all season and again Sunday on Moreno's goal.

Schelotto stole the ball from Dave van den Bergh in front of the Crew bench just before midfield and got the ball ahead to Moreno.

"When he got the ball along the sideline I tried to give him an option making the diagonal run," Moreno said. "When the defender turned around and allowed me to go I felt I could beat him with my speed to the end line."

Moreno's shot beat goalkeeper Danny Cepero and hit just inside the far post as it went in.

"My first idea was to cross the ball. I looked up and he was at the near post, almost past the near post, and I thought I would be able to get it past him," Moreno said. "When it hit the post I thought, 'Come on, guys. It's the wrong post. It's got to go in.' It did.

"It was important for us to get the lead in the sense it would force them to come out and play and leave us more space in the final third of the field."

It was the first goal of the playoffs for Moreno but he had contributed in other ways. He had the assist on a stoppage-time goal by Steven Lenhart that tied Game 1 at Kansas City in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.

In the second leg, his service to Robbie Rogers made it 2-0 and sealed the Crew's advancement into the Eastern Conference Championship against Chicago.

There, his nifty through ball allowed Eddie Gaven to score the winner.

"I was never worried about Ale's scoring," Schmid said. "He does so many other things that lead to goals that are just as important but I will say it's nice that he was able to score today and score here."

Moreno might have been the team's playoff MVP if not for the brilliance of Schelotto, who had three assists Sunday to give him six in four postseason games.

"When we get Guillermo involved you can see what happened," Moreno said. "He's done it all year. It should not be a surprise to anyone. It's not a surprise to us."

And neither is the MLS Cup title, according to Moreno.

"I don't think there was added pressure within this team," he said. "Within this team there were things we wanted to accomplish. We would have been very disappointed if we didn't finish the way we did."