Underdog Red Bulls buck the odds

SANDY, Utah -- The music blared, the players danced and Juan Carlos Osorio was doused by some combination of water and Gatorade. Champagne? Nah, that's reserved for the MLS Cup Final.

Unlike last week at Robertson Stadium, when the Red Bulls were business-like after eliminating the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo, the players celebrated the first conference championship in club history in style.

"It's phenomenal," Juan Pablo Angel said. "That's what you work for. All the effort, all the training sessions, the hard work during the year and it certainly paid off. Nobody gave anything to us, nobody expected us to be where we are, but we're absolutely delighted."

Sure it could be weird that the Western Conference title goes to the East Coast team, but that didn't matter inside the locker room. The Red Bulls got to celebrate on a dais, pose with a trophy and book their ticket to The Home Depot Center.

"To get to the MLS finals and have a chance to win the MLS Cup, you don't really have words for it," defender Carlos Mendes said. "We've got one more game left. Obviously this is a big moment for the franchise, but we want to win it. We'll enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow we get back to work."

It was a difficult journey to their first-ever MLS Cup Final. After losing to Chicago 5-2 in its final game of the regular season, New York had to wait and hope that the Columbus Crew would beat D.C. United just to advance to the postseason.

And yet, against the odds, this ragtag group, which battled adversity for nearly the entire regular season, is in the final.

"It was like a second chance and we all realized that it was one," Dave van den Bergh said. "We just took it, took full advantage of it and for a lot of these guys it's the first final that they're in. It's just a great atmosphere right now in the locker room and around the team."

It wasn't easy on Saturday night, either. Real Salt Lake attacked relentlessly in the second half, desperately trying to net the equalizer. RSL had 16 of its 24 shots after the break, but the Red Bulls weathered the storm. It was a similar situation last Sunday when Dynamo peppered the Red Bulls net with chance after chance, unable to put anything behind Cepero.

"An ugly win is better than a pretty loss," Dane Richards said. "I'm so happy for everyone. Nobody had an outstanding game, but we defended with our life and we got the victory. ... It happened in Houston and I knew it could happen again. The important thing is that we got the lead."

The Red Bulls also got a bunch of luck along the way.

"We have to congratulate all the guys and the post," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "I have been disappointed sometimes with our luck, but I think we got it today. The man upstairs has helped us today, but I think in general the guys deserved it."

The Red Bulls got the only goal it would need from van den Bergh, who struck for his eighth goal of the year in the 28th minute. The Dutch midfielder started the sequence by playing a great ball up the left sideline to John Wolyniec, who ran free of an attempted slide tackle by Jamison Olave.

Wolyniec ran inside the box, crossed the ball from the edge of the six-yard box. RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando got a hand on the ball, but it trickled to van den Bergh, who hammered home the game's only goal.

"It was ugly, it was lucky, but this franchise is going to have to take it anyway it comes," van den Bergh said. "I tell you what, we won this title and next year around this time nobody will know how the game went. They'll just see the result -- New York Red Bulls won the Western Conference."

After surviving a few scares, especially late in the second half, the Red Bulls players let their hair down in the locker room, the Red Bulls will enjoy a chartered flight back to New Jersey. And somewhere over the middle of America, Osorio will start preparing for the biggest game in Red Bulls history.

"Jeff just told me that he had something to give me and he gave me the video of Chicago and Columbus' last game," Osorio said referring to Jeff Agoos, the club's sporting director. "We will watch the game and start deciding. We will go back tomorrow, recovery right away. There's not too much time to celebrate."

Padula finishing successful first year

CARSON, Calif. -- 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. The Crew are 13-1-3 when he plays -- with the lone setback coming Oct. 18 at Giants Stadium.

In that match, the first for the Crew after clinching the Supporters' Shield, Padula was one of only six regulars to start. The Red Bulls won 3-1.

"No revenge because we won the Supporters' Shield," Padula said of the impending rematch. "They're a very difficult team. When they play at home they have the advantage because of the turf."

NEWSNov. 21 headlines
• Carroll is Crew's unsung hero
• Goldthwaite stabilizes Red Bulls
• Crew expect strong support
• Red Bulls train in California
• Rogers, Marshall make impact
• Angel, Red Bulls chase history
Nov. 20 headlines
• Backline is Crew's backbone
• Angel key to Red Bulls' success
• LA weather sweet as Crew train
• Padula finishing successful year
Nov. 19 headlines
• In spotlight, Cepero stays level
• Van den Bergh's finest season
• Revs are relaxed and ready to go
Nov. 18 headlines
• Lewis: Red Bulls like superheroes
• Fourth time the charm for Noonan?
• Red Bulls utilize second chance
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Red Bulls conf. call preview

Crew arrive in Los Angeles

Crew practice Thursday

Padula, 31, has filled a need at left back with his club experience beginning with River Plate in his homeland. He also spent some time in Spain and seven years in England.

"He's been that rock for us defensively," right back Frankie Hejduk said. "We have an understanding that when I go forward he stays and when he goes forward I stay. Sometimes on teams you see both backs flying forward and it unbalances the team.

"He knows when to go forward, when to go back and vice versa for myself. It's good to have a natural left footer out there. He's calm. He's collected and he's experienced."

Coach Sigi Schmid credits the acquisition of holding midfielder Brian Carroll and Padula for filling the final pieces that helped the Crew go from a perennial non-playoff team to the best record in MLS this season.

"Gino helps us because he's a passing fullback where Frankie's a running, active up and down the line fullback," Schmid said. "Gino is a fullback who positionally is very stable and he's a very good passer of the ball. Left fullback and defensive midfield were the two positions we were searching for the longest when I came to Columbus and to be able to add Brian Carroll and Gino and really stabilize those positions were very important."

The Crew had the third stingiest defense this season and goalkeeper William Hesmer tied a club record with 10 shutouts.

"Gino, and you have to throw Brian Carroll in there as well, made us a really strong, solid team," he said. "Granted you had the emergence of Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven this year in playing their roles and stepping up their games, not to mention Chad Marshall.

"Gino has been a tremendous leader on the backline for us. Not only is he a tremendous tackler and good positionally but he's a strong communicator and helps us get organized."

Padula will be a factor in trying to stop the New York counterattack that has proven to be so effective in playoff wins against Houston and Real Salt Lake.

"We know they are a very good team. We have already seen that but we have to stay the same way we've played all season," Padula said. "They will run at us so it is important I am in position to stop them if I can, but we have to do it as a team."

He's made a quick adjustment to the league but figuring out the playoff system is another story.

"It's very strange. I think if we won the Supporters' Shield we don't have to play the playoffs until maybe the finals. But here it's very, very difficult," he said. "New York finished eighth and they play in another conference. This is quite a change for me. This is the league and we have to accept that."

Padula thinks the top team should get added benefits.

"If you have a very good season and win the Supporters' Shield you should at least go straight and play the final for the conference or the MLS Cup," he said. "I hope the league can change some rules. It's very important because after 30 games you are the best but you have the same chance as a team that was 10, 20 points behind you."

Missed opportunities haunt RSL

SANDY, Utah -- Moments after a 1-0 loss to New York knocked Real Salt Lake out of the race for the MLS Cup, missed opportunities dominated the thoughts of several players in the RSL locker room.

Some, like team captain, Kyle Beckerman, wondered if some kind of mystical hex caused RSL to hit posts on one shot or another. Others, like midfielder Will Johnson, bemoaned their own ability to make a game changing play when the opportunity presented itself.

Johnson had one of the best scoring chances for the Utah side when he attempted to put a finishing touch on a cross from Robbie Findley in the 81st minute. But the ball careened off the left post and bounced away.

"The ground was so wet and I could never catch up to the ball until it was on an angle where it wasn't possible to get in the goal, and the best I could do, obviously, was hit the post," Johnson said. "That'll replay in my head over and over again until I get to play again next season, so it's going to be frustrating."

The temporary feelings of frustration should ease with time when RSL looks back on a season that exceeded nearly every set of expectations inside or outside the club.

For the first time ever, Real capped off a season by qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs. And RSL was not content to merely be spectators upon arrival. They picked up a conference semifinal series victory against expansion counterpart Chivas USA to also hand the team its first-ever playoff victory.

Beckerman, like his teammates, possessed sky-high hopes once RSL reached the postseason. But he also saw from a long-term perspective how much it meant to go as far as the team did.

"I thought it was our year, and we were going to win it all," Beckerman said. "But, I don't know, you can't ask for anything else -- have a home game (with a chance) to get into the finals."

As disappointing as it was to finish with a loss to New York, RSL can look forward with full confidence in what the future holds.

Many key players, like Beckerman and Javier Morales, are still under contract in 2009. And RSL coaches believe this is simply the first stage to an eventual move into the MLS elite.

"For a long time, I felt like this club was headed in the right direction," Real coach Jason Kreis said. "Even in my first game here, I thought there was a lot of fantastic people involved in this club. It should go right at some point. You can't have that many good people in one room and not have things go right."

In the weeks ahead, RSL must decide which players to protect and which ones to leave exposed for the expansion draft. It will be a tough decision. Because of their status as Generation adidas players, Tony Beltran and Chris Seitz are automatically exempt from the draft.

Outside of those two, however, the Utah side can only protect 11 players and at least three of those must be from outside the United States.

Kreis declined to comment on what direction the organization will take just yet in regards to player moves. But it is the hope of everyone involved that RSL can keep much of its primary core intact for the 2009 campaign.

"This is the start of a deep core here on our team and I'm excited about that," Beckerman said. "I think this is the first team I've been on that's really kept a main core like this."

Crew rally past Fire to reach MLS Cup

COLUMBUS -- Quick goals from Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven early in the second half overcame a goal by Brian McBride and carried the Columbus Crew to a 2-1 Eastern Conference Championship victory Thursday against the Chicago Fire and the first MLS Cup berth in club history.

Marshall scored off a header in the 49th minute and Gaven scored six minutes later. Guillermo Barros Schelotto assisted on both. The Crew will play in MLS Cup 2008 on Nov. 23 at The Home Depot Center against the winner of Saturday's New York Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake match.

McBride, a former member of the Crew, scored on a header in the 29th minute for the Fire lead, but he was beaten on the tying goal by defender Marshall 20 minutes later.

The Crew have never been afraid of falling behind. No other team had as many points after giving up the first goal. Columbus has forged at least a tie 11 of 18 times after trailing 1-0.

A hard tone was set 15 seconds in when Marshall tackled Cuauhtemoc Blanco along the right touchline without a foul being called. Chicago produced the first chance in the eighth minute when Mapp dribbled through several Crew defenders and fired from 25 yards. Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer had no trouble making the save.

Fire defender Bakary Soumare was issued a yellow card in the 22nd minute for tackling Gaven to stop his run down the left flank in the final third. The ensuing free kick nearly put the Crew ahead but Marshall's glancing header went just left of the goal. Schelotto followed three minutes later with a strike from 28 yards that pinged the crossbar at the left corner.

McBride then stunned the Crew in the 29th minute with a patented header that Columbus fans had seen so many times throughout his career.

A quick throw-in by Blanco in front of the Crew bench allowed Justin Mapp to go unabated toward the left flag. He sent a floater into the box where McBride got behind defender Danny O'Rourke for a looping header that left Hesmer grasping for a ball that was already by him.

McBride left the Crew before the 2004 season for Fulham of the English Premier League. His 62 goals for the Black and Gold are tied for the team career high with Jeff Cunningham. McBride returned from England in August to play for his hometown Fire.

This was McBride's first game in Columbus as an MLS opponent although he played for Fulham in the 2005 MLS All-Star Game. He scored twice for the Fire on Oct. 12 in the home tie against the Crew.

Any thoughts of a warm homecoming were quickly dispelled when he was greeted by a banner that read "Wanted. McBride. Treason" and chants of "Traitor' when he was introduced. He was booed every time he touched the ball.

Frustration continued after the goal for the Crew. Schelotto went along the left goal line and feathered the ball in front of goal but Alejandro Moreno made was unable to make anything of it.

But the Crew pulled level just four minutes after the second half kickoff. The tying sequence started with a free kick on the right wing after Gaven had drawn a foul and a yellow card on Gonzalo Segares.

Schelotto then whipped the free kick to the 6-4 Marshall, who had position on McBride at the top of the goal area. Marshall headed in his fifth restart goal this season, his first in the postseason.

Momentum was with the Crew and so was the lead in the 55th minute, thanks to some aerial work. Moreno headed the ball to Schelotto 25 yards away from goal. He headed it back to Moreno and Gaven sprung free and received Moreno's header in full stride inside the right side of the penalty area.

Gaven slotted the ball past a charging Jon Busch and it rolled into the left netting for his first career playoff goal, in his sixth season in the league.

Busch preserved a one-goal game with a chest save on Robbie Rogers in the 59th minute.

It was Hesmer's turn to shine in the 73rd when McBride redirected a Blanco service from four yards but the 'keeper was in the right spot. Chicago substitute Marco Pappa had two chances after entering in the 90th minute but Hesmer stopped the first and the second was off target.

Chicago had more success in the league semifinals with three wins in 10 previous appearances. It won MLS Cup in its inaugural 1998 season and lost to Kansas City in 2000 and San Jose on '03. Columbus reached the three-game Eastern Conference finals from 1997-99 but lost to D.C. United each time. It also lost a semifinal series to New England in 2002.

The teams played to a pair of 2-2 draws in the regular season and each team boasted postseason award winners befitting their defensive play. Busch won the Goalkeeper of the Year award while Hesmer of Columbus was a finalist. Busch played in Columbus from 2002-06 before an acrimonious parting with coach Sigi Schmid. As well, Marshall was MLS Defender of the Year with Chicago's Bakary Soumare a finalist.

After going 11-2-2 at home during the regular season, the Crew won both playoff games, giving them eight in a row at home, outscoring the visitors 18-3 with five shutouts.

It was a boisterous thunder stick-bashing crowd. Several hundred Fire supporters were put in the south bleachers. The Crew's massive Nordecke in the northeast strong was more than 2,500 strong. Weather was not a factor after a morning of chilling rain. The skies cleared and it was 52 degrees at kickoff.

In the end it didn't matter to Columbus.

Lewis: In spotlight, Cepero stays grounded

Perhaps one reason why Danny Cepero wasn't rattled by his emergency start for the Red Bulls against the Columbus Crew last month is because he literally had been there and done that some five years prior -- with much less prior notice.

As a freshman goalkeeper at the University of Pennsylvania, on Nov. 1, 2003, the starting goalkeeper for the Quakers went down to an injury only moments before the team's Ivy League match at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Penn coach Rudy Fuller turned to his freshman 'keeper and said: "Get your gloves on. You're starting."

"No problem," Cepero said.

"He wound up standing on his head," Fuller said.

One thing that Penn failed to accomplish that day was to win, as Cepero did in his MLS debut. And the only thing Cepero failed to do was to score a goal in his college debut -- as he did against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 18.

Today, the 23-year-old Cepero finds himself in a much higher orbit with much more at stake -- the league championship in MLS Cup 2008 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. this Sunday.

That Cepero has proven time and again that he can handle pressure and is mature past his years (23) did not surprise Fuller one iota.

"Even at Penn he was a mature kid," he said. "He had a great head on his shoulders."

In fact, for his parents, former coaches and current coaches, the theme of Cepero's soccer career -- amateur, college and pro -- and his life, for that matter, has been calm, cool, collected, committed and confident.

NEWSNov. 20 headlines
• Backline is Crew's backbone
• Angel key to Red Bulls' success
• LA weather sweet as Crew train
• Padula finishing successful year
Nov. 19 headlines
• In spotlight, Cepero stays level
• Van den Bergh's finest season
• Revs are relaxed and ready to go
Nov. 18 headlines
• Lewis: Red Bulls like superheroes
• Fourth time the charm for Noonan?
• Red Bulls utilize second chance
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Red Bulls conf. call preview

Crew arrive in Los Angeles

Crew practice Thursday

"He is the most fun and most intense kid I have ever trained," said Dani Braga, the goalkeeper on St. John's 1996 national championship team who is a goalkeeping coach and trainer and owner of LIFT (Long Island Fitness and Training) on Long Island. "There nothing greater to train a kid who's humble and works hard instead of these All-America prima donnas."

Danny was born to Robert and Ana Cepero on April 22, 1985. Robert, a Cuban native who came to this country in the late '50s, and Ana, an Mexican, are avid soccer fans. Cepero grew up in Baldwin, L.I., excelling in several sports, including baseball, basketball and soccer.

His parents are now divorced, but they still share a common thread on how proud they are of their children -- Veronica, who is a producer at Nickelodeon, and Danny, who has been thrust into the spotlight.

"What makes me more proud is that Danny has such character," Ana said. "You can find a good soccer player, but character can carry you away."

"He's such a meticulous worker," Robert said.

The 6-2, 180-lb. Cepero began playing soccer when he was about 4 or 5 years old in the Baldwin Police Athletic League. He was a forward for this first several years before his team's goalkeeper failed to show up for a match. The coach took volunteers and Cepero, then about 10, played in the first half.

"His father was kind of crushed because he wanted him to score goals," Ana said. Little did everyone know that Cepero would someday score one of the most famous goals in U.S. soccer history.

He liked it and remained there, moving up to the Baldwin Eagles S.C. and eventually to Oceanside United.

Ana remembered when she took Danny to a game that pit the MetroStars against the Long Island Rough Riders. She remembered he was excited getting Giovanni Savarese's autograph and meeting Tab Ramos.

When it came time for college, there was a full ride from Seton Hall -- some $27,000 -- in the offing. Cepero, a high school honor student, wanted to go attend Penn instead. And that cost $43,000.

"It wasn't that it was an Ivy League school," said his father Robert, who will retire as a Long Island Railroad conductor next month. "He liked the college and always wanted to go to a school like this."

He is still close to his parents, talking to them regularly.

Prior to each game, Ana e-mails Danny an inspirational message to her son.

Before the Houston upset two weeks ago, Ana, inspired by President-elect Barrack Obama's speech, and reminded Danny, "Yes, we can."

And yes, Cepero and the Red Bulls did it, as he made several key saves in what is considered by some the biggest upset in MLS playoff history. He followed that with an encore performance at Real Salt Lake Saturday.

At Penn, Fuller made Cepero his starter in his sophomore season and the native Long Islander never looked back.

"Almost every game Danny would be called on to make a save," Fuller said. "Time and again he would come up with that save."

When Cepero entered Penn the school's career shutout record was 15. When he left, he owned it at 23.

"He just shattered a record that had been around for over 100 years," Fuller said. "On paper, statistics-wise, we were a very good defensive team. The guys in front of him were confident. They knew he would make a big save in back of them."

Beyond his goalkeeping abilities, Fuller was impressed with the fact that Cepero kept his mouth shut and never complained about sitting for most of his freshman year. "It never affected him," he said.

Cepero still wanted to turn pro, but he was neglected in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Fuller made many phone calls to coaches and general managers, one to then-Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena and his assistant, Richie Williams. Obviously, he got his message across because the Red Bulls selected Cepero as the 46th overall pick (fourth round) in the supplemental draft about two months later.

Not many players chosen in the supplemental draft survive to see the season, let alone become a starter in his second season. Before that, Cepero was loaned to the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL Second Division.

"He came back as a better goalkeeper with better experience and when the chance came he grabbed it with two hands and have gotten the most out of it," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said during a conference call Monday.

Indeed he did. As it turned out Harrisburg was looking for a goalkeeper after Matt Nelson, who backstopped the City Islanders to the league title last season, left the team. Coach Bill Belcher and his assistant coach spoke to Osorio and Williams and a deal was worked out to have Cepero play with the team from April through August.

"From Day One he made a statement he was going to be a very good goalkeeper for us and not miss a lot in goal," Belcher said.

The veteran defenders told Belcher on that first day: "OK, coach, it's all right."

"The other unknown coming in was, now that he's being told he's going to play in the USL Second Division on loan, you don't know how he's going to react to that ... riding the buses. From Day One, he showed he was going to do what he needed to improve himself. He worked hard after practice.. From Day One, he was one of the guys and fit in perfectly."

It seems that most of Cepero's best games came under duress. When the City Islanders played in Richmond earlier this season, a player was red-carded in the 10th minute.

"We got out of there at 0-0," Belcher said. "He made some spectacular saves that day."

Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid certainly won't forget Cepero.

"I can't remember, did he score against us in that game?" he playfully asked.

"He's obviously stepped up and he's responded. He's been very refreshing for them in goal. He's had a really positive attitude. That's been very noticeable. And right now, because of the success they've had in the playoff games, there's a confidence that's built between him and the team that has helped them."

While in Harrisburg, Cepero commuted to and from Penn in Philadelphia once a week to take a course so he could graduate. He is a history major with a concentration in diplomatic history. He is taking last one now -- The End of European Empires.

Cepero wants to be either a history professor in college or a diplomat, his mother said, although those goals might have to be put off for a couple of years.

"That's his passion," Ana Cepero said. "I'm the same way. I believe we have to look at history to learn what we should not do again."

In a little more than a month, Cepero's story has become a legend and some unique history in itself. A backup goalkeeper who was loaned out to a lower league. He returns to the team as a bench sitter, but is called into action on the eve of the playoffs and not only wins, but becomes the very first goalkeeper to score a goal in the league's 13-year history. During the playoffs, he has surrendered only one goal in three matches, which includes a pair of back-to-back shutouts.

Whether the legend will continue in Carson on Sunday, it remains to be seen.

But here's an intriguing parallel to the very first MLS Cup. At the time, D.C. United rookie defender Eddie Pope commuted to and from the nation's capital to Chapel Hill, N.C. to finish his degree at the University of North Carolina. Pope's reward? Scoring the game-winning goal in extra time to cap a miraculous two-goal comeback by United in the rain.

Will history repeat this time around with the college graduate-to-be emerging as a hero?

Hmmm. Making history instead of reading about it. Now, would that be some ending for a history major.

Crew relishing chance to play for MLS Cup

COLUMBUS -- Columbus Crew fitness and strength coach Steve Tashjian said he had ticket requests from high school friends he hadn't heard from in 15 years.

Welcome to the week leading to MLS Cup.

It's an exciting time for the Crew and people such as Tashjian, a Pasadena native, who have California connections because the team will face New York on Sunday in Carson, Calif., with the championship on the line.

Tashjian said he cut himself off at 15 tickets for his family and a few close friends and joked that he was going to leave a message on his cell phone for all others to order tickets and not bother him.

Being his first MLS Cup, as it is for nearly all of the Crew, he doesn't want to be overwhelmed by the attention and, yes, distractions.

Defender Ezra Hendrickson, who has two championships in four previous trips to the MLS Cup Final, knows the feeling.

"This is my fifth trip here. I tell the guys to just relax. It's going to be a little hectic for everything from ticket requests to just being at The Home Depot [Center] at practice. There's going to be a lot of media there. You put that past you and focus on what's at stake," he said. "It's one of the biggest moments they're going to realize and be a part of. It might not happen again.

"Some of us have been fortunate enough a couple of times but to get there the first time is an awesome feeling. From my first time going in '99 until now it's gotten bigger. It's an event. It's easy to get caught up in all that hype and media stuff but it's a game, just like a normal game, but it's a winner-take-all."

The Crew got a small preview of what lies ahead before the team departed Wednesday for a warmer climate. The reporters from the local TV stations, who are fairly scarce once Ohio State football starts, braved 32-degree temperatures and flurries to interview players Tuesday despite it being Michigan Week (for the uninitiated, the annual rivalry between OSU and Michigan is so big it merits capital letters).

Later that night the Crew were honored during the first period of the NHL game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers in Nationwide Arena. This weekend the Blue Jackets are running a half-page ad wishing the Crew well. Five hockey players appear wearing Crew jerseys.

"It's a different week," said Crew forward Alejandro Moreno, a two-time MLS Cup winner (Los Angeles, 2002; Houston, 2006). "There's more people around the team and a lot more media. There's a lot more scrutiny on what we're doing in training and what we're doing in the game.

"The key for us is to enjoy the experience, embrace it and know it doesn't happen very year and to make the most of it. In order for us to make the most of it we've got bring the championship home."

Hendrickson said even the players who have been in the league for a while but never been to an MLS Cup have noticed a different vibe.

"If it's your first time, no matter how old you are it's exciting," he said. "It's the biggest prize in our sport as far as league. It's something you can cherish the rest of your life. It's not just OK to get there. Winning it is really what matters."

He was a teammate of Moreno's on the 2002 Galaxy coached by current Crew coach Sigi Schmid, and with D.C. United when he and current Crew midfielder Brian Carroll took the title in 2004.

"We've had shared experiences," Hendrickson said. "We have an opportunity to do it again. This morning Ollie and I were talking about being on three teams and winning three different championships and how great that would be. If that happens Sunday that would really be something we can tell our kids, grandkids."

Moreno wants no part of that now. "It would be something special for us but let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said. "Of course, New York is a team that we respect and certainly have earned their way into the final and is a team that poses lot of challenges for us. It would be very special but I'd rather talk about it after the game."

The Crew have two other players who have been to MLS Cup but came up empty. Forward Pat Noonan was with New England for losses from 2005-07 and goalkeeper William Hesmer was on the Kansas City developmental roster in 2004 when the D.C. downed the Wizards 3-2 at The Home Depot Center.

Carroll obviously has good memories of playing there.

"We got out there in advance, kind of like we're doing now. We had good training. I don't remember too much of it. It was a good nervous feeling then the game happened and it was a great feeling to be on top afterwards and we're hoping to do the same thing this time," he said.

The Red Bulls are in the way. Columbus was supposed to be the feel-good story of the year after coming from three non-playoff seasons to win the Supporters' Shield. It's still an inspiring tale but New York has stolen the spotlight by qualifying on the last day -- after the Crew downed D.C. United -- then upsetting two-time defending champion Houston and Real Salt Lake on the road.

"I don't know if they're a Cinderella team," Moreno said. "They're a team that got hot in the end and even though they backed into the playoffs thanks to a result we got here at home against D.C. United, they made the most of the opportunity. They earned their way into the final. They certainly can be very dangerous on Sunday. We're very happy with what we've done this year and what we've accomplished and now we want to do it on Sunday."

He is relishing the opportunity to play for the MLS Cup again.

"I've been around this league for awhile and I've heard from a lot of people who are good friends of mine who are giving us support and wishing me the best," Moreno said. "I appreciate that very much. It shows the friendships that you make in professional sports and professional teams last a lifetime."

Fourth time the charm for Noonan?

COLUMBUS -- The third time was not a charm for Pat Noonan, so he's hoping for a better result with a different team.

Noonan came oh-so close in the past three MLS Cups but New England suffered one-goal losses (one in overtime, another on penalty kicks) each time.

He's back for a fourth straight try but this time it's with Columbus as the Crew makes their first MLS Cup Final appearance.

"I've been there but it never gets old. I still haven't won one. Hopefully, this will be the year and I'll finally get the first one," he said.

Noonan's rights were dealt to the Crew in August after leaving the Revolution in January to play in Norway. After a short and largely unsuccessful stint there he decided to return to MLS but not for New England.

The Crew were happy to get the veteran forward who had 37 goals and 29 assists in 119 matches for the Revolution.

NEWSNov. 18 headlines
• Lewis: Red Bulls like superheroes
• Fourth time the charm for Noonan?
• Red Bulls utilize second chance
SIGHTS & SOUNDS

Red Bulls conf. call preview

Crew conf. call preview

It took awhile for Noonan to get back into playing shape but over a three-game stretch in September he had assists against his former club and New York and a tying goal at Toronto FC.

He had six starts among 10 appearances but enters Sunday's MLS Cup 2008 in Carson, Calif., against the New York Red Bulls in an unaccustomed role.

Noonan started all three MLS Cups for the Revolution but has not been off the bench in the Crew's three playoff games.

"Pat's been great," coach Sigi Schmid said. "For a player like himself, I know there's a certain level of frustration because he hasn't gotten on the field yet.

"His attitude at practice has been super. His attitude in the locker room and around the guys has been great. That experience he brings, having been there, the calm, the knowledge of knowing what's going on is something that other guys can learn from and bank on."

Noonan acknowledges that watching instead of playing has not been easy but the overriding factor for him is he has another crack at a championship.

"Obviously, I'd love to be out there in the starting lineup. That's not the way it is right now. I'm going to be supporting the guys who are out there like they would for me," he said. "They've done a great job getting us to this point and so have the reserves who've come in when needed. It's a team effort. Hopefully, I'll get a chance late in the game if need be. If not, I hope it will be a victory for the Crew at the end of the day."

Schmid has the same wish. "You never know," he said, "he might be the guy who comes off the bench in the final game and makes the difference."

As for being a good luck charm that brought some of the Revolution's success to Columbus, Noonan will have none of that.

"I don't know. Good luck is when you win it but it's nice to get there. We're not done yet," he said.

What he has learned from three previous Cup matches that he can forward to his new teammates?

"Losing stinks," said Noonan. "The first go-around is probably the hardest but when you get there again you're happy to be there but you want it more. Until you finally win one, you haven't finished it. For a lot of guys -- other than a few -- we haven't won one. It would be nice to win it not only for ourselves but for the organization."

Many of the Crew players are relying on Noonan and past MLS Cup winners midfielder Brian Carroll, defender Ezra Hendrickson and forward Alejandro Moreno for guidance.

"I'll be talking to those guys throughout the week just to get their thoughts and some of their input," midfielder Eddie Gaven said.

Noonan said the routine will be different because the team is traveling Wednesday rather than the day before a match. When the team practices Thursday it will discover there's more media and scrutiny.

"Once the whistle blows you forget about it. It's a regular game with a little more importance," he said. "You have a little more anxiety getting there and then you're happy you're there but then you need to go out and perform the same way that got you there.

"Some guys have been there before. For some of the new guys they can learn from some of the others that have been there. Or, do what they need to do personally to get ready for the game."

The players are pulling for Noonan to claim a championship. Moreno and Hendrickson were teammates on the Schmid-coached 2002 Los Angeles Galaxy when it won the MLS Cup and Hendrickson and Carroll were on the 2004 D.C. United title winners. Moreno won a second title with Houston in 2006.

"Pat and I have known each other for a long time just playing through the league," Hendrickson said. "We talked about it. Maybe this time will be the charm for him -- I get my third, he gets his first and we all go home happy."

"Hopefully, we can get him one," said Carroll. "That's the goal but then again we're not really thinking about that. We're thinking about enjoying the journey, practicing hard and going in and performing well in the game on Sunday." Noonan knows nothing comes easy when a title is at stake.

"We have a tough task ahead of us. New York is playing well but so are we. We want to get on them early and hopefully keep the game in our favor," he continued. "They're on a roll. They beat us two out of three. It's going to be a tough matchup. You've got to forget about those past games. It's one game for the MLS Cup."

Maybe this time Noonan will be drinking champagne instead of tasting the bitterness of defeat.