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Who do you see winning the 2012 MLS Cup Final?

The Los Angeles Galaxy meet the Houston Dynamo in the 2012 MLS Cup Final on Saturday, and while the meeting is a re-match of a 2011 final dominated by the Galaxy, this year’s installment figures to be considerably more competitive.

The Dynamo feature a stronger offense, and a defense that has been outstanding in the playoffs. The Galaxy have flashed an attack that has been dangerous and efficient.

On one side you have the Dynamo tandem of Brad Davis and Oscar Boniek Garcia, while on the other you have Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane. Houston is lead by Dom Kinnear, one of the most respected and successful coaches in MLS. The Galaxy are run by Bruce Arena, the most successful coach in MLS history.

Our question to you as we begin SBI’s MLS Cup coverage today is this: Who do you think will win? See the Galaxy attack being too tough to stop? Think Dom Kinnear will devise the perfect plan to lead the Dynamo to their third cup?

Cast your vote here:

  • Houston Dynamo
  • Los Angeles Galaxy

Who did you vote for?

Share your vote, and what led you to that vote, in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. Also, does anyone have an explonation for 130 PST on a Saturday on the last weekend of the college football season? Real MLS fans are going to watch no matter what, but casual sports fans or channel flippers or whoever else the MLS would love to have tune in are probably not flipping through the channels on a saturday afternoon or they are watching any of the multiple other championship games taking place on the same day. Maybe there is some obvious reason I’m hopefully missing, but Pretty much any evening on any day but saturday seems like a much better option.

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  2. It all depends on which Galaxy team shows up. I believe Galaxy of leg one vs Seattle shows up and they win. All will be motivated, including the LA defense which most likely disolves in the offseason.

    This final is also a testament to savy owners, hopefully the rest of the league is taking note.

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  3. Who cares??? It will be another boring final of two teams that play unattractive punt/run and counterattack soccer….it will be a NFL sunday for me

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  4. HOUSTON, no doubt. They have their bases covered, and Best XI are healthy. The best part is, if Dom wants to use 4-4-2 he has healthy footballers for that scheme. Same with 4-3-3 and 3-5-2.

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  5. Houston will take an early 1-0 lead on a good goal created by total teamwork. That goal will stand up until the 78th minute, when Robbie Keane will score a late equalizer. Unfortunately, on the ensuing goal clebration cartwhhel, Keane will slip and injure his back, rendering him unable to get up from the pitch. The Galaxy, having used all of their substitutes, will be force to leave him lying on his side in the top of the 18-yard box. In injury time, Beckham will play Donovan on to the touchline, drawing a defender. Donovan will then whip the ball in the direction of Keane, who will pivot on his hip, on the ground, and score a goal like Christy Brown in “My Left Foot” to win the game.

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      • Having watched Brian Ching play for six years now, I cannot fathom how you could possibly believe this to be true.

      • Primoone, as a long time fan of MLS and the US Nats, I’m left wondering if you have ever watched him play. His career has been and continues to be the epitome of class. Weird statement unless you are just bored and trolling to try to get a rise.

      • Not bored at all my friend. And I am definitely not trolling. With respect to his career, I am certain that I have never seen Brian Ching complain or cry about what he did on the field. However, what he did to get out of the organization that took him in the expansion draft was class-less and unprofessional. That my friend is why he is one of the biggest cry-babies you will find in the sport. Players cry on the field to try to influence a call or bash the official. Brian ching did what he did to influence organizations. I am just calling a spade a spade….

  6. I give the Galaxy the edge here solely because of the home field advantage. Houston has a excellent team and would have the better chance of winning in any stadium but the HDC. I actually think Houston is the better team. Galaxy have the better players

    But the Galaxy are finally playing a very flowing, one-touch graceful game and it lends itself to the Home depot field where the Galaxy are the most comfortable. We saw how Seattle was able to take away that game from the Galaxy, not by tactics or personnel, but by field conditions. If Houston can disrupt the midfield play and deny Keane and Donovan from getting the ball inside 30 yards consistently, then they have a chance.

    De La Garza should be fit to return alongside Gonzales where they have been comfortable playing the central defense for 4 years. If De La Garza is returned to his starting role, it may disrupt the good chemistry Gonzales and Meyer have developed during the playoffs.

    All the DP’s on the Galaxy (including Donovan) are motivated as this is their last opportunity to do something great while still together. This is a hard resolution to break, and they all know they are on the cusp of something historical.

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  7. i stopped predicting dynamo games back in ’08, i believe, when we were bounced by the NYRB who were the underdogs in that playoff game. we are definitely the underdogs in this game though. its a one off game so anything can happen, just hoping for an exciting final.

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    • Very interesting article from Grant Wahl with AEG executive Leweike — http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/grant_wahl/11/30/tim-leiweke-galaxy-kaka/index.html

      Last line about Dynamo is particularly interesting-

      “• The Houston Dynamo matters to AEG, too. “The two best teams in the league the last four years are here,” Leiweke said. “What Dom [Kinnear, the Dynamo coach] has done in Houston, we’re really proud of that club. Getting that stadium done to me was one of our top five accomplishments as a company this year. … I will be equally as proud of them winning the trophy as the Galaxy on Saturday. I’m OK either way, because I think they deserve it. I am glad the Rockets had whatever brain freeze they had [in failing to buy the Dynamo], because we will hold onto that team long-term now. We love that team.””

      It was a paragraph ath the end of a 2 page piece almost entirely about the Galaxy though…

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  8. Galaxy but FATE has it in for Beckham so my money is on Clark scoring winning goal to give Houston the win and thus redeeming himself to at least their fans.

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