I'm a fan of D.C. United. I don't have a second team. Never have, never will.
But when you love Major League Soccer as much as I do, and when your team has been eliminated from competition, it's hard not to have some kind of rooting interest when watching the playoffs.
So what team do you want to see win MLS Cup 2010?
My answer is probably different from most of you. I feel myself strangely and almost embarassingly drawn to the Los Angeles Galaxy. I have a tendency to root for certain players and with the Galaxy starting two Maryland Terrapin alumni on their backline, its not too much of a stretch for me. And I've also had somewhat of a mancrush on Landon Donovan ever since a certain moment on June 23rd. They have a roster stacked with a few superstars, and a whole bunch of role players who just seem to fit in perfectly. Who would have predicted that Mike Magee would be a starting forward on the best team in the league two or three years ago? David Beckham has suddenly become likeable in his return from injury, and Edson Buddle has another great story.
F.C. Dallas is another good option to root for as more of a feel-good story. Despite being founding members of the league in 1996, they've yet to win a single major title. They only item in their trophy case is a U.S. Open Cup championship from 1997. That's got to be getting rusty by now. They set MLS records for longest unbeaten streak (15) and longest road unbeaten streak (11), there's a strong possibility that David Ferreira will be named league MVP, and their coach sits on the sideline wearing a Carhartt jacket and a sweatshirt. Blue collar to the extreme.
On the other side of the bracket, the Colorado Rapids can really be fun to watch. Conor Casey and Omar Cummings just score goals. They're probably the most skilled forward combination since Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno in 2008. Their Eastern Conference Final opponents are the San Jose Earthquakes, who have some great redemption stories in former United prodigy Bobby Convey and recently unemployed Jon Busch, both of whom are among the best players in the tournament so far.
Those are the four options remaining. So who are you rooting for?