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Part of me is happy this is the close of the 2005 campaign. We finished the year 13-3-4, an all out success; Our draw for Germany is a mere month away; the MLS Cup Final is here. More than anything, ending 2005 means 2006 is only months away, and with that comes more meaningful games.

The last few US MNT games have been little more than glorified practices, and while that trend continued on Saturday – I was worried a bit I would not have much to say – I did manage to find some meaning. What is most significant to me is that the game was picked up for television at the last minute. And this in not just because it allowed me to watch the match, which itself was a late addition and thought to be passed up on by the broadcast media. Fox Sports Soccer stepped up and deserves thanks. The fact that they picked it up didn’t tell me they love soccer. It told me they thought people would want to watch it, and obviously that they would make some money off of it. While the money may not have been, the gesture and what it says about American soccer is significant.

It’s hard to get up for these games, but with so many new faces on the roster, this could have been an interesting friendly, again allowing the fan to see the product. I should say the possible or probable product. The left-back and one midfield position, for example, are completely up for grabs, and two 19-year-old’s got a shot at them in the starting lineup: midfielder Eddie Gaven and defender Jonathan Spector. Once again, I needed my roster and a little practice just to be able to read and pronounce some of the jerseys out there.

“It was a good way for us to start to identify players that might be part of our 23-man roster for next year,” Bruce Arena told the Associated Press after the game. With only four of the 11 probable starters available at Scotland’s Hampden Park, that might have been putting it lightly. The B-team we’ve have gotten accustomed to over the last few qualifying games turned into a C-team, which still managed a draw with a Scottish side that was also looking to its younger talent… but for a different reason. The Scots failed to qualify for Germany and are looking for players to exhibit for roster spots on future European Cup teams. The lowly and underdog Scots seemed happy to pull off a draw.

The best bit of info I took from the game actually came before it. Always on the look out for insights to the American game, I was happy to here a few precious sound bites from the Scottish manager.

“They are excellent and will improve,” Walter Smith told the Associated Press. “They have young players who promise to keep improving the team. I think everyone has to accept that they will become a force in world football at some stage in the next 10 years or so.”

Wow! Chalk that up as the most fulsome praise ever given to the US MNT. And why we’re dishing it out, I’d like to set a big plate for Beasley. Is there any question he is one of our top (if not THE top) weapons? His performance Saturday was a near repeat of the last Mexico game. Unabashed will and speed turned neglected tackles and beaten defenses into penalties and set pieces, one of which turned into Josh Wolff’s penalty kick. Now only if we could talk him into coming back to the States to play in…

the MLS CUP FINAL!

Let’s start with my favorite and least favorite moments of what should not have been but turned out to be ‘the other game’ this past week. The two polar moments had something to do with one another. My favorite highlight from the game came at halftime when the goal of the year was unveiled. Unlike the Sierra Mist Side-by-Side in-game commercials (the worst capitalistic, Americanization of soccer in history), the winning goal was “that refreshing.” I could watch it over and over again. And I love the freeze-frame, ball tracker graphic. I’ve been counting bended balls in my dreams since.

The actual game, not the one the network wanted to play pitting sponsor versus action in a head to head battle, was a close one, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The tightness, however, was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting especially Twellman and Dempsey to be all over the place. But history told me to think otherwise. Besides being a Cup Final, the teams tied both regular-season meetings with a goal apiece. At one point, the Revolution barely seemed to even want to play in the game. Their shooting opportunities were near zero for most of the game. Credit is thus due to a Galaxy defense which held MLS MVP’s name not only from the box score, but from the announcers’ mouths.

And that’s as nice as I can put it. While the Scots were still finishing praising the US MNT, MLS was in the spotlight Sunday, looking as if they were trying not to lose fans. The only thing harder to watch than the game was the Click Five halftime concert. It was a dirty, languid, whistle-filled game: 10 yellow cards, twice the previous record for a championship game. 51 fouls were called, not including those for the aforementioned “band.”

The few shining moments belonged to Landon Donovan, who from now on might as well wear a medal, be called an ambassador, and hang out with Kofi Annan. No one stands more for what is right with the American game than him. We need to ship him around the world on humanitarian missions. He seemed to have something to do with every great scoring chance in the game - only to be thwarted by some stellar goal work that created difficult angles which Donovan was unable to get around. No matter though, the little big man is now 23 years old with 3 MLS Cups.

Adding to the Landon show was what one could describe as hilarity or sadness, depending on your perspective (and noticed by numerous soccer journalists over the last few days). The lone scorer and game MVP, Galaxy’s Guillermo Ramirez, held the worst single-season goal ratio in MLS history. He had 62 shots, 30 on goal, and the lone shot that found the net came on a penalty kick that went off the post and the goalie’s back before trickling in.

And this was on the pitch with what was almost a who’s who of US MNT stars. You had Twellman, Clint Dempsey, Albright, and of course Landon to just name a few.

The Galaxy earned their second Cup in five appearances. On a coincidental note, both wins came with1-0 victories over New England, in overtime no less. The L.A. squad became the second team to win the Cup without a winning record. DC United was the other.

It was a soccer weekend, and I was happy just for that. Two high profile games that maybe didn’t live up to the hype, but provided another set of story lines, another chapter for the American game, and another medal for the Ambassador. 2006 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for US Soccer.