<i>\”Whose mom brought orange wedges?\”</i>” title=”<i>\”Whose mom brought orange wedges?\”</i>” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-41″ /><p>I'm an NFL fan first and foremost, but I admit: I watched most of yesterday's <a href=MLS Cup final between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo.  This is partly because it started at noon Eastern, and huffing paint is better for your brain than watching NFL Countdown on ESPN.  But it's also because I'm always curious about the state of American soccer.

There are plenty of people who will never like soccer, and that's cool — I have no more business telling you to like soccer than you have to tell me I shouldn't be hot for Helen Mirren.  But the level of play in MLS is astoundingly better than it was a decade ago.  It's obviously not the skill level you see in the World Cup or the Premiership, but it kinda looks like this American soccer league is here to stay.  Sorry. 

As for game details, Taylor Twellman — who will be on the national team soon enough — scored for the Revs on an impressive header in the 21st minute, and for a while it looked like New England would get its first title after falling short in the championship the previous two years.  But the Dynamo came back in the second half, scoring an equalizer on a mess in front of the net and taking the lead on Dwayne de Rosario's header in the 74th minute.  De Rosario was named the game's MVP, even though his corn rows look totally queer.  Definitely a tough break for the New England fans.  Who else are they supposed to root for these days?