Lakers versus Celtics. Red Sox versus Yankees. Barcelona versus Real Madrid. United States versus Mexico.
How about New York Red Bulls versus Los Angeles Galaxy?
Alright, perhaps "the marquee" MLS matchup hasn't aged enough to be included with the world's greatest. But surely they will be celebrating late into the night around the MLS offices after the Red Bulls defeated FC Dallas 2-0.
Honestly though, there are few leagues worldwide that can offer such a prominent matchup as Thierry Henry versus David Beckham. Here is Major League Soccer's version of Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson: the ultimate passer versus the ultimate scorer and the two biggest internationally recognized stars.
Unfortunately, Robbie Keane will be unavailable for the matchup. Surely he would have loved to get opportunity of payback of sorts after Henry's self-admitted extra time handball, which allowed France to qualify for the 2010 World Cup ahead of Keane's Ireland squad.
This will be a tough matchup for the Red Bulls. They will be playing four days following the Frisco-Texas match. The L.A. Galaxy are undefeated at home during the MLS regular season, nabbing 41 out of a maximum possible 51 points. Including their undefeated home record during CONCACAF Champions League play, the Galaxy have an incredible 15-0-5 record in 2011.
If North America's fastest growing professional sports league is going to start getting noticed, it's through pitting their greatest stars against each other. By beating Dallas, the Red Bulls have done just that: paired up the biggest names in the MLS.
We can be sure of one thing: Champagne corks are a poppin' in an office building on Fifth Avenue in NYC tonight—the MLS headquarters.
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