Fiesta like it's 1996 at MLS Cup '08

Juan Pablo Ángel (right) is New York's big story, but the Red Bulls also count on other Latinos like Gabriel Cichero and Jorge Rojas. Andy Marlin/Getty Images for New York Red Bulls Luis Bueno's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Luis. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

With first-time finalist Columbus awaiting the winner of Saturday's Real Salt Lake-New York Red Bulls match, it's a guarantee that someone will win their first-ever MLS championship this season. But that doesn't mean the league isn't undergoing a return to old glories.

The resurgence of Latino star power is helping drive this year's most successful clubs as several Spanish-speaking players have risen to prominence within the last couple of seasons. Argentine-born Guillermo Barros Schelotto has led his Crew side to within a game of MLS glory, while countryman Javier Morales and Colombian Juan Pablo Ángel are close to doing the same as Real Salt Lake and New York meet in Saturday's Western Conference final (9:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports en Español, HDNet).

"There's certainly no doubting that those players are special and those players are difference-makers," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "Early on in the league, we had a lot of Latino stars and a lot of Latino difference-makers. We've kind of gotten away from that a little bit and now we're back to it."

MLS Cup 2008 may as well be 1996 all over again. In the league's inaugural season, D.C. United's Marco Etcheverry and Raúl Díaz Arce met up against a Los Angeles Galaxy squad that featured Mauricio Cienfuegos and Eduardo Hurtado in what was a memorable and exciting MLS Cup finale won by D.C.

Such performances helped set the tone for the league's early days. Aside from Etcheverry, players like Carlos Valderrama, Leonel Álvarez and Giovanni Saverese were prominent figures on their clubs and the league in general.

And while Latino players have consistently done well in MLS -- seven of the first 12 MVP awards have gone to Latinos -- the star power in numbers had faded until a recent resurgence.

"That has a lot to do with economics," New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "If the salary cap was higher, I'm sure there would be a lot of European influence as well. That limits teams to going to South America and to Africa a bit. Perhaps that's why those players have become influential."

With MLS teams all but unable to compete with European clubs for top European talent, they're forced to consider players from Central and South America to fill their international roster spots.

Stockpiling rosters with Latino players isn't necessarily difficult, but finding talented players who can succeed and take their teams deep into the playoffs is another thing. Mexican star Cuauhtémoc Blanco had his club within a game of MLS Cup twice in two seasons and has brought an unexpected but welcomed level of interest among Hispanic fans, particularly Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

The pipeline to the south has also unearthed gems like Morales, a relative unknown who bounced around several clubs in Argentina -- most notably Arsenal de Sarandí -- before spending one season in the Spanish second division.

"The economic model that we work with here in Major League Soccer makes it very difficult to compete on a world market," said Kreis, one of the five non-Latinos to win an MVP award. "If you are going to compete with South American countries like Argentina or Brazil or Colombia on players that maybe aren't going to be exported to Europe, then I think we can compete."

Aside from Morales, Jámison Olave has been instrumental in Real Salt Lake's playoff run. Olave spent the bulk of his career with Deportivo Cali in his native Colombia. Real Salt Lake also plucked Argentine Fabián Espíndola from South America as he left Ecuadorian side LDU de Quito for MLS. Espíndola scored five goals in 12 games this season.

For Kreis, finding talent in South America was a must. "That's the market we looked to straight away," he said. "I wasn't that familiar with the [South American] leagues, but after going down there and watching it, I recognized that they play at a pace that is similar to ours. It's not a slow game. It's not a tactical and methodical game where players just knock the ball looking for seams, looking for opportunities. They play at a level and at a pace and with athleticism that is very similar to ours."

New York's roster is also stockpiled with Latino players, several of whom were brought in by Osorio. This summer, the Colombian tactician boosted his squad by bringing aboard players such as Venezuelans Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero, Argentine Juan Pietravallo and Mexican Diego Jiménez. The quartet has had various levels of success with New York but Osorio believes the club wouldn't be where it is without their collective contributions.

"We needed their help," he said. "We played very important games here when we beat D.C. United 4-1, Houston 3-0 and Toronto 2-0. They have also contributed to our success this season."

Even if MLS salaries increase and cap restrictions become less limiting than they are now, Osorio thinks the league is headed in the right direction.

"It's not just for monetary reasons, but Hispanic players have plenty to contribute," he said. "Hopefully it continues that way and hopefully we can open the door for other South and Central Americans to join the league."