On Saturday, the LA Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo for the second year in a row to take home the MLS Cup. With two converted penalty kicks, the Galaxy took the game by a score of 3-1 and became back-to-back MLS Champions.

So with this win, the RailHawks not only beat the 2011 MLS Champions in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this year, they also beat the team that went on to take the MLS Cup home again in 2012.

The RailHawks Holiday Party and Jersey Auction also took place on Saturday, with a packed house and game-worn, autographed jerseys up for auction. A portion of all the jersey proceeds went to the RailHawks Spread Your Wings Charity and the 2013 Kicks for Kids partnership.

And as everyone is starting to celebrate the holidays, don’t miss out on the chance to be a part of the RailHawks in 2013 with the Holiday Gift Ideas.

Also, voting for 2012 NASL Play of the Year is now in quarterfinals, with Tiyi Shipalane up for voting. Voting for this quarterfinal ends Dec 7, so help Tiyi get to the Semifinals as we all know he should be moving on.

And as usual, there is a lot more news across the NASL as the Ottawa and Northern Virginia expansion franchises both announced team-naming contests.

In Minnesota, the Stars announced news about venues for next year. With the new schedule, the Stars will play the first four home games of the spring season in the indoor Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome before returning outdoors to the NSC Stadium for the rest of both seasons.

Meanwhile, in Fort Lauderdale, Traffic Sports, the ownership group of the Strikers named Tim Robbie Managing Director of Team Personnel and Stadium Development and Tom Mulroy as Team President.

The personnel movements are part of the Strikers looking for a new long-term home in a soccer-specific stadium in South Florida. Mulroy joins the organization with ties to the South Florida soccer community reaching back 35 years.

Mulroy and Robbie sat down for an interview with fans here.

As teams are looking for new venues, don’t forget that in 2013, the New WakeMed Soccer Park will be open with new seating, suites, concessions and more. Construction finished last week and took Twitter by storm with RailHawks fans.

Lastly in NASL news, the New York Cosmos announced that they will only be joining the 2013 season in the fall as they need the extra time to prepare their team and staff for the season.

And soccer in the U.S. seems to never stop growing as USL Pro announced an expansion team in Sacramento this week.

Also, keep your eye for more expansion news on the NASL front in the upcoming weeks.

In the MLS, former RailHawks defender Josh Gardner was traded to Sporting Kansas City as the team prepares for a busy schedule in 2013 between MLS and CONCACAF Champions League.

Another player making moves is Beckham. Before his season and career with the LA Galaxy was over, there were already rumors about what his next step would be, many thinking New York Cosmos were the front runners.

Two future MLS franchises have approached Beckham to be part of their ownership group: one in Miami and the other in New York.

Speaking of the future of a second franchise in New York, MLS officials showcased a proposed stadium plan in Queens at a local town hall meeting on Tuesday.

Champions League was also in action this week and big news as Chelsea and Manchester City have been knocked out and Messi was injured in Barcelona’s match against Benfica. All results from the matches can be found here