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Beautiful outcome
Lodi's Ianni basks in aftermath of MLS championship
Soccer is sometimes called "The Beautiful Game."
It sure looked good to Lodi native Patrick Ianni and his Houston Dynamo teammates on Sunday afternoon — twice as nice as last year.
The Dynamo captured back-to-back Major League Soccer championships when they rallied to defeat the New England Revolution 2-1 in the MLS Cup on Sunday at Washington's RFK Stadium.
In a rematch of last year's final, Houston became the first team to repeat in a decade.
Ianni, who flew to Los Angeles on Monday morning to spend time with his girlfriend before leaving for Spain on Friday, was in a reflective mood late Monday evening.
"It's not the championships that make it worthwhile, but the relationships, the community involvement," said Ianni, a second-year defender who played in about one-third of the team's minutes this year. "It's about sacrificing for each other. When people sacrifice for each other, it's one of the most beautiful things in life. The joy of watching your teammates succeed.

"I don't think I'll really appreciate it until I don't make it to a final or lose one. But that's not something I want to do."
Ianni was much less philosophical on Sunday, when the team partied late into the night.
Several hundred fans made the trip from Houston to Washington and the orange-clad throng hailed their team from the stands while the players and coaches celebrated with family and friends on the field.
Ianni, who didn't see any playing time in the final, said his parents, cousin and girlfriend were in attendance.
"To have them there, I couldn't ask for anything more," Ianni said. "Everyone was happy and hugging each other and posing with the trophy. It was awesome."
Ianni said the party carried over into the locker room, where corks popped, cameras clicked and champagne-drenched men sang songs and played boyish pranks.
"Everyone was soaked by the end of it," said Ianni, who returned to his hotel room around midnight.
Ianni says this year's title is more special because he was able to contribute more after a knee injury slowed him most of his rookie season.
He broke into the starting lineup for a few games earlier this season and also registered his first career goal, which was a game-winner.
Ianni admitted coming off the bench was tough, but it never became a distraction.
"The attitude you show when you're not playing shows a lot about yourself as a person. It's a big test of character," Ianni said. "More important than scoring goals is how people view me. It wasn't that frustrating to sit. I enjoyed the challenge of playing the role I did and being supportive of my teammates."
Ianni has a few days off before leaving for Spain as part of an Adidas-sponsored developmental tour. Top young players from the United State will train with European teams and play exhibition matches during the trip.
After returning to Los Angeles, Ianni will train with the U.S. Olympic team for a week before traveling to China to compete in exhibition games.
Ianni, 22, is vying for a spot on the 2008 Olympic team.
"Everyone's a legitimate candidate to make the team," said Ianni, who hopes to make it back to Lodi for Christmas.
As for the next few days, Ianni plans to bask in the delight of a second straight championship.
"I just want to spend some time with my girlfriend and spend some time in sunny Southern California," Ianni said.
It's a beautiful plan.

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