What a way to end a season.
On Saturday, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake played in a memorable MLS Cup in Kansas City. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with Sporting winning 7-6 on penalty kicks.
Statistics say that Sporting deserved to win the match. They outshot RSL 24-12, and outshot them 5-2 in terms of shots on target. Sporting had 56 percent possession in the match, and nine corners to their opponent’s one.
Sporting started the match with good attacking pressure, but it was the visitors that got the first real opportunity of the match. In the 29th minute, Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen missed a simple punch-out of an RSL cross. Had it not been for a goal-line save by Sporting defender Seth Sinovic, RSL’s Robbie Findley would have tapped in a sitter for an early advantage.
While Sporting fell victim to outstanding goalkeeping by RSL’s Nick Rimando and a lack of finishing from forwards C.J. Sapong and Dom Dwyer, RSL continued to look strong. Their breakthrough finally came in the 52nd minute, when forward Alvaro Saborio controlled a picture-perfect pass from RSL captain Kyle Beckerman and fired home a low volley from just outside the box.
For the next 20 minutes, RSL took over and on two occasions came close to adding to their lead. A low, powerful shot by Beckerman went off the far post in the 62nd minute, while a Javier Morales curler was agonizingly denied by the other post 11 minutes later.
But with 15 minutes to play, Sporting defender Aurélien Collin put his team on his back. Collin leapt up to meet a Graham Zusi corner kick, heading the ball into the bottom corner of the net and sending the match to extra time.
The extra half hour was back-and-forth like the first 90 minutes, but with only one big scoring opportunity. A wonderfully worked Saborio header was correctly called offside in the 105th minute. As was the case with Salt Lake’s only other MLS Cup appearance in 2009, the match was heading to penalties.
Some fans argue that penalty kick shootouts are not the right way to end a match. This one likely silenced some of those voices.
The first five rounds saw a big save each from Rimando and Nielsen, as well as a stunning miss each from Saborio and Zusi. After falling 2-0 down after the first two rounds of shooters, RSL pulled even by the end of Round Five.
How could a five-round thriller get any better? How about extending it another five rounds, this time playing sudden death?
After Sporting’s eighth shooter, defender Lawrence Olum, missed the net, RSL found themselves with a chance of stealing the title. Nielsen stood tall though, making a remarkable save on Sebastian Velasquez to keep the shootout going.
Round 10 began with Aurélien Collin blasting a shot just inside the right goalpost past a diving Rimando. RSL’s next shooter, defender Lovell Palmer, hit the crossbar.
The celebration began on cue. Sporting Kansas City lifted the cup, with Collin deservedly receiving MLS Cup MVP honours.
By capturing the 2013 MLS Cup, Sporting Kansas City have completed their remarkable turnaround. In the span of three seasons, they have gone from league laughing-stock to model franchise. Along the way, they have rebranded, moved into the beautiful Sporting Park, and have established a strong core of players.
Of this core, the only uncertainty heading into 2014 seems to be the 36-year-old Nielsen, who is considering retirement. The squad, led by Collin, Zusi, and Kansas City native Matt Besler, looks prepared to defend their title. If the side that has conceded the fewest goals in MLS in each of the past two seasons can find a consistent scoring threat, their chances will be very good.
Until then, let’s look back on the 2013 MLS Cup with satisfaction.
The match set records on multiple fronts. Temperatures at kickoff were recorded at 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus seven Celsius), making it the coldest game in MLS history. On the pitch, the game ended after the tenth round of penalty kicks, making it the longest MLS Cup ever, and only the third to go to penalty kicks.
A Sporting Park record crowd of 21,650 was on hand to watch Sporting claim the title of 2013 MLS Cup champions. The victory gave the franchise its second MLS Cup title; the first came in 2000, when the then-Kansas City Wizards beat the Chicago Fire 1-0 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Championship games, regardless of sport, don’t always live up to their fans’ expectation. This one certainly did.
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