Real Salt Lake takes Eastern Conference Championship!

Toyota Park — The match between Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes. It involved 32 shots (14 of them on goal), 31 fouls (23 belonged to RSL – 4 of which resulted in yellows), and 14 saves. It required two halves, an overtime (two fifteen minutes halves), and a shootout to declare a victor. In the end, RSL wished the Fire a happy offseason as the boys from the West stole the Eastern Conference Championship and earned themselves a date with David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup.

For those not familiar with the shoot-out process, both sides are given five kicks from the penalty mark. The team to take the first kick is decided by a coin toss. Only those players who were on the pitch at the end of overtime play are allowed to take the shots. The only two players involved with the individual penalty shots are the goalkeeper and the shooter. The teams simply alternate shots and at the end of ten, if the teams remain tied, the shots continue until one side scores and the other does not. In short, a shootout is tense, dramatic, scary, frustrating, and electrifying. It is in no way indicative of who played a better game. It is simply the only humane way to end a 120 minute match.

Shoot-out results:
CHI — Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Goal)
RSL — Clint Mathis (Goal)
CHI — Brian McBride (Goal)
RSL — Javier Morales (Missed – high)
CHI — Wilman Conde (Goal)
RSL — Robbie Findley (Goal)
CHI — John Thorrington (Saved)
RSL — Kyle Beckerman (Goal)
CHI — C.J. Brown (Goal)
RSL — Will Johnson (Goal)
CHI — Logan Pause (Saved)
RSL — Fabian Espindola (Missed – high)
CHI — Brandon Prideaux (Saved)
RSL — Ned Grabavoy (Goal)

RSL head coach Jason Kreis was pleased, but not shocked by goalkeeper Nick Rimando’s saves. “He was superb. Superb. I think if you look back you’ll find Nick making a lot of saves on penalty kicks. No surprise to any of us.”

RSL takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday, November 22nd in Seattle, WA. This is Salt Lake’s first trip to the MLS Cup. It is Los Angeles’ sixth appearance.

Posted by Sean