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The 2009 MLS Cup was shaping up to be a classic match ... and would have been, if only the right team had won. Let's not play 'storyline maker' here, there is no doubt the wrong team won Sunday night for MLS. That's the storyline. The league needed the photo of Beckham and Donovan standing arm in arm with the trophy above their heads. That photo would have been on the walls of the MLS offices for the next three decades. That was the moment the MLS needed heading into 2010, with one of the most famous faces in the planet in an embrace with the face of American soccer, holding an MLS Cup. It's the image the league dreamed of when Beckham signed with the league.
The dream turned into a nightmare. Okay, fine, I'm being dramatic. But think about how the match last night, which ended with Real Salt Lake defeating the LA Galaxy in penalty kicks, could not have been what MLS wanted. Real Salt Lake had a great postseason run, but finished the season at 11-12-7 and snuck into the playoffs on tiebreakers. Pundits have ripped the NBA in the past for having teams qualify for the playoffs with a losing record, but this team just won its league's championship. Not exactly the picture of excellence the MLS wants people to associate with its product.
It didn't start out so poorly for LA. After scoring a goal to take a 1-0 lead, thanks in large part to the play of Beckham and Donovan (with Mike Magee burying the Donovan cross into the net), things stopped going the Galaxy way. After halftime, LA goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts collided with former Galaxy forward Robbie Findley, eventually needing to come out of the contest with a broken hand, but not before giving up the equalizer to Findley in a taste of sweet revenge. As the ball bounced around the goal area, it was Findley who directed it into the net, with Beckham his nearest defender. The play wasn't a breakdown by Becks, but the image of the ball going past him as his leg outstretched (why not slide to try and stop that one?) was indeed noticeable.
Josh Saunders did a nice job in place of Ricketts, but when neither team could find the net again -- including Beckham's uninspired free kick in the 58th minute from just 25 yards out that went right into the wall -- the game seemed destined for penalty kicks. With RSL getting to the finals on the heels of goalkeeper Nick Rimando's performance in PKs in the semifinals, it was clear the underdog had a sudden and decided advantage. You can watch the highlights here.
Winning in PKs could have made the victory that much more iconic for the Galaxy. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas, especially for Landon Donovan, who inexplicably put his attempt over the bar. Saunders did his best to keep the Galaxy in the PKs, but eventually Rimando made too many saves and Real Salt Lake, in just their fifth year of existence, won their first MLS Cup, 5-4 on penalties.
Beckham and Donovan's Galaxy team lost, and the dreams of that iconic photo for the league, and a huge push for legitimacy and notoriety for MLS from around the globe in advance of World Cup 2010, was lost with it.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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The MLS format has got me so confused. I thought I already saw Beckham and Donovan hoisting a trophy a few weeks ago. What in the world is going on?
ALABAMA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY
by x-pert on Nov 23, 2009 3:25 PM EST reply actions
I watched that game and a couple of the other playoff games leading up to it. While it is the Premier league from England, the other games were fun. I do not consider myself a true soccer fan, but I must say I was pleased with the product. Until the finals. What does it say about your league and sport when a sub-.500 team can win it all? What does it do for your product when the game is decided on the luck of the penalty kicks?Did the best team win? Not as far as I can tell. Was it exciting? Some parts. Would I have bothered to watch it if I had known it would come down to penalty kicks? Hell no.
by Sexy Pete on Nov 23, 2009 4:36 PM EST reply actions
Oh, stop complaining! RSL won fair and square and you’re not going to have any luck claiming that the Galaxy didn’t win the title because of the way the the playoffs are structured.
It could easily be the other way around (which would be WORSE), similar to the college football BCS situation, where the Galaxy and the next most popular, a’hem, I mean highly ranked, team are automatically chosen for the championship game. Its much better to give everyone a chance. You’re just arguing against the game itself here when you claim that ending on penalty kicks is "random". Hardly. Its part of the game. Its fair. RSL won. The Galaxy did not. Too bad for you Galaxy fans. I guess LA will have to be better next time won’t they?
As far as I’m concerned, if a sport lasts hours and still ends in the 0 to 1 point range then you’re obviously going to have a hard time predicting the winner. I don’t see how you can dislike the outcome of this year’s playoffs unless you dislike the fundamentals of the sport itself.
Stop whining. Congratulations RSL. You deserve it— you won. Congrats.
by devhen on Nov 23, 2009 7:37 PM EST reply actions
The writer states that Donovan "inexplicably" missed the PK. Here is an explanation: players miss-hit balls all the time, therefore it is not surprising for them to miss a PK.
Note that he underlying premise of the article is flawed. A player that is 90% hype has no chance of carrying a league – especially if he is a short timer. Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinalgia, etc. could not do it, why suggest that a semi-retired celebrity and a player that does not really want to be great could do it?
This is yet another article that attempts to be controversial and criticize the sport rather than provide real analysis and coverage. Soccer fans know what Beckham and Donovan are about.
by sportsFan on Nov 23, 2009 7:59 PM EST reply actions
I agree with sportsFan. Dan, you are right that the MLS lost its chance at legitimacy because according to you legitamacy means proving that expensive, celebrity players automatically equals wins. To you the MLS is not an athletics league but nothing more than a casting call.
Take note, Dan, that the national sports media doesn’t complain about a basketball game being decided in the final minutes by free throws. If you lose a game because of free throws.. well, I guess you better start practicing your free throws hadn’t you?
Apparently not, according to you. I suppose last year’s NBA playoffs should not have even been played… the Laker’s should have just been handed the trophy, not because of their athletic ability but simply because someone by the name of "Kobe Bryant" was on the roster. God forbid he should have to prove his abilities against the lowest ranked team in the playoffs.
Give me a ****ing break. In the mind of true sports fans everywhere the story of RSL’s impossible climb through the playoffs lends legitimacy to the sport and I for one will be more inclined to watch MLS games next season because of it.
Cheers,
Devin
by devhen on Nov 23, 2009 8:14 PM EST reply actions
Poor article Dan.
Try preventing yourself from simply appeasing the general public with a misinformed article and realise there were 46,000 in the stands in a not so accessible city of Seattle. I would love to see the National Entertainment Association (NBA) draw that much for the now defunct Sonics.
Having free throws deciding games, might i add corrupt referees or biased ones in the least doesn’t support your stance on legitimate leagues based on "star-value"
Having the underdog win it all, proves how impartial the game is. There are some great story lines, Utah’s first professional championship. RSL hot at the end of the season. Seattle Support.
the collective bargaining should open up the league, USA’s national team should continue to improve at the world stage (the truly international game), and perhaps even Canada can retain some of their top talent at the national level (see Hargreaves, de Guzman)
by NucksGM on Nov 23, 2009 10:24 PM EST reply actions
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