RSL's Rimando named MLS Cup MVP
Winning goalkeeper takes home award after stopping two PKs
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After the match, the netminder was all smiles after winning his second penalty kick shootout in as many matches. RSL advanced past the Chicago Fire one week earlier in the Eastern Conference Championship behind Rimando's three saves in the shootout.
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"I think me and all the guys knew that if it came down to penalty kicks we were confident just going back to last week," Rimando said. "We handled business in Chicago."
A 10-year veteran with 19 games of playoff experience, Rimando is considered by many as one of the best penalty kick stoppers in the league. Rimando has allowed only 11 goals on 20 attempts during penalty-kick shootouts in his career, far better the league average. Penalty kick takers have converted their chances at a 75.7 percent clip in MLS history; even in regulation play, Rimando has allowed opposing shooters just a 69 percent success rate.
Perhaps that was in the back of Landon Donovan's mind when he missed his penalty high. One of the most potent penalty kick takers in league history, Donovan had only misfired twice in 23 league and cup attempts coming into the match. Rimando saved one of those two in 2007.
"The penalty I hit just like any penalty," Donovan said. "I made sure he was going the other way and I closed my body. I just put it in the air. You know, it's probably partially due to tired legs and not concentrating in that moment."
While Rimando concedes that a great number of penalties come down to chance, he did attempt to put Donovan off by waiting until the last possible moment to choose a direction to dive.
"I wanted to stay in the middle as long as I could," Rimando said. "I know he likes to look up and he likes to go down the middle high. I thought he was going to go to the right a little bit. I think just staying that extra bit kind of made him think a little bit.
"I'm fortunate that he went over, because he usually buries them. I'm 2-for-2 (against Donovan), right?"
While Rimando's opposite, Josh Saunders, also made two saves, it was Donovan's missed penalty that became the difference.
Interestingly, Real Salt Lake's goalkeeper coach Jeff Cassar is the only other player to save a Donovan penalty, accomplishing the feat for FC Dallas in 2004.
Andrew Winner is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
