Counted out, RSL never stopped
Despite never earning .500 record, Cup champs found groove
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When Real entered the league as an expansion team in 2005, it was bad, really bad. The club went 5-22-5 that season.
In fact, Real have never finished above .500 -- their best season was a 10-10-10 record in 2008 -- and entered the playoffs a game below the break-even point at 11-12-7 and as the eighth seed.
Except for the club's most ardent supporters, not many soccer observers, fans or the media gave RSL much of a chance of holding the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy at Qwest Field Sunday night.
The big playoff talk a month ago was about the defending champion Columbus Crew trying to make it two consecutive titles, the greatly improved Los Angeles Galaxy enjoying a revival under Bruce Arena and the Houston Dynamo trying to make three championships in four years.
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MLS CUP SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Behind the scenes Watch RSL 1, LA 1 (5-4, PKs) Watch Findley ties the game Watch Magee puts LA ahead Watch Postgame penalty kicks Watch Russell's winning PK Watch MLS Cup presentation Watch RSL postgame presser Watch LA postgame presser Watch ET postgame show Watch ET All-Access: The Sitter Watch ET All-Access: Garber Watch MLS Cup pregame Watch Supporters Summit Watch Galaxy pregame presser Watch RSL pregame presser Watch |
So, surprising a Galaxy team with Landon Donovan, the best U.S. soccer player, David Beckham, the most celebrated player in the United States, and company was no mean feat.
For starters, RSL found itself without midfielder Javier Morales, who was forced from the game with a left knee ligament sprain in the 22nd minute and then spotted the Galaxy a 1-0 lead four minutes from halftime.
Giving up a goal that close to halftime would leave most teams shaken, but this Real side proved to be a resilient bunch. RSL lost another key starter in midfielder Will Johnson (food poisoning) at halftime but managed to equalize the and outplayed the Galaxy for good parts of the second half and extra time before prevailing via the penalty-kick shootout, 5-4, after playing to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
"People this year counted us out and said we should have not make the playoffs," said veteran midfielder Clint Mathis, who came off the bench to replace Morales and convert the second penalty kick in the tiebreaker.
"It doesn't matter if you make the playoffs and you finish eighth or first," Mathis added. "I've said this a gazillion times. The way this league is set up, it's about just getting in the playoffs. If you start playing great soccer at that time [you can win]. ... This team has been the better team in every game they have played. I honestly believe it. It was meant to happen. I think these guys worked their [butts] off."
When you face off against a team with Beckham and Donovan, it was easy to play second fiddle during the pregame hype. Real played as though they had something to prove, although no one would admit it.
"The whole star thing, none of that matters," defender Chris Wingert said. "Not to take anything away from Landon or Beckham, they're big time players. They're superstars. But at the same time, it's not like basketball where one guy can completely dominate. We knew that all that matters is what happens between the lines. We were confident we would outplay them. We outplayed them, especially in the second half. We deserved to win.
"We didn't care too much about the whole media hype. We were fine with playing the underdog role or wherever they wanted to put us. We weren't too worried about that. We just concentrated on what we wanted to do and the game plan that we had. We felt we had outplayed every team that we went up against."
With Real, the team's the thing.
On the blackboard in the team locker room, coach Jason Kreis reminded the team to be positive.
"Be Confident. Be Aggressive."
"It's our time."
"Together we can!"
Team captain Kyle Beckerman noted that no team with a designated player had won an MLS Cup yet. Real might not have big-name stars, but the team has talented players who can be force offensively when they are in rhythm. They proved it during the playoffs, stunning the Crew in the opening round and upending the Chicago Fire in the Western Conference final.
"We've really bought into the 'star is the team' here in Salt Lake," he said. "When we work as a team and doing well it's because everybody's playing well. It pays off."
Last season Real came close to reaching the final, losing to the New York Red Bulls -- the eighth seed -- in the Western Conference final, 1-0. In a complete role reversal, RSL wound up as the last seeded team and in the Eastern Conference. But this time Real did the Red Bulls one better, running the table and capturing the MLS championship to become the first pro franchise in Utah to win a championship in almost four decades.
"This is sweeter in some ways because I did not know a thing about soccer," said RSL owner Dave Checketts, who forged his sports reputation in the NBA and NHL over some 25 years.
"Now I understand it is all about human capital," he said. "It's all about putting a group of people together who can win and then creating the chemistry, creating the environment that they can win."
When defender Robbie Russell converted the game-winning penalty against backup goalkeeper Josh Saunders, Checketts admitted, "I actually couldn't believe it. It was like a dream come true to hold that cup at midfield. I thought it would take us a lot longer to get to this point."
A lot of people never thought Real would do it, especially Sunday night.
Now they're planning a parade for the team in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
Not bad, not bad at all for a team that has never finished above .500.
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
