I doubt many Utahans have checked their DVRs of the game to find out what happened yet.

All upcoming jokes aside...that was an exciting game.

The shootout was the most dramatic though. Donovan's miss, saves when the game was on the line. Awesome.

I was disappointed in the lack of fitness in extra time though. The MLS season isn't that long (relatively speaking) and playoff games are spread out enough for decent recovery time but players were literally spent out there unable to move.

All in all, great day of football. Especially since my Spurs hung 9 on Wigan at the Lane. Defoe for FIVE!

/COYS!

"Real" Salt Lake? Because Utah is famous for its long association with colonial Spain and its ongoing embrace of Hispanic culture?

Or because the Utah Jazz needed some competition for the title of "least appropriate sports franchise name"?

Doesn't chocolate have caffeine in it?

/straight to hell!

Penalty shootouts to decide a championship are idiotic.

Insert Brandi Chastain pic here.

Pretty exciting match - the soccer itself was a bit ugly at times but the pace was furious. I'm guessing everybody out there covered about 12-15k.

My new proposed FIFA rules which will apply to any semi-final and final match.

*15 Minute overtime periods
*Silver Goal rules apply.
*At the beginning of each 15 minute period, each team is allowed 1 extra sub. Thus at the end of regulation, if you haven't used any subs yet, you now have 4 subs available to you.
*Expanded rosters for these matches allowing for 10 reserve players.
*Play until somebody wins

So basically Real Salt Lake won a championship because their goalie was a better guesser than the goalie of the L.A. Galaxy.

Penalties are a bad way to decide a championship. I don't mind shootouts/penalties in the regular season, but the NHL has it right - play until you score in the postseason.

Donovan missed his penalty and Beckham connected on his. Hopefully that doesn't get into Donovan's head and screw him up for next summer. Actually felt pretty bad for him after that happened. I hope he comes back with something to prove.

Ugh. Everyone around here now pretends to care about soccer. Great. This will make me miss all the crying about Utah going undefeated last year.

/Soccer is stupid
//Jazz are playing like shiat
///At least we have U of U/BYU this weekend

Is it me, or did both teams love just doing the long ball thing for half the match? Exciting match to say the least, except for RSL's goal, that may have been the worst defending I've seen in football in a long time.

/Definitely fitting for Rimando to be MVP, between the match against the Fire and this one, he's just been phenomenal.

TonnageVT: Is it me, or did both teams love just doing the long ball thing for half the match? Exciting match to say the least, except for RSL's goal, that may have been the worst defending I've seen in football in a long time.


Welcome to the MLS.

It's horrible soccer to watch. Most attacks are via long passes hoping for a bad bounce or something to spring an attacker.

Many goals come due to totally incompetent defending.

My wife from Argentina laughs when I put on an MLS match.

Penalty shootouts suck.

They should start extra time with the full team. Every 5 or 10 minutes each team has to take out one (or two) players.

In the end, it will all come down to individual skill because the bad players get take off first, or the least fit players.

Somebody will score before there's only 2 goalkeepers left on the field.

MugzyBrown: Penalty shootouts to decide a championship are idiotic.

In general I think so too. It's hard to take away from how dramatic last night's PKs were, but I think more sudden death soccer would have been just as tense, if not more so. The last 10 minutes or so of regulation and the two OTs were great. Overall it was a very enjoyable match to watch. I was pulling for the Galaxy once the backup keeper came in, but I wasn't unhappy when RSL won.

MugzyBrown: Welcome to the MLS.

It's horrible soccer to watch.

I have no illusions about it being on par with some of the other leagues around the world, but I think it's just fine for America for now.

I was rooting for the Galaxy the whole game until Donovan missed his PK, then I wanted RSL to win off of Donovan's miss. That guy is the sacred cow of US Soccer.

Petit_Merdeux: Doesn't chocolate have caffeine in it?

/straight to hell!

Came here to say this. Body is a temple and all that stuff.

Utah's first ever pro sports championship team has a problem with submitters headline:

There won't be dancing in the streets of Salt Lake City tonight!

It seemed to me that once L.A. scored their goal they assumed that RSL would just lay down and that would be the end of it. When RSL started pouring it on L.A. didn't know how to react.

What really surprised me were the number of RSL fans in the stands. I assumed that it would be mostly Seattle and L.A. And aside from the five douches two rows in front of us they were quite a lot of fun.

Fun game, would attend again. With warmer clothes.

A couple observations:

1. Rimando is a stud.
2. I was pretty impressed with the backup keeper for LA. That guy played a great game.
3. Fun game to watch, but I totally agree that MLS in general is horrible soccer. Actually trying to control the ball through the midfield is apparently a completely foreign concept to these guys.
4. Watching Donovan shank it over the bar was a beautiful thing. Can't stand that guy.
5. Sucks for RSL that their win happened to come on the first day of "Rivalry Week" for Saturday's Utah/BYU game. In the hour+ I listened to local sports radio this morning, there wasn't a single mention of it. If I hadn't been watching the game, I wouldn't even have known who won.

I guess Beckham was too big a name to be subbed, He was struggling from about 60 mins. Perhaps the goalie getting injured farked up Arenas subs.

Overall pleasing evening of football, two thumbs up.

Gratch: 3. Fun game to watch, but I totally agree that MLS in general is horrible soccer. Actually trying to control the ball through the midfield is apparently a completely foreign concept to these guys.


This is an issue on the US Men's team as well.

Unless they're playing a crappy CONCACAF team who lays back defensively, the USMNT cannot string more than 2 or 3 passes together.

sfpfc: I guess Beckham was too big a name to be subbed, He was struggling from about 60 mins. Perhaps the goalie getting injured farked up Arenas subs.

I think it was more so that by the end of regulation, both teams had used up their subs. He was definitely struggling, but I don't think they could have done anything about it anyway.

gund: Penalty shootouts suck.

They should start extra time with the full team. Every 5 or 10 minutes each team has to take out one (or two) players.

In the end, it will all come down to individual skill because the bad players get take off first, or the least fit players.

Somebody will score before there's only 2 goalkeepers left on the field.

Have you ever actually played soccer?

czetie: "Real" Salt Lake? Because Utah is famous for its long association with colonial Spain and its ongoing embrace of Hispanic culture?

Just like Houston is famous for its ties with the KGB, earning it the nickname Dynamo.

/MLS is crap, and won't get better unless they change from a franchise-based structure
//And get some decent youth programs
///But that would take money out of the AYSO's pockets ONOZ

MugzyBrown: Gratch: 3. Fun game to watch, but I totally agree that MLS in general is horrible soccer. Actually trying to control the ball through the midfield is apparently a completely foreign concept to these guys.


This is an issue on the US Men's team as well.


It's less frustrating when both teams do it; watching other countries' teams just up and take the ball away from us is infuriating.

Enjoyed the game and glad RSL took the PKs - they dominated after the whole second half.

/Beckham deserved to lose based on that hair cut
//how does Beckerman play without his dreads getting tugged off?

Fun game to watch. Utah fans managed a pretty impressive turnout (Galaxy... not so much). Still, it was kinda funny that the stadium was mostly filled with the Rave Green.

For the MLS haters out there, though... comparing MLS to English Premier League soccer isn't exactly fair. The MLS doesn't have the money or the following to attract that sort of talent or that level of play... yet. Comparing the MLS to EPL is a bit like comparing College football to the NFL (Browns, Bucks and Lions not withstanding).

I'll agree with the kick and run thing, though. The first team to figure out the kick-and-run crap doesn't work will be well on their way to dominating the league. The Sounders knocked themselves out of the playoffs by trying that crap in Dallas :(

czetie: "Real" Salt Lake? Because Utah is famous for its long association with colonial Spain and its ongoing embrace of Hispanic culture?

Heh... yeah that makes a bit less sense than LA having a Chivas team

/I'm still not 100% sure how to pronounce "Chivas" :(

Findley is a beast, and I'm afraid to say he probably won't last much longer in the MLS. Good for the U.S. Men's team though, we need another striker.

socialpoison: Heh... yeah that makes a bit less sense than LA having a Chivas team

Well I'm not sure about RSL, but Chivas USA is the sister team to the team from the Mexican league Chivas Guadalajara, I believe. So that's how they get their name, but I'm not sure if it's the same for RSL.

Could just be them trying to make their team sound more European, kinda like FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo (I always called them Dynamo Houston, but pronounced Dynamo as "Dee-Na-Mo" like the team from Kiev), DC United and Toronto FC.

The other teams sound like usual American teams, city name and then nickname.

LadyBinky: //how does Beckerman play without his dreads getting tugged off?

Would you honestly notice if any were missing? :D

socialpoison: For the MLS haters out there, though... comparing MLS to English Premier League soccer isn't exactly fair. The MLS doesn't have the money or the following to attract that sort of talent or that level of play... yet. Comparing the MLS to EPL is a bit like comparing College football to the NFL (Browns, Bucks and Lions not withstanding).

Good post. I love both the EPL and MLS; and like I said earlier, I know MLS isn't nearly as good as top leagues like the EPL but I think it's probably just right for America at this very moment. What I really like about MLS right now is that it's doing a good job of seeking out the markets that would really be passionate about local soccer (like Seattle and Philly), regardless of the fact that it's not on par with some of the world's best association football. Seattle's already a huge success story, and there are a lot of people here in Philly who are simply super-excited to have a team to call their own.

i have a question for the soccer fans out there:
has anyone brought up the idea to get rid of penalty shootouts and just play with no goalkeepers?
that would make more sense to me since the game would be decided by team skill rather than goalie luck

The MLS is doing great for such a young league. I remember the first televised MLS game. It was so crapy that it was both hilarious and sad. It's not fair to compare the MLS to top leagues like the EPL. The MLS has been around for about 14 years while other leagues have existed (in their current or other form) for years. Also, the MLS is selling a league in a country that doesnt care much about soccer while the other top leagues exists in countries that are crazy about it.

Farksteron: The MLS is doing great for such a young league. I remember the first televised MLS game. It was so crapy that it was both hilarious and sad. It's not fair to compare the MLS to top leagues like the EPL. The MLS has been around for about 14 years while other leagues have existed (in their current or other form) for years. Also, the MLS is selling a league in a country that doesnt care much about soccer while the other top leagues exists in countries that are crazy about it.


I know the MLS cannot complete with the EPL or La Liga, etc. They should do a better job of recruiting young players from S. America and Europe rather than being the home for 2nd-rate US players.

There's probably some 16-17 year old kid playing for Boca or River, etc right now that could make more money in the US playing for 2 years until Madrid pays $20m for him.

There's probably some 16-17 year old kid playing for Boca or River, etc right now that could make more money in the US playing for 2 years until Madrid pays $20m for him.

Not a chance. All farm clubs are scouted for kids from 5.6.7.y.o.
I heard that ronaldinho was under contract to Milan before he was even born!

MugzyBrown: I know the MLS cannot complete with the EPL or La Liga, etc. They should do a better job of recruiting young players from S. America and Europe rather than being the home for 2nd-rate US players.

We'll see. Seattle's inception lit a fire under the ass of the league entirely, and expect to see nearly the same support for Portland and Vancouver's clubs when they get their MLS teams in the next couple years (especially Van given how ethnically diverse the city is to begin with).

In a few years, up and coming foreign players and more "over-the-hill" veteran types looking to prove themselves for a new overseas deal (Beckham, Ljungberg, etc) will definitely be more willing to come over.

nerf herder: i have a question for the soccer fans out there:
has anyone brought up the idea to get rid of penalty shootouts and just play with no goalkeepers?
that would make more sense to me since the game would be decided by team skill rather than goalie luck

Uhhhh, no, that's retarded.

More importantly, that's not football. It's fine the way it is. You can't just say "oh, keep playing but lose players on the pitch" or "take away the keeper"...This is a game sanctioned by a governing body, FIFA, and they're certainly not changing the rules because of a few Americans won't watch their domestic league.

It's ridiculous to hear people talk about changing the game because it's not exciting to them, when clearly it's fine with the rest of the world. That's something the NHL needed to do because no one was watching them.

TonnageVT: It's ridiculous to hear people talk about changing the game because it's not exciting to them, when clearly it's fine with the rest of the world.


Penalty shootouts are a ridiculous way to crown a champion at any level.

That's not 'football' either. It's a carnival game.

MugzyBrown: Penalty shootouts are a ridiculous way to crown a champion at any level.

That's not 'football' either. It's a carnival game.

Players just ran around for 120 minutes, how else do you suppose they end a match without someone dying?

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the MLS was basically meant as a vehicle to promote US Soccer in general. So, stuffing the rosters with foreign players and relegating promising US-born college players with a shot to play on the US team to the bench is probably not what the MLS had in mind.

TonnageVT: Players just ran around for 120 minutes, how else do you suppose they end a match without someone dying?

Exactly. Even NHL playoff overtimes get intermissions; in soccer you get just enough time to grab a water bottle before the OT periods start up.

Killer Cars: Exactly. Even NHL playoff overtimes get intermissions; in soccer you get just enough time to grab a water bottle before the OT periods start up.

Not to mention, in hockey, you're on the ice for 2 minutes then you're on the bench to rest up...Still very strenuous, but at least you get a little break.

Killer Cars: We'll see. Seattle's inception lit a fire under the ass of the league entirely, and expect to see nearly the same support for Portland and Vancouver's clubs when they get their MLS teams in the next couple years (especially Van given how ethnically diverse the city is to begin with).

Agreed! The west coast game i am hoping will be very competitive and we will see some rivalry. Yeah!

TonnageVT: Players just ran around for 120 minutes, how else do you suppose they end a match without someone dying?

I've already explained this.

Allow more subs for these matches.

It was a fun game to watch, but I hate seeing anyone lose in a playoff style game through penalties. I hated seeing the Fire lose (yes, I'm a Fire fan) and I hated seeing LA lose. Silver goal, but keep playing 15 minute periods until someone wins. After the first two, if no one has won, teams get 2 subs back each. I hate penalties. They are almost more luck than skill (though Donovan's miss was inexcusable).

MugzyBrown: TonnageVT: Players just ran around for 120 minutes, how else do you suppose they end a match without someone dying?

I've already explained this.

Allow more subs for these matches.

As we saw last night, they need to bring back the 3+1 sub rule for goal keepers, and RED CARD both the goal keeper and coach if they try to pull the old switcheroo to get a fourth field sub. And yes, allow an extra sub each overtime, and after the first 30 mins, make it sudden death. I'm pretty sure somebody might score before all 12 subs are used up.

norm2369: Utah's first ever pro sports championship team has a problem with submitters headline:

Wow, Karl Malone looked old even then.

MugzyBrown: This is an issue on the US Men's team as well.

Unless they're playing a crappy CONCACAF team who lays back defensively, the USMNT cannot string more than 2 or 3 passes together.

I'm guessing you didn't watch any of the Confederations Cup this past summer? There isn't any quality depth, but when Landycakes, Jozy, etc. are clicking, they can compete with the best in the world. Of course, not having Davies' speed on the outside is likely a killer.

chechcal: I'm guessing you didn't watch any of the Confederations Cup this past summer? There isn't any quality depth, but when Landycakes, Jozy, etc. are clicking, they can compete with the best in the world. Of course, not having Davies' speed on the outside is likely a killer.


I'm guess you're wrong.

They were able to score a lot on counter-attacks and such, but when have you ever seen the US MNT, able to complete a 10-pass build up, backs to the midfielders, change sides, to the forwards, back to the midfielder, overlap to the back, to the center, one touch into the box, etc.

They just don't have that skill level