The MLS Cup was an exciting match that remained tied through two extra time periods and a shootout and when it was all said and done, Sporting Kansas City won their second championship at home in Kansas against Real Salt Lake 7-6 after a marathon final that followed an intense 1-1 match.
Both goalies were fantastic and it was the elder statesman in Jimmy Nielsen that made enough plays to get things done and now KC is the new MLS champions after the Los Angeles Galaxy won last season. The goals in the match for the 1-1 score were put in by Aurelien Collin and Alvaro Saborio and after playing two periods of overtime for 30 minutes, the goalies went head to head in the shootout and at first it looked like KC would take it after putting in two early goals on Nick Rimando, but Real came back to tie it up and it went into sudden death.
The shootout was the third time that the championship was decided in that fashion and the last time it happened it was with Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles and RSL defeated the Galaxy in that game and now they suffered a tough defeat in the same situation. The match was intense and now Kansas City are the champions of the MLS.
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Kansas City won their second MLS Cup title in dramatic fashion on Saturday, coming from a goal down before beating Real Salt Lake 7-6 in a pulsating penalty shootout following a 1-1 tie after extra time.
Aurelien Collin, who scored Sporting's equaliser in the second half, broke the deadlock in sudden-death with a thunderous shot inside the right post to beat Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Lovel Palmer, aiming to extend the sudden-death shootout, then hit the crossbar to send the home crowd into rapturous celebration on a freezing night at Sporting Park in Kansas City. Salt Lake opened the scoring in the 52nd minute after Kyle Beckerman found Alvaro Saborio with a pinpoint pass and the Costa Rican chested the ball down before beating Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen with a powerful low shot.
Sporting, previously hoisting the giant silver cup in 2000, levelled in the 76th minute when Collin headed the ball inside the far post after a corner kick from Graham Zusi.
(Reuters)
