The days leading up to the MLS Cup Final over the last week included more than a few opportunities for Commissioner Don Garber to speak on a variety of topics related to the way the league is run. Among those many topics was single table, and from the way Garber addressed the issue, he's both clearly tired of talking about it and solidly against it.
Last night in Seattle was a perfect example of why The Don sees American soccer as needing playoffs, and defends to the death his position.
When the Real Salt Lake's captain Kyle Beckerman took the trophy from Garber and joined his teammates on stage for the triumphant release, a moment which was immediately preceded by the team chanting "WE WANT THE CUP!", it was hard not to get chills. Without the playoffs, and without a knockout tournament that ends in a final game packed to the breaking point with tension, that moment just cannot happen.
The game itself added to the glory of the moment, of course, though I'm sure the Utahans wouldn't have been any less ecstatic to win had they dominated. 120 minutes of soccer, ugly at some times, well-played at others, but always highly competitive, came down to spot kicks, ratcheting up the drama to the highest level possible. Both keepers, Josh Saunders despite having to come in off the bench, acquitted themselves well. Players on both sides took the moment by the throat and banged in their penalties with authority. Others, as always happens in those situations, failed at the biggest moment, inevitably putting the focus on those that missed. Stars who miss get the lion's share of that focus, and that is what Landon Donovan will deal with, at least for a few days.
But the game wasn't just about Donovan, or Edson Buddle (who also didn't score on his penalty, which was poor), or Beckham; the game was about the crowing of a champion in that way that Americans are so accustomed. It was also about the stage on which the drama unfolded, and it would be wrong not to point out what wonderful stage it was; Seattle and its fans put on a proper Cup Final, showed up in large numbers to support the league despite their team's playoff dismissal, and capped off one of the most extraordinary expansion stories one will ever see. 2009 may just be another year in the developing history of Major League Soccer or it could go down as one of the more memorable ever; the latter seems more likely, with so much to point to in the maturation of professional soccer in the United States. Love them or hate them, much of that is thanks to the record-breaking success of the Seattle Sounders.
David Beckham and the Galaxy didn't get their championship moment. The last chapter (or most recent; we'll see what happens next July) of The Beckham Experiment ends with disappointment. Landon Donovan may have closed out his MLS career on a low, leaving behind the memory of failure in the biggest moment. The Galaxy, a worst to first story thanks to the coaching of Bruce Arena and the reconciliation of their two brightest stars, head back to LA as runners-up. The game doesn't always cooperate when it comes to fairy tale endings.
Unless you're the winner, of course. "Fairy tale" is exactly how one might describe the ending for Real Salt Lake. The last team in the playoffs, lucky to even make the post-season, Jason Kreis and Co. took advantage of their lifeline and turned it into a championship. The RSL story is a good one, whether the playoff system is the best system or not; they stepped up when it counted most, and there's a certain fairness in that. Columbus was the best team over the course of the season, but failed against RSL when given the opportunity to prove their predominance; rail against the "hottest team wins" circumstance if you like, but there's nothing "undeserving" about Salt Lake.
Great drama, great crowd, great game, and a new champion. Congratulations to Seattle, congratulations to MLS, and most importantly, congratulations to Real Salt Lake, your 2009 MLS Champions.
