One year ago today, the Columbus Crew defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 at the Home Depot Center to win MLS Cup 2008.
The result was expected by most, as the Red Bulls found their way to the final after a 10-11-9 regular season and the Crew marched into the final. Thanks to the MLS playoff system that takes the top two teams from each division and the four next best teams regardless of division, New York made it to MLS Cup after winning the Western Conference final over Real Salt Lake 1-0 last year.
But as most recall, Real Salt Lake dominated that game. With balls flying just wide of frame and off the post all night, Real Salt Lake was considered the better team. With players such as Yura Movsisyan, Will Johnson and Kyle Beckerman, RSL was a team with a plan and one that many picked as MLS Cup 2009 contenders even before they walked off the field at Rio Tinto Stadium that evening.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles had not even made the playoffs. This time last year, Galaxy players were sitting at home watching the final after a miserable 8-13-9 (33 pts.) season, tied for last in Major League Soccer and not looking like they were turning the ship around.
So why is it that Real Salt Lake’s penalty kick win over Los Angeles in MLS Cup 2009 on Sunday is being touted by so many as such a big upset?
Los Angeles finished this season with 48 pts. (12-6-12), finishing first in the Western Conference. But even as the No. 8 overall seed (who had to come through the opposite conference a la New York last year), RSL (11-12-7) finished just eight points back of LA.
Sure, Los Angeles was in better form throughout the regular season, but the difference between the two squads was far from large. Real Salt Lake’s role as the team of underdogs has really been overplayed.
Looking at this in the short-term, with LA as the top seed in the Western Conference and RSL as the “Cinderella story,” this might is a bit of an upset. But in the long-run, this David vs. Goliath story is nothing but media-concocted hype.
In the end, the Los Angeles Galaxy is a team that almost pulled off a worst-to-first turnaround in just one year, and Real Salt Lake is a team that had enough depth and talent to prove that LA was just an ingredient short of a championship side. LA’s mix of experienced veterans and young guns did not quite have enough to find its way to victory on Sunday, and Real Salt Lake showed that its early season struggles were just a fluke.
So please folks, enough with the underdog stories. Real Salt Lake has been a realistic contender for over a year now, and it finally proved that with its MLS Cup 2009 victory.
And props to RSL fans. Look at the welcome they gave their team: Video from The Original Winger.
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