There were a lot of firsts in and around Qwest Field this past Sunday.
For the first time in recent years Seattle participated in the grand finale of America’s professional soccer. In honor of the newly beloved Sounders, Seattle fans didn’t disappoint, welcoming with open arms celebrities of the world’s game.
While Sounders fans and soccer lover alike packed the stands to cheer for two teams with almost nothing connecting them to the Pacific Northwest, it also became a game of firsts, as well as an underdog champion.
Sitting upstairs watching the field and stands fill up before the match began, I was impressed with not only the dedication of fans rooting for both LA and Salt Lake, but also the amount of Sounders green I saw. Obviously, this is a sport with fans that refuse to quit.

To be perfectly honest the first half of the game, despite all the pageantry and build up earlier in the week, was a bit dull. Sure, David Beckham ran around the field and took a few corners, but Landon Donovan, heralded as one of America’s best soccer players, hardly touched the ball in the first 40 minutes.
Three days earlier both Donovan and Beckham said during their press conference they wanted it to be an exciting game for the fans. It took a while for that to happen, but then once the tide changed, the pressure was obviously on, finally giving those fans in the stands what Beckham and Donovan had hoped for.
Early on it looked as if Real Salt Lake was going to be facing a big deficit against the LA Galaxy after Javier Morales, one of the RSL’s big playmakers, went down following a scuffle on the field. He came off the field in the 22nd minute of the game, due to what was later called a left knee sprain.
Whether it was because Morales was out, or the timing was right or perhaps more likely a combination of all of the above, LA got their chance in the 41st minute of the Cup match after Beckham scurried down field, found Donovan in the middle who then passed to LA forward Mike Magee to take the 1-0 lead.
The halftime break continued the monotony of the game, despite the uptick after LA’s goal, with the Sounder’s Freddie Montero facing off against an unknown opponent in Guitar Hero, attempting to get the crowd excited about their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. While they both obviously practiced their guitar skills, it was no NFL halftime show.
Thankfully the teams quickly reassembled on the pitch for their second half warm-ups. For as boring as the first half may have been, despite the fact that both teams were playing some excellent soccer, the second half was like watching an entirely different game. Just a few minutes into the deciding half LA goalie Donovan Ricketts slid toward Salt Lake’s Robbie Findley who was looking for a shot on goal at the same time an LA defender also came sliding into the box, where all three collided. Findley and the LA defender came away quickly, but Ricketts stayed down, as the medics rushed onto the field for the second time during the game. After what was announced later as a seven minute delay of game time, Ricketts reestablished his position between the goal posts, but it didn’t last for long. Minutes later, after the teams started trading fouls, Ricketts left the game, the first time in MLS Cup history a goalie has come out of the game. Later, in the press box, we were told he was suffering from a right hand contusion. Basically the back of his hand was so swollen he had to come out to get medical attention and LA sent in his backup Josh Saunders of Grant’s Pass, Ore. to fill the void.
Shortly before Ricketts leaving the game Salt Lake tied the score, after Findley found a hole and knocked the ball in for a 1-1 tie. Then, with Ricketts out, things were looking a little less likely for LA. The game headed into a 30 minute overtime period, and after the score remained tied headed into penalty kicks.
The LA team, who won MLS Cup’s in 2002 and 2005, has played in five Cup finals and each time has gone into an overtime situation. In total the MLS Cup has seen six OT’s in it’s history, making LA one team which arguably needs to learn to finish on the field.
After the overtime the game headed into the penalty kick portion of the match to decide the winner of this year’s Cup. The only other time the championship of American soccer was decided in this fashion was the 2006 Cup where Houston outlasted New England for the title.
The firsts of the ‘09 Cup continued in the PK portion of the evening when Donovan missed his shot, not that it was blocked, just flat out shot the ball over the top of the goal. It was the first time during competition he’d just plain missed the goal.
In the end Real Salt Lake came in as underdogs, but left Qwest Field with the Tiffany&Co. trophy in hand. What started as just another soccer game, with international players and some hype, ended in an exciting, down-to-the-wire event and it’s hard to imagine the MLS saying no to another playoff visit to Seattle in the future.

I had the amazing opportunity this afternoon to go to the LA Galaxy press conference following their team practice at Qwest Field after both Real Salt Lake and LA arrived in town yesterday for the MLS Cup on Sunday.
Galaxy team members, Landon Donovan, recently named the league’s MVP, and soccer legend David Beckham were on hand to answer press questions about Sunday’s match-up, the league, what Seattle has meant to the sport and their careers in general.
Beckham, who seemed very laid back, although sporting a bit of a cough, said playing this season in the MLS has been a great experience, and later on in the press conference said after England makes a run in the upcoming World Cup he plans to be back next season.
“I think it’s been a great experience for myself and for the whole team this season. You know, always helps when you have a certain amount of success, and we’ve had that so far,” said Beckham. “But we’re not happy. We still want to win this game on Sunday. Hopefully we will. We deserve to be here. Real Salt Lake deserves to be here. Two good teams with good players in it. It’s gonna be a good game. I hope it’s an entertaining game for the fans.”
Donovan said he was very excited for Sunday and that he wants to make sure the team knows this opportunity, while fantastic, is rare.

“I think the message that we want to remember and get across to all our guys is that these opportunities are rare,” said Donovan. “You want to take advantage of it. I don’t think anyone’s gonna remember in a few years if we got to the final and lost. They’ll remember if we won. We want to take hold of this and grab it and win it.”
Overall Donovan said this season, getting to the finals, has meant more to him than any other he has played in.
“For me, personally, this has been more rewarding than any other other trips to this point in the season. It’s been challenging. It’s been difficult for a few years here. To put everything you have into something and then to be successful is very rewarding. I think we’ve all done that as a team.”
For Beckham as well, playing for the Cup is meaningful, for him and the team as a whole.
“These occasions don’t come everyday year, so you have to make sure you enjoy them. We’ve got a lot of young guys in our team that are excited, but we need to stay focused. That’s the biggest thing for us,” he said. “But, of course, you play in a Cup final, it’s exciting, the whole experience. You have to enjoy it, because the day goes past so quickly. So you have to enjoy the moment.”
Beckham, who has said in the past when he retires he would be interested in being a big part of the MLS in some way, whether it’s owning a team or in some other form, echoed that statement.
“I love the game, so I want to be involved in the game in some way when I finish. Owning a franchise is something that’s definitely possible and something that I’m really thinking about, and I think will happen eventually,” he said. “But, you know, I’ve always said since I cam over here that I want to be an ambassador of the game and an ambassador of the MLS and to be involved in making this sport, which is the No. 1 sport everywhere else in the world apart from the U.S.”
Friday afternoon was actually Beckham’s first practice because of a bone bruise to his foot that has been plaguing him this season. He said it continues to be an issue, but it’s part of the game.
“It’s been frustrating, but I’m sure it’ll be find for Sunday. Definitely be fine for Sunday. It’s one of those things you just have to get through. After five, 10 minutes of the game I’m sure I’ll forget all about it.”

I’ll post more of their thoughts from the press conference, as well as a post Cup piece, which I’ll be attending Sunday evening, next week.