Real Salt Lake advances on penalty kicks to MLS title game

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — A month removed from bleak hopes at best of simply making the playoffs, Real Salt Lake is now one win away from the MLS Cup championship.

Following 120 minutes of scoreless, yet entertaining soccer in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Toyota Park on Saturday night, Nick Rimando came up with three huge saves in the penalty kick shootout as Real Salt Lake edged Chicago 5-4 to claim the Eastern Conference championship.

"Obviously I would've liked it to come a lot earlier than it did and with a lot less drama," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "But a truly special night and special moment for this club and everyone involved."

With the victory Real Salt Lake advances to the MLS Cup next Sunday in Seattle where it will face the Los Angeles Galaxy at 6:30 p.m.

"Once we knew we were in the playoffs we knew we were a good enough team to make it to the final," said Rimando. "We're not done yet, we have one more game. We're not happy enough with this win."

Clint Mathis, Robbie Findley, Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson and Ned Grabavoy all converted their kicks in the shootout, with Rimando coming up with three big saves as the shootout went to the seventh kicker. Those three saves came on Chicago's last four penalty kicks with Grabavoy clinching the victory by burying the final kick.

"It was more of a good nervous feeling," said Grabavoy. "Being in that moment, after it went in it was a great moment for our team."

Chicago seized momentum early in the shootout after Javier Morales hit his attempt over the crossbar, but Rimando put the teams back on even terms with a big save on John Thorrington in the fourth round.

With the shootout level at 4-4 following five kicks, Rimando stoned Chicago's Logan Pause with a diving save but Fabian Espindola failed to capitalize by shanking his attempt badly. It merely delayed the inevitable as Rimando came up with another big save enabling RSL to celebrate a conference championship on someone else's field just like New York did at Rio Tinto Stadium last year.

Much like that conference final in 2008, RSL enjoyed the better of the play for long stretches. The Fire seemed content to play low pressure soccer and allow RSL to control possession while it conserved energy and waited for counter attacks.

"I was surprised with the way they played to be honest. I thought they've be possessing the ball more to be honest," said Kreis.