On a freezing Saturday morning, thousands of Sporting fans met at Sporting Park hours before kick off to secure their seats to see their team, their city, battle against Real Salt Lake. For myself, I arrived around 11:00 to check out the MLS Cup celebration across the street. The event included lots of giveaways and games celebrating the 17th MLS Cup.
Around noon, a huge line headed into the Member’s Stand began to form. After scanning tickets for about a half an hour, the Member’s Stand bar was full and Kansas City was already rocking. The music blared, the Cauldron chanted, and the fans were ready.
As 1:00, the entry time, neared, it was announced that tickets would be scanned once again to enter the stands. There was no scanning. As 1:00 hit, fans sprinted up the stairs and to their seats. By 1:05, five minutes after fans were allowed in and nearly two hours before game time, the Cauldron was full.
After a long, cold wait the game finally began at 3:00. After a scoreless first half and the game went on deja vu hit SKC fans. Just like the second leg to the Eastern Conference Final, Sporting let in a cheap goal and they would have to battle back to become champions. In the 76th minute, Kansas City earned a corner. MLS All-Star, Graham Zusi lofted the ball in and fellow All-Star Aurelien Collin rose above everyone and headed the ball into the bottom left corner.
The game continued and chance after chance for both teams continued to pass with no success. After the rest of regulation and two scoreless 15-minute overtimes, the game would be decided by penalty kicks.
36 year-old, Jimmy Nielsen, who later was reported to have played with broken ribs, had to come up big for Sporting once again. After SKC players, Claudio Bieler and Paulo Nagamura scored their goals and Jimmy Nielsen stopped both of RSL’s attempts, Sporting looked to have the Cup in the bag.
With Zusi and Besler up next, nobody would have expected this eventual crazy, storybook ending. Scaring Kansas City to death, both US stars, Besler and Zusi missed and RSL took advantage of the opportunity tying it up. At the end of five rounds, it was all tied up at 3 and it was time for sudden death.
Both teams made their attempts in rounds 6 and 7. Then SKC midfielder, Lawrence Olum missed in round 8. It looked bad for Sporting, but captain, Jimmy Nielsen came up with a season saving save once again to force round 9. Both finished their attempts in round 9 and onto round 10 we went.
It was time for the final starting field players to take their attempts. The man who scored earlier in the match for Kansas City was up and Collin finished his attempt in the back of the net, just barely scraping the post. Finally, with the Cauldron in the background and Jimmy with his antics, RSL missed their attempt, it was all over, and the place went ballistic. Sporting Kansas City was MLS champions.
The SKC players sprinted across the field to meet Jimmy Nielsen with giant bear hugs. The MLS Cup was then presented, the players ran around the field greeting the fans, Jimmy painted the wall, Collin was awarded MVP, and Sporting was finally MLS champions for the first time in 13 years. Sporting Kansas City finally won the MLS Cup. Kansas City finally won another championship.