Nick Rimando did it again.
The Real Salt Lake goalkeeper stopped two penalty kicks and benefited from a stunning Landon Donovan PK miss to claim the Major League Soccer title for his squad. I said Monday it might play out like this on PKs, and sure enough, it did. How much of it was Rimando, and how much was it due to Jovan Kirovski and Edson Buddle simply choking? Of everyone who stepped up to take their kicks, there were only two I looked at and said out loud, “He’s going to miss.” That was Buddle and Kirovski. How many of you did the same thing? Buddle looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but on that penalty spot. And Kirovski, who has been 12 for 12 on PKs previously? Big spot, big game, not a big game player. Rimando stopped them both. (He also guessed right on Berhalter’s kick, but Berhalter hit it perfectly.)
As for Donovan’s miss? That’s going to follow him a long time. Is it John Terry in the Champions League? Well, maybe there’s a bit less money and prestige at stake. But it could be the way Donovan ends his MLS career (at least for now), as we could be be seeing him in Europe come January.
Credit to RSL though: They played solid soccer throughout the game and pushed the attack even in the waning minutes, never appearing to stall too much to bank on a penalty kicks win. Robbie Findley was explosive throughout the game and looks like he could be a legitimate option to replace Charlie Davies as a speedy forward option on the U.S. national team.
One interesting Philadelphia Union-related note: Josh Saunders looked really good for the Galaxy after coming on to replace an injured Donovan Ricketts in goal. Would the Galaxy go so far as to protect two goalkeepers? I suspect not. Saunders might look good in the Union’s blue and gold come Wednesday’s expansion draft if he remains unprotected.
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