Match Report: MLS Eastern Conference Finals

For the second season in a row the Fire had a chance to make a trip to the MLS Cup Final and once again they came up short. The home fans at Toyota Park showed up in force, but they didn't see the same commitment and coherence from their team that they got in last week's 2-0 home win over Prince and the New England Revolution. Real Salt Lake, a scrappy and inconsistent team that barely made the playoffs but has taken its chances well, came into the game on a hot streak.

The Fire didn't get nearly the same level of performance from Blanco and all of the Fire's possessions seemed to end the same: long balls to McBride that were often knocked down to no one. Kyle Beckerman turned in a commanding performance in central midfield and the quartet of Rolfe, Pappa, Pause and Thorrington had trouble putting together a coherent performance. The make-shift back line had a few nail-biters but all-in-all turned in an excellent showing. Extra time was fairly cautious and the Fire came up short from the penalty spot, with a strong start and a whimpering finish. Nick Rimando is a short mongoloid but he's an undeniably talented penalty defender and in the end he was able to produce the stops he needed to seal the win.

RSL were yet another example of how MLS playoffs tend to favor teams who get hot at the right time rather than those who perform over the course of a season, but RLS took their opportunity by the throat and fully deserve their shot at the final. Lord knows I'll be rooting for them to beat the Jewel of MLS, especially after seeing Dave Beckham's insane roadkill haircut on Friday night. This is the end of the line for a talented team that never seemed to quite figure out how to play together. The Fire will face serious challenges keeping the fans that Blanco has brought in over the last three seasons and they'll miss Chris Rolfe's guile and opportunism; I can't help but think that if Coach Hamlett had found a way to play him closer to the goal on Saturday that the game never would have been decided from the penalty spot. The longest off-season in world soccer started today for the Fire and it seems likely that when we see them again they'll have a significantly different look and possibly new leadership.

Fire Rocked as Real Salt Lake Advance
RSL: Who's Laughing Now?


Our day started in a different sea of red.



Stellar atmosphere from another sellout crowd.





Blanco takes a free kick.





Marco Pappa turns the corner.




Flares in the official support section.




They caused a ton of smoke...




... which obscured views on the field...




... and got the Norwegians excited.



















Jon Busch spent much of the time during Fire penalties pacing in front of us and yelling curses at himself. To say that guy is tightly wound would be an understatement.




Happy Salt Lakers celebrate



See you next year!