My 4 Thoughts on the MLS Cup Final
New York City Beats Portland on Penalties After a 1-1 Tie and Wild Finish in Regular Time
PORTLAND, Ore. — Here are my four thoughts on New York City beating Portland in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie in Saturday’s MLS Cup final:
• Sean Johnson came up huge on penalties. The New York goalkeeper etched his name into Gotham sports lore by saving two penalties in the shootout, denying Felipe Mora and Diego Valeri and giving City its first trophy in the seven-year existence of the club. Johnson’s theatrics also completely turned around the vibe in the stadium that came after Mora’s last-gasp 95th-minute equalizer had given Portland unexpected life. The 32-year-old Johnson, New York’s captain, is not a flashy player, but he has earned the respect of people on his team and around the league over the years, and his performance on Saturday in the decisive moments is the biggest highlight of his career.
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• Mora’s 95th-minute equalizer capped an epic sequence. So many crazy things happened at the end of regular time before Mora’s goal saved the Timbers and sent the final to extra-time. New York’s Jesús Medina should have put the game away on a breakaway but got tracked down by Diego Chara. Then Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark went all the way upfield on a corner kick that failed, leaving New York ready to celebrate as all four minutes of stoppage time were nearly exhausted. And then, despite what looked like a Portland foul in the box (that went uncalled), the ball squirted to Mora, who slotted home the dramatic equalizer and started crying afterward on the field. The Timbers Army exploded, and the atmosphere in Portland reached levels rarely seen in the 26-year history of the MLS Cup final. New York fans will feel hard done by the non-call, but honestly, there’s no way VAR was going to disallow that goal in that situation.
• New York’s first-half goal was preventable. City had terrific execution on its 41st-minute free kick goal, with a fantastic delivery by Maxi Moralez and a thumping header by Taty Castellanos. But if you’re Portland, how do you leave the league’s Golden Boot winner open for a free header on a set piece? What’s more, you couldn’t help but think Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark could have done better to keep the ball out of the goal. (Plus the fan projectile that hit City’s Jesús Medina afterward was disgraceful.) Finals are rarely wide-open affairs, and they’re often settled by fine margins. Portland broke down in multiple ways on the same play.
• The city of New York’s MLS Cup curse is over. Major League Soccer was originally designed with a salary cap and single-entity system to prevent another case of the NASL’s New York Cosmos from dominating the league and causing rivals to spend themselves out of business. But New York became a cursed city for MLS, with no New York team winning the MLS Cup title in the league’s first 25 years. That reign of error is over now with New York City’s league title in 2021. The U.S.’s biggest city is finally back on top of American men’s club soccer for the first time since 1982. The old theory has been that U.S. pro sports leagues need relevant teams in New York City to reach their full potential. And while it remains to be seen how relevant this New York title-winner will be in Gotham—will there be a parade down the Canyon of Heroes?—the first, best way to draw attention is by winning trophies.
What are your thoughts on the game? You can share them in the comments below.
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“Crazy” describes it perfectly. “Helter-skelter” does, too. The finish was certainly exciting, but in general I didn’t think it was a very well-played game.
Love the line about this ending New York City’s “reign of error”. Brilliant. I’m going to steal it.
I’d been telling my buddy who’s just getting into soccer about the usually wild atmosphere for Portland games, and Timber Joey in particular. He was impressed with the constant singing, chanting, and drum pounding, especially when the Timbers Army practically exploded after Portland’s late goal. But I never saw the log cut. Did it not happen? Did ABC not show it? That’s as unique a tradition as there is anywhere.