For RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando and midfielder Khari Stephenson, Saturday’s MLS Cup at Kansas City will be a bit of a trip down memory lane. The Claret-and-Cobalt teammates both played the last time Kansas City advanced to MLS Cup, with Rimando manning the net for D.C. United and Stephenson starting and playing 45 minutes for the Wizards in a 3-2 D.C. victory at the Home Depot Center.
Stephenson’s Wizards took the lead in the sixth minute with a goal from defender Jose Burciaga Jr., but D.C. responded with three straight goals, including an own goal, scored in a seven minute span. D.C. forward Alecko Eskandarian scored the first two goals in the 19th and 23rd minutes, before Kansas City defender Alex Zotinca put one into his own net in the 26th minute. The score line remained the same until the 58th minute, when D.C. midfielder Dema Kovalenko received the first red card ever given in a MLS Cup match for blocking a shot with his arm on the goal line. Kansas City forward Josh Wolff converted from the penalty spot to pull the Wizards within a goal, but it wasn’t enough to stop D.C., which beat the Wizards 3-2 to lift the club’s fourth MLS Cup.
Let’s hope that Kansas City goes home disappointed again on Saturday. RSL and Sporting kick off at 2 p.m. MT at Sporting Park. The match will be broadcast on ESPN, UniMas and ESPN 700 AM.
