New England Wins SuperLiga Title
Tournament Finale Showcases MLS Progress
Aug 10, 2008 Christopher O'Donnell
After losing two straight MLS Cup Title matches to Houston, New England finally broke the psychological stranglehold the Dynamo had over the Revs in finals, thanks to a timely goal by Shalrie Joseph in extra time and some clutch goalkeeping from Matt Reis. Upon watching the thrilling final, one would not be surprised to see these two teams meet again in November for a threepeat.
Ugly Play From Mexicans Clubs
The Revolution's semifinal triumph over Atlante and the Dynamo's victory over Pachuca witnessed the same sore-losing thuggery from both Mexican sides late in the match when both teams were trailing. Granted, some shoddy refereeing victimized both clubs, but the lack of respect for the fledging tournament was evident, particularly from Atlante. The 2007 Apertura Champs transformed the end of the match in Foxborough into a farsical version of a WWF match, only the eye-gouging and cheapshots from behind were real and not scripted. If Vince McMahon was watching, he might of made a few phone calls to see if goalkeeper Federico Vilar wanted a job after his playing caeer is over.
Pachuca's ability to fly off the rails after a disallowed goal was a shame since Los Tuzos looked like the better side in the second half and could have put the game away. Enrique Meza's squad were right to gripe to the linesman about an apparent offside, but the lack of concentration that ensued led to a Bobby Boswell tally off a corner kick and supersub Corey Ashe put the game away in the dying moments. Once that happened, the cynical fouling began and several Pachuca players hounded and berated the beleaguered ref like a hyena who is trying to mooch on a cheetah's kill.
U.S.-Mexico Tensions Have History
These late-game melees are emblamatic of what goes on when American and Mexican clubs get together whether it be tournaments or friendlies. Even on the international scene, the U.S.-Mexico matches can be a salty affair, as witnnessed by Oswaldo Sanchez's failed and pathetic attempt to trip striker Eddie Johnson after a Landon Donovan goal sealed a U.S. victory in Phoenix back in 2007.
MLS Pay Dispute Solved For Now
The success on the field put the publicized pay dispute between the league and the MLS Players Union on the back burner temporarily until the final, when reports came out a day before the game that both teams would split the first and second-place earnings in an attempt to show a unified front. Get ready for a serious battle between the league and the union next year when the Collective Bargaining Agreement runs out after the 2009 season.
Potential New England Dynasty?
Pays rows and dirty play aside, New England was awarded for its stellar play all tournament as well as the entire season so far. Joseph's lunging header to eliminate Atlante was arguably the tourney's best goal and the back line for the Revs in the knockout rounds was still solid without the services of the ever reliable Michael Parkhurst, who was selected for the Olympics.
The hex of not being able to win that definitive game loomed like a dark cloud, but last year's U.S. Open Cup title triumph broke that hex and now a SuperLiga crown shows that winning trophies can be contagious. The image of head coach Steve Nicol and owner Bob Kraft jointly holding the trophy could be ominous foreshadowing to other MLS teams for what is to come from this squad. If the venerable Kraft can duplicate the current run to that of his New England Patriots, more titles could be headng his way.
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