Real Salt Lake upset the defending Major
League Soccer Cup champion Columbus Crew, 4-2, on aggregate in their Eastern
Conference Semifinal Series thanks to a 3-2 win at Crew Stadium on Thursday
night.
RSL (2-0-0) headed into the match up one in the total goals, home-and-home
series thanks to a late Robbie Findley tally in the first leg this past
weekend, and closed it out on the road on Thursday night.
The Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the game's first two goals inside
35 minutes to give the Supporters' Shield winners the advantage, but three
unanswered goals by RSL ensured there would be a new MLS Cup champion in 2009.
Schelotto, who was held out of the first leg because of lackluster play down
the stretch, opened the scoring in the 19th minute after his long-range free
kick bounced in the RSL area and into the far-post side-netting. It was his
first goal in his last five MLS Cup playoff matches.
Schelotto doubled the home side's advantage in the game and put them up one in
the series in the 35th minute when he took control of a bad turnover by RSL
defender Robbie Russell in the offensive third, cut to the top of the area,
and fired a shot just inside the far post.
But RSL midfielder Javier Morales answered less than two minutes later to tie
the series at two when midfielder Kyle Beckerman capped off an impressive RSL
buildup in the offensive third with a chip pass into the area to Morales.
Morales made no mistake on the chance, slotting it past goalkeeper Will
Hesmer.
Findley converted a penalty kick just before the break to tie the game at two
and put RSL up one in the series after Crew defender Frankie Hejduk took down
RSL striker Fabian Espindola, who was making a diagonal run through the area
on a free kick.
RSL closed out the scoring and the series in the 74th minute when Andy
Williams took a short corner from Morales, drove toward the area, and fired a
laser through traffic inside the far post.
RSL will now take on the winner of the New England/Chicago series in the
Eastern Conference final next week. New England hold a 2-1 advantage after the
first leg, with the deciding leg on Saturday at Chicago's Toyota Park.
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