Major League Soccer

MLS Playoffs: Penalty Kick Paranoia

Both conference finals went to extra-time, and one was settled by the dreaded penalty kick shootout. The MLS Cup final could also come down to that nervy decider.

Nov 22, 2009 12:23:19 AM

MLS: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake, June 2008 (ISI)

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MLS: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake, June 2008 (ISI)

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By Noah Davis

If Sunday night's MLS Cup comes down to penalty kicks, Real Salt Lake could have the advantage as its netminder Nick Rimando excels at stopping kicks from the spot, especially in big matches. Five years ago, he led D.C. United to the MLS Cup by parrying away two penalty kicks during a shootout.

Rimando's most recent performance, however, was more impressive. During last weekend's Eastern Conference final, the Montclair, California native stoned three Chicago Fire hopefuls -- and guessed correctly on six of seven shots -- as he and RSL broke the hearts of the home side and advanced to the league's championship match.

Should the score of Sunday's final remain tied through 120 minutes, Yura Movsisyan is confident in the man between the pipes for his side.

"Yeah, I mean having Nick Rimando as your goalkeeper I think anyone would look at it as having an advantage," the RSL striker told Goal.com Saturday morning after training on Qwest Field.

(However, Movsisyan has good reason to hope against penalties: "My pregnant wife said she wished we didn't go to pks because I think she'll have an early delivery if we go to PKs. We'll try our best [to win in regulation].")

Jason Kreis, RSL's manager since 2007 who led a squad that barely qualified for the playoffs to the brink of MLS immortality, isn't so quick to give his team the advantage in a shootout.

"I think it would be easy and commonplace to say that yeah, since we were in a penalty shootout last week we have the advantage but let's remember that they got to watch us take a penalty kick shootout last week so that might help them," the man with 118 career MLS goals to his name said.

Players from the Los Angeles Galaxy, RSL's opponent on Sunday, are aware of Rimando's talent for stopping penalties but Gregg Berhalter for one isn't ready to concede.

"To his credit he's done really well on penalty kicks but I don't think that's a tactic that we consider going into the game," the former U.S. international said, "We know that he's good but it's something that comes down to on the day you have to figure out a way to score."

Omar Gonzalez, the 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year who's just a year removed from playing for the NCAA national championship with Maryland, puts it more simply:

"Let's just hope it doesn't get that far."

Noah Davis covers the United States Men's Team for Goal.com.

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