KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It took 90 minutes of regulation, 30 more minutes of extra time, and 10 rounds of penalty kicks, all in extremely frigid conditions. But it was worth it for Sporting Kansas City and its hearty fans. Sporting KC beat Real Salt Lake in a penalty kick shoot-out and claimed its second MLS Cup championship.
The championship match was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes. After two scoreless overtime sessions, it came down to an intense penalty kick shootout. It was tied 6-6 after nine rounds. In the tenth, MLS Cup MVP Aurelien Collin scored to give Sporting KC a 7-6 lead. Real Salt Lake’s attempt to tie and force another round of penalty kicks hit the crossbar.
The MLS Cup is the fourth professional sports championship for a Kansas City team, the first since the Wizards won the title in 2000.
