The Fire have suffered heartbreaking losses before, but Saturday’s may have been one of the cruelest.
Lincoln-Way Central product Ned Grabavoy scored the deciding goal in a penalty kick shootout to give Real Salt Lake the Eastern Conference title and send them to the MLS Cup with a 5-4 decision in penalties.
“It feels good to do that in front of a lot of friends and family,” said Grabavoy, who was inserted into the match just before the end of the overtime session. “In a place where I grew up too, in a place that’s close to my heart it definitely feels good. I’m excited and our club is very excited. This is a big moment for Real Salt Lake.”
The Fire and Real were scoreless after 90 minutes of regulation time and another 30 minutes of extra time.
Real will face the Los Angeles Galaxy next Sunday in Seattle. Los Angeles defeated Houston Friday 2-0 in overtime to win the Western Conference title.
“It’s a real empty feeling,” Fire coach Denis Hamlett said. “There’s not really much you can say when [our guys] put everything out there.”
The Fire looked to have their passage to the final booked when they led 3-1 in the penalties.
But Nick Rimando made saves on John Thorrington, Logan Pause and Brandon Prideaux to set up Grabavoy’s heroics before a sellout crowd of 21,723 at Toyota Park.
Rimando had six saves during regulation and overtime. Clint Mathis, Robbie Findley, Kyle Beckerman and Will Johnson also scored for Real Salt Lake.
Despite holding home field advantage, the Fire struggled to settle into the game in the first half and was never able to get their game clicking. Referee Ricardo Salazar didn’t do the Fire any favors either, whistling them for 23 fouls to Real Salt Lake’s eight.
“It felt like every time that we had a chance to go on the break they committed fouls,” Hamlett said. “I don’t think the referee did a good enough job in terms of that part of it.”
The victory Saturday capped off a postseason in which Real knocked off the top team overall during the regular season, the Columbus Crew, and the second seed in the East in the Fire.
The Fire have lost three consecutive conference finals, and this game was the first to reach penalties since D.C. defeated New England in 2004.
![Today’s Highlight in History: On April 24, 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.) On this date: In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South. In 1915, in what’s considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/06/12/5LTPEE42BQ2O25ECG7SKBN4RV4.jpg?w=535 "Today’s Highlight in History: On April 24, 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.) On this date: In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South. In 1915, in what’s considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political […]")
