Salt Lake Celebrate Conference Win, Fire Stunned

BRIDGEVIEW, Il. -- After three hours of play and penalty shootout rounds resulted in watching another team raise the Eastern Conference trophy on their home field, Chicago Fire coach Denis Hamlett described the feeling of loss as "empty".

"All season we worked hard and stuck together and to get to this point and to lose the way we did tonight is tough." Hamlett explained. "It's a real empty feeling when it ends on PKs."

Hamlett found no fault in the effort of his Fire players, however. "They put everything out there and competed and tried," he stated.

Though he shone in the match by managing to save several difficult shots, Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch was clearly disappointed that he hadn't performed better in the final round of kicks.

"Nick did fantastic for them," Busch said of his counterpart, Nick Rimando, who saved multiple penalty attempts.

The loss hit the close-knit Fire squad hard. "This team has been through so much this year," Busch observed. "We're like a family in this locker room."

The Fire lost another penalty kick shootout in a final this season, in the SuperLiga competition.

The winning goalkeeper, Rimando, was modest about his exploits in helping Real Salt Lake to victory, giving his teammates credit as well as claiming the benefit of fortune.

"Luck was on our side tonight," Rimando said. "Everybody stepped up."

Real Salt Lake's iconic midfielder, dreadlocked Kyle Beckerman, didn't fear stepping next into the cauldron of the MLS Cup final, even against a glamour team such as the Los Angeles Galaxy, who boast Landon Donovan and David Beckham on their roster.

"Donovan is great," Beckerman praised. "He can win a game by himself. But when we're playing our best, I'm not going to pick any team to beat us."

After all, RSL had shown no feat in their showdown with the Fire, even with a charged stadium of gans cheering against them.

The losing coach was well aware that Salt Lake was capable. .

"When you get to this point, no one's going to hold back," Hamlett said. 

Isaac Heath, Goal.com, with assistance from Andrea Canales in Los Angeles.