All across MLS last night, American soccer fans set aside club allegiances to support Real Salt Lake as they fought back twice for a 2-2 draw against Monterrey in the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League finals. And though MLS teams are still just 0-21-4 all-time in Mexico in official competitions, Real Salt Lake now returns home to Rio Tinto Stadium in prime position to become the first team to represent MLS in the FIFA Club World Cup.
WATCH: Highlights from 2-2 draw
They can accomplish the feat with a win to take the aggregate series outright, but a draw will also do if next Wednesday’s finale ends scoreless or 1-1, thanks to their two away goals in the opening leg. Take into consideration RSL boasts a League-best 34-game home unbeaten streak in all competition and one can sense the anticipation of soon seeing an MLS club taking on giants from Europe and South America for the right to call themselves the top team in the world.
Who was the last team to beat Real Salt Lake on their home field? None other than Kansas City, courtesy of two goals from former forward Josh Wolff on May 16th, 2009.
And that isn’t Sporting KC’s only twist in this tale. Should Salt Lake be crowned CONCACAF champions, they will have become only the second team in MLS history to win a home-and-home series with a Mexican opponent, joining the 2002 Kansas City squad (shown above) that defeated Santos Laguna 3-2 on aggregate in the 2002 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The 2002 tournament was one of two occasions when KC participated in CONCACAF competition, along with the 2005 season, and as Kansas City has learned, anything can happen. Read below for a look back at Sporting Kansas City’s short, but storied past in CONCACAF play…
Kansas City’s last appearance on the CONCACAF stage ended in heartbreaking fashion during the 2005 MLS pre-season against two-time regional champions and reigning tournament runners-up Deportivo Saprissa in the quarterfinal round of the eight-team Champions Cup. Deportivo Saprissa, owned by Chivas USA investor Jorge Vergara, featured eight Costa Rica National Team Members, including current Real Salt Lake Designated Player and the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League second-leading scorer Alvaro Saborio.
Having qualified as MLS Cup runners-up the previous season, Head Coach Bob Gansler’s side fought to a scoreless draw on a Bo Oshoniyi shutout at Arrowhead Stadium and looked assured of advancing to face Monterrey after defender Jose Luis Burciaga, Jr. gave KC the 1-0 series lead on a free kick from 25 yards out in the 79th minute of the return match in front of the hostile Costa Rican crowd.
But the home side tallied the equalizer in the final minute of stoppage time and without the away goal tiebreaker, Deportivo Saprissa notched the game-winner six minutes into extra time. KC nearly drew even on another free kick, as midfielder Chris Klein’s blast from 30 yards out struck the crossbar, but Saprissa held on en route to eventually becoming tournament champions and reaching the semifinals of the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup, where they fell 3-0 to Liverpool in Japan.
That game marked the club’s first match on foreign soil in official competition since 2002, when Kansas City recorded their best international performance in team history, reaching the semifinals of the Champions Cup. The run began against Trinidad’s W Connection FC in the first round.
Striker Francisco Gomez’s goal in the 85th minute of the opener came just three minutes after entering for the 1-0 away win and KC doubled the performance with a 2-0 win at Arrowhead Stadium on two goals in a three-minute span, first on a soft shot from Mike Burns and the second from Preki, who had returned from Miami in the off-season.
After posting two shutouts, U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tony Meola led KC into the quarterfinals against Santos Laguna, who had beaten the then-Wizards twice the season before in the 2001 Copa Merconorte. KC fell behind early, conceding the first of two goals from Mexican striker Eduardo Lillingston 90 seconds into the match, but the bench again proved pivotal as all three second half subs combined to cut the deficit in the 81st minute on a goal from Gary Glasgow to finish the first leg down 2-1.
The necessary two-goal victory came to fruition in the return match at Arrowhead Stadium on set piece goals from Carey Talley and Chris Brown to eliminate a confident Santos Laguna side that had chosen to rest several starters. To this date, it stands as the only home-and-home series victory by an MLS team over a Mexican club and it moved KC to one of the final four teams in the 16-team tourney.
Kansas City then returned to Mexico for their toughest test yet in the semifinals against Monarcas Morelia at Estadio Morelos amidst a congested schedule that saw KC as the only MLS team still alive in three competitions, along with MLS play and the U.S. Open Cup. A scoreless first 45 minutes boded well for KC, but it all went awry in the second half as Morelia took a six-goal lead before KC striker Dario Fabbro scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute.
Though Kansas City managed a 1-1 draw in the return leg despite playing with 9-men for most of the match and sending a single shot on goal, the 7-2 aggregate ended an otherwise good run that featured several current Sporting Kansas City figures.
Manager Peter Vermes appeared in five of the six matches in the 2002 tournament, while assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin was a starter for each. Current captain Davy Arnaud, a rookie in 2002 (shown on right), also tallied an assist in the semifinals.
See below for a list of KC's all-time goal scorers and players with assists in CONCACAF competition…
Goals Scored
Chris Brown 2
Francisco Gomez 1
Mike Burns 1
Preki 1
Gary Glasgow 1
Carey Talley 1
Dario Fabbro 1
Jose Luis Burciaga Jr 1
Assists
Gary Glasgow 2
Preki 2
Francisco Gomez 1
Stephen Armstrong 1
Davy Arnaud 1
Diego Gutierrez 1