Your place for pre- and post- game discussion. Also, remember if you have any questions for the players or coaches, post here before halftime and I will do what I can.

Venue:
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

Weather:
Partly Cloudy and 61 degrees

Referees:
Head Ref: Ricardo Salazar
Asst Ref: Adam Wienckowski
Asst Ref: George Gansner
4th Official: Mark Geiger

Actual Lineups:

Real Salt Lake (1 Loss and 1 Tie Against Chicago Fire in 2009)
GK Nick Rimando
RB Robbie Russell
CB Jamison Olave
CB Nat Borchers
LB Chris Wingert
RM Andy Williams
CM Javier Morales
CM Kyle Beckerman – Captain
LM Will Johnson
RS Robbie Findley
LS Yura Movsisyan

Subs
GK Chris Seitz
DF Tony Beltran
MF Jean Alexandre
MF Ned Grabavoy
MF Clint Mathis
FW Pablo Campos
FW Fabian Espindola

Chicago Fire (1 Win and 1 Tie Against Real Salt Lake in 2009)
GK Jon Busch
RB Brandon Prideaux
CB Dasan Robinson
CB C.J. Brown -Captain
LB Daniel Woolard
RM Chris Rolfe
CM Logan Pause
CM John Thorrington
LM Marco Pappa
RS Brian McBride
LS Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Subs
GK Andrew Dykstra
DF Wilman Conde
MF Austin Washington
MF Mike Banner
MF Justin Mapp
FW Patrick Nyarko
FW Calen Carr

PRE-GAME:
-Sorry delay in getting to park

IN-GAME:
29min: So far a spirited game with Pappa and Blanco wreaking havoc in the box and Movsisyan doing the same for RSL.
30min: Blanco putting on a dribbling and shielding clinic on the right gets the ball forward and his teammate is fouled by RSL. Section 8 chanting and waving flags. Great atmosphere.
34min: Blanco running down a long ball by Busch just left of the goal, but just a little too far for Mr. White.
35min: Williams with some cuts near the left side of the goal and wins a corner, but the Fire defense is stone walling everything.
36min: Rolfe with a move up the left wins a corner from his low cross. Earlier RSL is really fighting with a lot of heart. Movsisyan is sliding into tackle balls away up top.
37min: Rimando with some shaky moments. Almost gave the ball away in front of goal.
39min: Rolfe skating up the right and sends a ball across to Logan Pause,l who gets tackled by Morales. YELLOW CARD for Morales and a free kick for the Fire from the top left of the box. Wow, Blanco curls the shot around the wall, but Rimando is well positioned.
43min: RSL lofting balls into the biox, but being cleared by Fire. Both sides pressing as much as possible. Woolard sends a long ball over the group to the goalie, looking for an onrushing Blanco. That final pass just isn’t there yet.
45min: Dangerous moments for the Fire as the ball is run into the box by Findley and Morales gets of a shot at goal, but just wide right. Wow, Findley and Movsisyan rushing goal and Movsisyan gets off a close range shot that Busch somehow stops with his body.

HALFTIME
Shots: RSL 5, FIRE 3
Shots On Goal: RSL 3, Fire 1
Saves: RSL 1, Fire 3
Fouls: RSL 8, Fire 4
Corners: RSL 1, Fire 5
Offsides: RSL 2, Fire 1

46min: We’re back and RSL in control up top. No subs at the half. Fire on the counter and after some footwork by Rolfe, Blanco lofts the ball a little too far, but Prideaux with some nice moves in those old legs to shield the ball and get it back. Fire can’t make the final pass and on the other end, RSL is fouled for a free kick at the top right of the box.
49min: Morales curls the ball to the outside of the net on the right. Wow, thought for sure that was in.
51min: Thorrington with a ball from Rolfe at midfield gets in the middle of a RSL four man sandwich for a free kick for the Fire. Lose it up field and RSL on the counter. Section 8 non-stop chanting. Awesome stuff! Big crowd.

Tonight’s attendance is 21,723!

53min: Rolfe on a run up the left but is stripped. Movsisyan on the other end is on the ground in the box after hanging out with CJ Brown. No one is buying it.
55min: After some nice passes by Blanco, Rolfe ends up with it on the left, but is again shutdown. Maybe time for Nyarko?
56min: LARGE Fire chant shaking the stadium. Nice! Fire cross from left but Rimando beats McBride to it.
58min: Wow, Wingert slips a ball ina s he runs up from the left and Morales dishes it to Movsisyan in the box, but Fire defender able to make him miss wide right. Scary moments again for the Fire. Fire attack from the right and move the ball around to the left, but Woolard is stripped.
60min: Neither team can get that final pass/shot, but both teams are having chances. LOL, Blanco running forward for a long ball and then gets in Rimando’s face. Love it!
62min: Beckerman gets the ball after Morales and Movsisyan move it around outside the box. Low shot that Busch gobbles up with plenty of warning.
63min: Pappa spins past Wingert and runs up the right for a shot at goal…directly at Rimando.
64min: Ball in the box and everyone winding up but Thorrington takes the shot and Rimando nearly loses it. Fire were smelling blood. I think the speed of Nyarko would destroy Wingert right now. no, subs yet.
66min: RSL runs it up the right and Fire keep it away from being a shot, but RSL gets a corner. No result.
67min: McBride as target man get the ball and flicks it to the right for Blanco, who leads Thorrington into the box on the right, but Rimando literally jumps on it. Again, the Fire attack as Prideaux is fed a ball up the right and lets off a cross to Rolfe in the box, whose header is just over the bar.
68min: Williams out, Mathis in. McBride taken down and no call. Mathis already being quite active in passing and ball movement. Again neither team can make the final pass. Thorrington on the break and leads the ball a little ahead of his foot and Will Johnson simply takes it.
72min: CJ Brown stops a ball that gets fed out to the right and Robinson totally strips the attacker and wins the ball back to the Fire. Wow! Beasts!
73min: Movsisyan out, Espindola in. McBride lets off a long range shot from the right that is wide right.
75min: Pappa taken down and Fire win a free kick in their own third. Wingert gets a YELLOW card and Nyarko is coming on. Nyarko in, Pappa out.
78min: Woolard makes a run up the left and after beating one man, slams into 2 RSL players.
79min: Nice long through ball for Nyarko but just a little to far ahead and RSL intercepts. Nice idea though.
80min: McBride looking tired. RSL have possession but lose it.
82min: Lots of ball movement around the box and McBride eventually gets it to Rolfe, who misses wide left. Nyarko crushed by RSL as he literally runs into a wall. Fire free kick and again eventually ends with McBride trapping and setting up Rolfe who misses again.
86min: Wow, Nyarko slips ball in the middle to Blanco, who dummy/bakcheels it forward to an onrunning Thorrington on the breakaway, who then dishes left to McBride who shoots from the left but misses goal low and wide right.
88min: McBride playing defense and slips the ball up the right to Nyarko, who lays it off to Thorrington, but lays it off in turn behind Blanco. Nyarko again on the move and same setup, except McBride receives the ball and can’t quite get it to Blanco on the left.

3 mins of stoppage time! McBride calling on Nyarko to cover his man during a throw-in. RSL with possession now. Section 8 full of red flares and Busch scoops up a weak RSL shot. So much smoke, Busch is telling Section 8 to stop. Amazing amount of smoke around Busch. Bushc punches out RSL corner from the smoke and Fire somehow win it with an onrushing Nyarko who is fed the ball and slips it to an onrushing Thorrington, who gets tangled up in RSL defenders in the box.

FIRST OVERTIME
1min: We’re back! RSL with possession, but Blanco on breakaway backheels it back to be sent forward to McBride. Nice touch!
4min: Conde on the sideline, looking to come in as RSL circle the Fire box.
5min: Woolard out, Conde in.
6min: Johnson fouls Nyarko on the breakaway and yells at the ref. Could the last sub we see be Banner or Mapp for the Fire? Blanco with a run in and stepover in the box on the left and tries to get a foul called in the box for grabbing but not happening. Espindola and Conde grabbing each other and having a little chat. 10min: YELLOW card for Beckerman. RSL on run forward and move ball back and Rimando walks out to shank the ball.
12min; Nyarko on the right with a nice slip past a defender on the goal line and sends it in for a deflection that Morales handles with his hand at the top of the box. Free kick at the top of the box.
13min: Blanco curls a shot over the wall and to the left that Rimando has to dive to save.
15min: Nice ball slipped to Nyarko, who runs it to the line and instead of a corner, it’s a goal kick. Looked like a bad call. Rolfe and Beckerman cramping a little.

SECOND OVERTIME:
1min: Section 8 chanting as RSL start with the ball. Busch catches the ball in the goal from a long hanging shot. Nyarko on the receiving end of the goal kick and a push from Wingert. Foul now by Fire on RSL. Getting sloppy/chippy as people are tired. McBride doing a lot of walking.
3min: CJ Brown stops a ball and a second with his face/head. Nyarko on the counter takes too long and ball gets slipped out but Fire ping it off RSL and win a corner. Nyarko recovers the corner and wins another.
4min: Rolfe out, Mapp in.
5min: Conde running around like a madman and strips RSL and the ball heads up top and now Nyarko taken down from behind by Johnson. YELLOW card for Will Johnson.
7min: Ball for Mapp and he misses it. Rusty? Ball in Busch’s hands after weak cross by RSL after stripping Mapp.
8min: RSL moving the ball around. Mapp not doing much defensively. Nyarko on the other hand slide tackles a ball away.
9min: Ball sent to Mapp but he isn’t fast enough to get to it. Nyarko on the ground, no one stopping play for a long time. Blanco is pissed that no one is stopping the game for Nyarko. Lots of players stretching as the game is on pause. Blanco gets a YELLOW card for spitting in the general direction of the ref and/or arguing. Nyarko with head wound. Wingert off as he was cramping. So both Nyarko and he have yet to re-enter. Nyarko has head bandage and new jersey and is on.
15min: Mapp with a dash up the left and his cross wins a corner. Nyarko with a cheeky backheel to Mapp, who goes flying, but with no call.

Robbie Russel off, Ned Grabavoy on. Mapp with a weak shot on goal.

PENALTY KICKS:
Blanco: Hits cross bar and down and in. FIRE 1 RSL 0
Mathis: Straight down the middle and fools Busch FIRE 1 RSL 1
McBride: Top right corner FIRE 2 RSL 1
Morales: Skies it and completely misses the box. FIRE 2 RSL 1
Conde: Just above Rimando and in. FIRE 3 RSL 1
Findley: Short quick shot in the middle. FIRE 3 RSL 2
Thorrington: Rimando punches it wide left. FIRE 3 RSL 2
Beckerman: Sends it hard left corner. FIRE 3 RSL 3
CJ Brown: light touch into left corner FIRE 4 RSL 3
Johnson: sends it in hard, FIRE 4 RSL 4
Pause: punched left by Rimando FIRE 4 RSL 4
Espindola: Skies it FIRE 4 RSL 4
Prideaux: Rimando punches it left FIRE 4 RSL 4
Grabavoy: goes left and Busch touches it but can’t keep it out of goal. FIRE 4 RSl 5

REAL SALT LAKE ARE EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS AND HEAD TO MLS CUP TO PLAY THE LA GALAXY!

-Patrick Beatty