Real Salt Lake, a team who limped into the postseason with the worst record for any playoff team, comes away with the 2009 MLS Cup trophy after enduring over 120 minutes of play and penalty kicks against the star-studded L.A. Galaxy.

Both keepers saved a pair of shots...the difference turned out to be a surprising miss by Landon Donovan, the U.S.A striker and captain of the Galaxy. His P.K. sailed nearly a foot over the crossbar, leaving a scoring deficit L.A. was unable to overcome. Credit Josh Saunders, the Galaxy keeper who came on as a substitute and played admirably in the second half of regulation and extra time, not to mention coming up big in the shootout.

Robbie Russell finished the final P.K. for RSL, falling to his knees in exhultation, soon covered by a pile of cheering teammates. Well-deserved celebration for a Cinderella team that wrote their own storybook ending.

RSL's Robbie Findley threatened in the first half of extra time, but a couple of good chances went off the side netting.

The second half of overtime brought more L.A. chances, but energy was running low on both sides. RSL's Andy Williams finished extra time flat on his back, collapsing from exhaustion before the final whistle. 120 minutes of intense play will do that to the most fit players.

After a first half that looked like the Galaxy would run away with the Cup, this match was evened-up in the 63rd minute. It started with a scramble in L.A.'s box, with RSL's Yura Movsisyan taking a shot that pelted an L.A. defender in the back. Robbie Findley was there to grab the rebound, finishing with a decisive strike to the corner, past Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts.

The crowd at Qwest went wild for Real Salt Lake's first goal, making it clear who the Seattle audience is pulling for. Soon after the goal, Josh Saunders replaced Ricketts, who apparently suffered a right hand contusion. This marks the first substitution of a goalkeeper in MLS Cup history.

Dangerous try from RSL in the 70th minute, when Yura Movsisyan takes a breakaway down the right side, hitting a shot high and wide of the net.

In the 73rd, Donovan goes down hard after a Robbie Russell challenge, but no call from referee Kevin Stott--well done by the official, it looked like embellishment from here. There's been surprisingly little diving in the game so far from what I can see, refreshing change of pace for this final.

Kyle Beckerman clipped David Beckham's heels in the 80th minute... about as much of the face-off between the two "Becks" as we've seen this match, despite much pre-game buildup of a rivalry between these star midfielders. Beckham has faded a bit in the second half, feeding the occasional smart pass to Galaxy forwards, but not making his presence felt as much as the first :45. Although the stands still light up and you can hear a buzz from the 46,011 fans at Qwest Field when Becks takes a corner.

The final minutes of regulation brought physical, knock-down, drag-out play, with possession traded back and forth between the Galaxy and RSL, but neither team able to finish their chances. We'll see at least 30 minutes of extra time...and then, penalties!

Real Salt Lake started the first half strong, holding possession early, and attacking right away to put the Galaxy back on their heels. Forward Robbie Findley was giving the L.A. defense headaches with quick runs into space. RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman living up to the hype, dictating pace in the midfield and feeding teammates with laser-like precision.

Of course, U.S. national team standout Landon Donovan is always dangerous on the counter-attack, with the capability of beating players and speed to leave them in the dust.

Around 15 minutes into the match, RSL's Javier Morales had his legs taken out from under him by David Beckham. The midfielder later tried to return to the pitch but was clearly unable to play...Clint Mathis tapped as replacement in the 21st minute (Morales was visibly upset, ice around his knee, wiping tears at being sidelined during the Cup Final).

Morales' absense contributed to the Galaxy slowing the pace of the game down, gaining better control, shifting the momentum noticeably for the rest of the half. Referee Kevin Stott was calling the play very tightly, also a factor in slowing things down.

LA's chances started coming fast and furious: 24 minutes in, Jovan Kirovski had shot on goal for LA... but RSL keeper Nick Rimando handles the ball skipping on Qwest Field's wet turf.

27th minute: Omar Gonzalez strikes a Beckham corner over the bar.

Very dangerous chance for LA in the 35th minute: Donovan speeding down the field with the ball, hitting Mike Magee on the left side for a low shot across the goal...just wide of Rimando's outstretched hand and the far post.

Soon after, a very similar play leads to the first goal of the night: Beckham takes the ball on top of the box, knocks it to Donovan on the right side, who crosses to find Mike Magee left of the goal for a one-touch finish past a helpless Nick Rimando.

RSL appeared promising early, but soon allowed L.A. to dictate play and inevitably gave up a goal to the dangerous Galaxy offense.

I'm live at Qwest Field ahead of the 2009 MLS Cup Final. Just finished the March to the Match along with hundreds of Real Salt Lake fans (and maybe five LA Galaxy supporters). The energy here is not quite the same as a Sounders match, but the incredible enthusiasm of the RSL crowd is infectious.

Here are a few pre-game images:

I'll be providing a few updates throught the game -- Kickoff is 5:55 PM -- but you can also listen live on KIRO 97.3 FM or watch on ESPN.

The Seattle Sounders may not be playing in Sunday's MLS Cup 2009, but it's clear the city will come out a winner regardless of the outcome between the L.A. Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.

MLS Logo adorning the Space Needle. Photo: Elaine Thompson, AP

Our region has set a new benchmark for soccer enthusiasm in America. The Sounders shattered the record for MLS attendance, averaging over 30-thousand fans per game, becoming the first American club to break the top fifty of most-watched sides in the world. League commissioner Don Garber called Seattle's inaugural season "arguably one of the best expansion launches in all of pro sports." saying it was a model for what soccer could become in the U.S.

As ink is spilled by reporters around the country touting Galaxy's or RSL's chances on Sunday, the host city is garnering as much attention from national media, in awe of Seattle's soccer success story. Thomas Cooper of CNN suggested Seattle was one of the few places where fans are turning away from traditionally dominant American sports to watch soccer, citing the lively supporters' culture and exit by the NBA's Sonics last year. The Miami Herald called us "the most fitting host" despite the weather, while LA Times' Grahame Jones declared that "in Seattle, MLS had the soccer success story of the year, perhaps of the decade." Of course, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl hit the nail on the head when he dubbed Seattle "Soccer City USA" in a recent Radio Sounders interview.

After the incredibly successful launch of a new MLS franchise here, it's only fitting for our city to have the spotlight Sunday evening at Qwest field.

Can’t shake the feeling that it’s all ending too soon. The Seattle Sounders have been eliminated from the first round of the MLS playoffs, falling to the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in overtime. The expansion team Cinderella story has been cut short, and Seattle soccer fans, hungry for an MLS cup in their inaugural season, are left empty-handed.

After several hard-fought battles throughout the season, it’s no surprise these two sides took over 120 minutes to resolve their differences. Yet unlike previous meetings with Houston, this match seemed an uphill battle for the Sounders from the beginning. Seattle never got a passing rhythm going, and the Dynamo dominated possession for most of the afternoon, winning midfield battles and getting to nearly every 50-50 ball first.

Ultimately, the Sounders’ offensive inconsistency--and inability to finish chances--proved their undoing. There were a few heartbreakers in the first half, as when Fredy Montero hit the side netting after beating Houston’s defense for a wide-open shot. Steve Zakuani nearly assisted Houston into an own-goal in the 36th minute, when keeper Pat Onstad had to scramble to save defender Geoff Cameron’s clearance. Seattle’s defense had to survive a Dynamo onslaught in the first half, with forward Dominic Oduro pounding several shots against Kasey Keller, including a close-call off the post in the 23rd minute.

The Sounders came out stronger in the second half, creating a few more chances on goal, but still failed to convert. Nate Jaqua missed a pair of opportunities, one on the 52nd minute off a Montero cross, the second in the 80th from a beautiful Roger Levesque set up. Houston was likewise having trouble cracking Seattle’s back line, led by Tyrone Marshall, returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for the first playoff leg. It looked for a while like these two defensive powerhouses would need penalty kicks to finish this intensely physical game.

Former USL Sounder Brian Ching drove the stake into Seattle’s season in the 96th minute, capitalizing on a missed clearance by Levesque and expertly driving a shot high to the far post. Overtime felt increasingly hopeless for the Sounders after Ching‘s goal, despite a promising attempt from Ljungberg in the 100th minute--a lofting cross that ended up floating dangerously toward the goal before getting punched over the bar by Onstad. Seattle looked worn out and wilted in the Texas humidity. Frustrations were running high in the final minutes, when James Riley’s errant tackle against Ricardo Clark earned him a red card. The emotion on the defenders’ face as he left the field spoke volumes about the heart of this team.

The soccer pub where I watched the match, The George & Dragon in Fremont, was filled to the brim with raucous fans in rave green scarves. As Seattle’s chances dwindled near the final minutes of overtime, the crowd grew quiet. It was hard to watch helplessly as our boys faltered, so far away from the sellout stadium, proud banners and inspiring cheers that buoyed them along on a charmed course all season. There’s still a certain level of disbelief: It feels too early to say goodbye, when enthusiasm for the new soccer team in town is just beginning to peak. I've never seen anything like the mutual love and support that grew immediately between Seattle fans and the Sounders' team. That spirit will be back next year, but it will never be quite the same as this initial, magical run, when the Sounders captured the city’s hearts for the first time.

Bruising play in the final 4 minutes of stoppage time. Ref finally calls a foul as Geoff Cameron trips up Nate Jaqua from behind. Ljungberg takes the kick just outside the box, but headed out by Houston's defense.

Ljungberg takes the corner, just barely over the heads of leaping Sounders in the box. Cross back in to Levesque just brushed wide.

Whistle blows on this first leg of the playoffs -- a disappointing tie for the home team.

Kasey Keller named man of the match, outstanding work in goal for Seattle tonight.

What's happened to Freddie Ljungberg? Three passes mishit and given away to Houston in the past ten minutes. He's working hard as ever but the Dynamo defense has shut down the diagonal passes much more effectively than the last few sides the Sounders have faced.

89th minute substitution for Houston -- Cam Weaver in for Brian Ching.

77th minute: Jaqua gets a brilliant pass from Ljungberg, who is fouled as he strikes a monster cross to the top of the box. With two defenders, Jaqua gets the shot off and hits the back of the net... but Onstad had stopped playing -- back at the halfway mark, the referee had blown the whistle on that Dynamo penalty against Ljungberg. Ridiculous that Salazar couldn't wait a split second to see who had the advantage before stopping play.

Soon after, Ljungberg dribbles himself into the box, under pressure taps a quick pass to Levesque in front of the goal, whose sliding shot is deflected by a Houston defender.

***Substitution: Sebastien LeToux in for Steve Zakuani in the 82nd minute. Fresh legs we need to spark some offense?