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The game is labeled the MLS Cup, but the trophy awarded to the winning team is named after the Los Angeles Galaxy's owner.
No wonder Real Salt Lake's owners are so driven to beat Philip F. Anschutz himself.
At this point, there's not much Dave Checketts and Dell Loy Hansen can do except cheer themselves hoarse and hope for the best Sunday night at Qwest Field. They still would love to win a championship, and that applies equally to the co-owner whose involvement in Utah pro sports dates back 25-plus years and the one whose investment became finalized only four days before the title game.
Formerly the Jazz's president, Checketts twice reached the NBA Finals as the New York Knicks' top administrator, only to lose each time. Those experiences stick with him, and he intends to drive that point home to RSL's players before kickoff.
"I'm going to tell our players how precious it is to get this close," Checketts said. "You've got to win it while you're there."
That's the real backdrop for this event, beyond all the standard framing of the Galaxy's David Beckham and Landon Donovan vs. RSL's no-names. Regardless of how these teams arrived here, it is one game -- 90 minutes (or more) to determine a champion. That's an incredible opportunity for this fifth-year franchise, one that may never come again.
Kyle Beckerman is in his 10th season in the league at age 27, and is finally playing in the MLS Cup. The
It comes at the conclusion of a memorable year for Beckerman, who played in his first MLS All-Star Game at Rio Tinto Stadium in July and then joined the American team in a World Cup qualifying victory over El Salvador on his home field in September.
Winning the MLS Cup "would just be a great ending to a fun season," Beckerman said. "It's been on my mind for a while. I really wanted to get to that final, to see what it's all about."
Same with Hansen, although for less time and from a different perspective. A successful property manager and self-described soccer dad, the Logan resident bought not quite half of the franchise this week, after working on the deal toward the end of the regular season and during the playoff run through Columbus and Chicago -- while he traveled to the games and his investment became more valuable.
"I think Dave, had he been a lesser man, would have rethought the price," Hansen said, smiling.
"I've just fallen in love with this team," Hansen added, labeling RSL "the little engine that nobody bet on."
Nobody's sure where that phrase came from, but Hansen also invoked the more familiar Goliath analogy in discussing the Galaxy.
Indeed, Los Angeles has the backing of Anschutz's AEG worldwide sports and entertainment company that owns hockey's L.A. Kings, many arenas and other holdings, including a share of the Lakers. Having owned multiple franchises, he's personally credited with keeping MLS afloat.
That's why his name is on the championship trophy, which does not mean he owns it.
Standing in Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy the other day, Hansen said, "If [RSL] can have the heart to go in there and take on Beckham and Donovan and come home with the trophy, this city ought to explode. We've never had anything like that in Salt Lake."
Nobody who remembers 1971 would underestimate what the Utah Stars' ABA title meant to the state. But that was a long time ago. This is a rare chance for a Utah pro sports breakthrough, which is a commentary both on the past and the future.
