Tuesday’s Superliga final was an entertaining game, but at the end it was maybe “too peaceful,” writes Frank Dell’Apa. Celebrations were low-key as players immediately exchanged shirts after New England’s penalty kick win over Houston, and “Revolution captain Steve Ralston could not have been much more subdued as he collected the SuperLiga trophy.”
Both teams wanted to “make a statement” about their unhappiness over the distribution of the competition’s prize money, with Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad calling the shirt exchange “a show of unity. We believe our CBA [collective bargaining agreement] rights were violated and it was set up that we were playing for $1 million, when that was not the case. We are a little disappointed about how it was handled.”
Nonetheless, writes Dell’Apa, “though the final was conceived in the spirit of cooperation, it was a highly competitive match, more open than the last two MLS Cups.” Revolution defender Jay Heaps, out through suspension, called it “the hardest-fought game of the year. It was one of the best games I’ve seen. The SuperLiga is an awesome tournament. The biggest statement we made was shutting out three Mexican teams.”