Sporting Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake in penalties on Saturday night to claim the 2013 MLS Cup title.

After 90 minutes of regulation, 30 minutes of extra time and two nice goals from Alvaro Saborio and Aurelien Collin, Sporting managed to edge RSL 7-6 after 10 rounds of penalties.

Here are six thoughts from the game.

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Sporting Kansas City came out on top in a 10-round shootout following a 1-1 tie to defeat Real Salt Lake and win the 2013 MLS Cup on Saturday at Sporting Park.

This is the second time, and first since 2000, that Sporting KC have hoisted the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

This wasn't the most beautifully played match, but it was exciting. 

There was also a decent reason for why the players weren't performing at their peak ability. It was insanely cold for this match:  

With a matchup of MLS' highest scoring team, Real Salt Lake, and the league's stingiest defense, Sporting KC, fans witnessed a tale of two halves.

The first was a defensive affair inspired by the strong defensive pressure of Sporting.

Salt Lake took just three shots in the half and none were on goal. Conversely, Kansas City took 10 shots with three coming on goal in the first half. 

Sporting was the far more aggressive side in the half and it helped them take Real Salt Lake out of their game. RSL likes to control possession and build a rhythm. Sporting kept them from doing that with intense on-the-ball pressure and wound up winning 52 percent of possession for the first half. 

Were it not for the stellar play of goalkeeper Nick Rimando, RSL would have entered halftime facing a deficit: 

As it was, the two teams entered the break locked at zero. 

Something Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis said at halftime must have clicked with his team. The second half saw more offensive success for both teams, and that started with RSL.

They came out in the second half looking far more fluid and effective from the start. It quickly paid off in the form of the match's first goal.

Kyle Beckerman was a huge part of the improved play for Salt Lake. The 31-year-old midfielder was directing traffic and making accurate and aggressive passes. One such pass found the feet of Alvaro Saborio inside the penalty area. After a quality first touch, Saborio was able to slide in a score in the side of the goal.      

Real Salt Lake were understandably excited: 

With the backing of a boisterous and cold fanbase, Sporting continued to press and keep the pressure on to prove they wouldn't wilt in the face of a deficit.

Both sides missed out a great opportunity to add a goal in the following minutes. Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales had a shot bounce off the inside of the post for the narrowest of misses.

In the 76th minute, however, Sporting's Aurelien Collin did not miss. The 27-year-old defender netted a header off a corner. This time, it was the home's side chance to have a little sideline celebration: 

There was not another serious threat on goal for the remainder of regulation time, and with that, the two needed extra time to determine the winner of the 2013 MLS Cup:

Just minutes into extra time, we had the rarest of sightings: a Graham Zusi shot on goal. Were it not for an excellent play by Rimando, it would have been a scoring shot: 

Around the 15-minute mark of extra time, Saborio netted a header. It was all for naught, though. Saborio was ruled to be offside. 

The remainder of extra time was rather dull, which played right into Real Salt Lake's hands. Rimando is known for past heroic performances in shootouts and is arguably the greatest penalties goalkeeper in the history of MLS. 

Meanwhile, Jimmy Nielsen had not been looking all that fluid in goal for Sporting throughout the match. It might have been the biting cold, but the 36-year-old was looking every bit his age. 

Apparently, none of that mattered. 

Saborio was the first to kick for RSL, and he missed wide right. Ned Grabavoy took the second shot. Nielsen guessed right and turned it away. With Sporting drilling their first two shots, KC was in firm control. 

Sporting had to make just two of their remaining three penalties to guarantee victory. Rimando saved one and Zusi just flat-out missed his shot. With RSL confidently drilling their remaining three shots, even more extra play was needed to determine a champion. 

On their third extra attempt, Lawrence Olum hit a rather weak effort wide left, which gave RSL a shot to net a penalty and win the Cup. Neilsen wasn't having it. He stopped the effort of Sebastian Velasquez.

In the 10th round of kicks, Lovel Palmer needed to net a goal to keep RSL alive. He hit one down the middle that clanked off the crossbar and away from the goal. With that, Sporting Kansas City took the win and the Cup. 

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After a grueling but successful playoff run, two of Major League Soccer's best in Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake are all set to square off in the winner-take-all 2013 MLS Cup this weekend. 

Kansas City will host the event since they finished with more points during the regular season.

Both clubs have won the MLS Cup once in the past, with Salt Lake hoisting the crown most recently in 2009. Kansas City is playing for its first title since 2004, but looking to win its first since 2000, back when they were still known as the Wizards. 

Eastern Conference champions Kansas City has been made the favorite by the oddsmakers (per Bovada), but a strong case can be made for both squads. 

With talent across the board, highlighted by stars like Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber, Saturday's championship showdown is sure to feature a number of twists and turns and produce plenty of fireworks.

With kickoff right around the corner, let's get you set with everything you need to know for MLS Cup 2013.

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2013

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local time)

Where: Sporting Park, Kansas City

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3.com

Match Forecast*

Sporting Kansas City: 51.0 percent

Real Salt Lake: 22.8 percent

Draw: 26.2 percent

*Odds according to Bloomberg Sports. In case of draw, 30 minutes of extra time will be added. If there's no winner after 120-plus minutes, penalty shootout will follow.

Both Sides Preparing for a Physical Matchup

Don't expect these two sides to make any new friends on Saturday afternoon. Instead, anticipate a physical and somewhat chippy championship clash.

After all, Salt Lake have developed a brute reputation, earning the second-most combined yellow and red cards of any MLS club this season (70), per Sporting News. Meanwhile, Kansas City defender Aurelien Collin leads all MLS players with 14 yellow cards this year. 

Clearly, neither side will be devoid of toughness on Saturday.

While Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales may have exaggerated the differences between the two clubs, he's well aware of the physicality Kansas City brings to the table, per MLSSoccer.com: "They are a pretty physical team. They play one kind of soccer totally different from us." 

Prediction 

With one match to decide it all, it's hard to pick against the home team. And in addition to possessing a crowd advantage, the Eastern Conference representatives are arguably the league's best defensive unit.

Kansas City conceded an MLS-best 30 goals in 34 regular-season games this year and let in just one in two matches against the Houston Dynamo in last month's Eastern Conference Championship. Plus, in their two previous playoff matchups at Sporting Park, Kansas City has outscored its opponents by a combined mark of 5-2.

That's crucial when you consider the fact that Salt Lake has only managed one goal in two earlier playoff matches on the road. 

As a result, I'm predicting Kansas City will win a physical, low-scoring match with plenty of yellow cards on Saturday. 

Sporting Kansas City 1, Real Salt Lake 0 

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Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City will compete for the same 2013 MLS Cup Trophy on Saturday, Dec. 7, but they won’t compete with the same strategy.

Each football club has a different key that will swing the match its way if accomplished. Here are those keys.

Real Salt Lake: Push the Tempo

Only one team scored more goals in the regular season this year than the Royals. Their offensive is explosive, and their best chance to claim the MLS Cup crown is to take advantage of that explosiveness by pushing the tempo.

Leading this lethal scoring attack will be the top goal scorer and assist man in the contest. Alvaro Saborio scored 12 goals this season, finishing tied for seventh in MLS. Javier Morales, who scored eight goals himself, also notched 10 assists, fourth most in the league.

Sitting back and playing it safe takes the game out of the hands of Saborio and Morales. Pushing the tempo allows Real Salt Lake’s offensive stars to shine.

Sporting Kansas City: Take Smart Shots

Kansas City scored 10 fewer goals than Real Salt Lake this season, despite attempting 52 more shots. And despite attempting 52 more shots, Sporting finished with 13 fewer shots on goal than the Royals.

Kansas City clearly isn’t as gifted at putting the ball in the net. It would benefit from not only slowing the tempo down, but taking full advantage of each of its opportunities. Firing as many shots as possible doesn’t win football games—they must be accurate shots.

Sporting KC only has one footballer who scored more than seven goals this season, Claudio Beiler, and he hasn’t started since September. Kansas City will win the title if performs efficiently on offense and its defense, which allowed seven fewer goals than Real Salt Lake, maintains its dominance.

David Daniels is a Breaking News Writer for Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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While many in Kansas City will likely be tuned in to the SEC Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET—along with the rest of the country—those that do will miss seeing their MLS team, Sporting KC, win the MLS Cup over Real Salt Lake. 

In the great football-versus-footy debate, the former will probably win out on Saturday when Missouri takes on Auburn. But for those who do choose the latter in Kansas City, they'll be treated to a championship performance.

There are plenty of reasons to favor Kansas City in this contest. For one, home-field advantage is in their favor, as Sporting KC will host the final. In their home digs, the club took 30 of a possible 51 points in the MLS regular season and won both playoff legs. 

It's not the MLS' biggest home-field advantage, but it will be important: Of Real Salt Lake's 11 losses between the regular season and playoffs, eight came on the road.  

There is also the simple matter of precedent: In their one meeting this year, Sporting KC defeated Real Salt Lake, 2-1, in Salt Lake City, behind goals from Soony Saad and Ike Opara. However, Opara's goal did come seven minutes into second-half stoppage time, so the match was certainly tightly contested.

Kansas City was also the better team in the regular season, though just by two points, as Sporting KC finished with 58 points to Real Salt Lake's 56. And fans of the latter will note that their squad has won three of four playoff legs and lost just once in their past eight matches.

Still, Sporting KC is loaded with talent. There are U.S. internationals Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. Jimmy Nielsen, Aurelien Collin and Uri Rosell have been excellent for the club this season. Chance Myers and CJ Sapong are regular fixtures in the lineup.

In many ways, these rosters are similar, as both teams shrewdly built through the draft and found excellent bargains in the international market who have turned into major contributors. The difference to be found, then, is where each team thrives on the pitch.

If defense indeed wins championships, it would be prudent to side with the home club. Sporting KC gave up just 30 goals during the regular season, fewest in the league. Of course, a strong defense will be tested against the league's second-best offense, as only the New York Red Bulls (58) scored more goals than Real Salt Lake (57).

Add it all up, and it's easy to see why Sporting KC should be favored, albeit in a match that should be very competitive. They have the home-field advantage, they won the one meeting between the clubs and they boast the stingier defense. 

Expect Kansas City to be crowned MLS champions, even if everyone in the city is watching the SEC Championship instead.

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The 2013 Major League Soccer season will come to an end on Saturday afternoon with an appetizing matchup between Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City at the 2013 MLS Cup final. 

The two small-market teams have shown plenty of resolve throughout the season and they feature two of the best managers in America - Jason Kreis and Peter Vermes. 

Sporting will play host to the Claret and Cobalt at Sporting Park due to a better regular season points total. 

The match, which will be televised on ESPN at 4 p.m. ET, has plenty of intriguing storylines and will display some of the best American talent out there.

Continue reading for a complete preview of the 2013 MLS Cup final. 

*All statistics obtained from MLSSoccer.com. 

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The MLS Cup has officially come down to two teams with vastly different approaches to the game. One relies on smothering opponents defensively, while the other was one of the top scoring teams in the league.

But while both have played their game well as of late, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake contest is eerily similar to a battle of David vs. Goliath. This time, instead of wielding a slingshot, Real Salt Lake will need to find a way just to get by the Sporting KC backfield to simply find scoring opportunities.

Sporting KC's suffocating defense

Coming into the season, Sporting Kansas City had a target on their backs after giving up the fewest goals in the league in 2012. In 2013, the club did the exact same thing, allowing the fewest goals in back-to-back seasons.

Much of that success is thanks in large part to Matt Besler, one of the best defenders for the United States Men's National Team this season as well. When asked about the feat, Besler told Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star: 

The goal I set for myself was to have the best defense in the league. Last year we gave up the fewest goals, and I knew we had the chance to do that again this year. … For us to give up the fewest goals two years running, that was the achievement I was looking forward to the most and the one I’m most proud of.

Along with Besler, Sporting KC also has one of the best goalkeepers in the MLS in Jimmy Nielsen. The 36-year-old finished the season with 68 saves, just six off from the 74 saves he registered a season ago.

After being named the 2012 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and Best XI selection, Nielsen has become the MLS all-time leader in goals against average with more than 100 MLS matches played for the Sporting KC.

The only way the club's defense could get any better is if they added a certain fan from the Kansas City Chiefs by the name of Dontari Poe:

More-than-capable front line

While Real Salt Lake will come in with the second-best scoring offense in the 58 points, Sporting KC always finds a way to eek out wins. Against the L.A. Galaxy, Real Salt Lake was able to score just two goals during the two-match playoff and was held scoreless in the final match.

For Sporting KC, the numbers have been there like they have for Real Salt Lake, but it's not from a lack of talent. The club will need a good showing from forwards C.J. Sapong and Claudio Bieler along with two other members of the U.S. Men's National Team in midfielders Graham Zusi and Benny Feilhaber.

If these four combined stars can help maintain possession for Sporting KC, it should be a fairly easy MLS Cup. Lest we never forget, Sapong is also a very skilled poet who nearly wooed Hope Solo a few years ago:

With a defense that has allowed more than one goal throughout the playoffs just once and an offense that can attack at any point, Sporting Kansas City should defeat Real Salt Lake to take home their second MLS Cup in five years.

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Kansas City and Real Salt Lake wouldn't be facing off on Dec. 7 for the 2013 MLS Cup title without several explosive offensive talents.

Here are the most exciting Sporting and Royals players to keep an eye out for in the championship. They'll likely decide the contest's outcome.

4. Graham Zusi, Kansas City

The versatile 27-year-old midfielder's play this season earned him a roster spot on the MLS All-Stars this season. Zusi didn't score a goal in November, but he'll still enter the championship ranked third on the club with six goals this season.

Even more valuable than his scoring, though, is Zusi's ability to create offense for his teammates. He leads Sporting with seven assists, his latest coming in a 3-1 victory over New England.

3. Alvaro Saborío, Real Salt Lake

No goal scorer in the MLS Cup final has accomplished more than Saborío this season. He's racked up 12 goals in 2013, tying him for seventh in the league in scoring. 

The 31-year-old Costa Rican's most recent highlight came when he converted a penalty kick against Chivas USA on Oct. 23, creating a lead that the Royals would hold on to for the 2-1 triumph. He, like Zusi, will be itching to put a dent in the scoreboard after also going goalless in November.

2. Claudio Bieler, Kansas City

Bieler may not play many minutes in the 2013 MLS Cup final. He was an unused substitute in two out of Kansas City's last four matches. He also came off the bench only in the 83rd and 90th minute of the other two. However, limited minutes don't take away from the fact that Bieler is one of the most thrilling offensive talents when he's on the field.

Despite being in the doghouse much of the year, he still led Sporting in scoring with 11 goals, tying him for 10th in the MLS. He's also third on the club with four assists.

The 29-year-old forward has proven that he doesn't need to start to impact the outcome of a game. He took advantage of his one shot attempt against New England on Nov. 6, scoring a goal after entering the match 83 minutes in.

1. Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake

The 33-year-old midfielder is just one of many exciting footballers in this matchup, but he's been the most consistent out of all of them. He's second on the team with nine goals and tied for second in the MLS with nine assists, which also leads the Royals.

While his play has been exceptional all season, he's saved his best for the playoffs. Morales has recorded a goal and two assists in Salt Lake's last three matches. No goal-producing talent on either club has been hotter, and that's why he's the most exciting footballer to watch.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

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The latest installment in the never-ending story surrounding Major League Soccer and its expansion plans arrived last week, as Orlando City Soccer Club was officially announced as the league’s 21st franchise, to join New York City Football Club as new entrants in 2015.

The story of football’s expansion and rise in the US is impressive, especially given the context of its domestic league’s relative young age, but a look at the FIFA World Rankings shows that at 14th place (as of the time of writing), the US is here to stay.

To explore just how football has developed in America though, we have to first look back across the pond and to the Premier League, whose increasingly globalized product is at the heart of it all.

NBC Sports deliver polished Premier League product to US audiences

The new PL carrier in England, BT Sport, recently struck a groundbreaking deal to carry the Champions League from 2015-2018, as reported by BBC Sport.

But they’re arguably not even the biggest newcomer to have caused waves through the football television industry. That accolade goes to America’s NBC Sports, who have well and truly taken football coverage in the U.S. up several notches, especially in comparison with the likes of FOX Soccer and ESPN.

NBC’s coverage is a curiously familiar one, especially to those already well versed in typical English broadcasts. There’s little to interfere with normal play, and the analysis shows before and after the matches—as well as during half-time—all feature English commentators and pundits.

Essentially, NBC have stuck to the basics and not delivered any coverage that might come across as patronizing towards the American viewer; they’ve assumed that their audience is familiar with football and have promoted intelligent discussion with this as the basic assumption.

Add in the aggressive marketing campaigns that NBC have embarked on—especially in New York City in the buildup to the 2013/14 season—and the conclusion thus far is that the English Premier League has been an unequivocal success. Keeping with the core English base but adding some of that famous American marketing and broadcasting technique on top? Sounds like a winner.

Football’s rise in America

For avid fans of the Premier League—and no doubt for its executive team—the fact that NBC’s coverage has been a success in America bodes well for the future of what is surely now the world’s most popular and exported professional sports league, so much so that the PL is now seen in some circles as NBC’s flagship product.

But those worried about any possible decrease in interest in Major League Soccer because of the widespread coverage of the Premier League need not fret: According to this New York Times report, since PL coverage began on NBCSN, viewership of the eight MLS games on NBC has increased by 60 percent, while the number of unique visitors to NBC-streamed MLS games has jumped 322 percent.

There was never any worry about Americans’ interest in their own national teams in World Cup years—whether it be the men’s or the women’s tournament. Neither was there ever any worry, especially in recent years, about support of their local MLS teams, who have boasted stadium attendance numbers to rival and surpass those of both the NBA and NHL, according to this Forbes article. Nor was there any worry about American football fans paying attention to their overseas-based stars, such as Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey (the latter two have, of course, returned to the U.S.).

So the fact that TV viewership of MLS is rising—and alongside the Premier League—is massively encouraging for the sport and its growth prospects in the world’s most sports-consumption-heavy country.

MLS expansion, aggression and inevitable evolution

Given the Americans’ propensity and expertise at marketing, commercialization and business expansion—and especially given the increase in the number of American owners of European football clubs—was it any wonder that interest, both foreign and American, would eventually return to U.S. shores?

Setting aside the increasing trend of relatively big names in Europe spending their final footballing years in MLS, the incident that really indicated the prospect of a “soccer boom” in the U.S. was Manchester City’s investment in their joint venture, New York City FC, due to join MLS in 2015.

Sheikh Mansour interested in American growth and influence? A partnership with one of Europe’s newest big boys? Almost seems too good to be true.

If that wasn’t enough indication of a new era beckoning in American football (ahem), what about the recent announcement of the Orlando City SC franchise expansion—and the imminent possibility of a Miami-based MLS venture backed by David Beckham?

That both of these developments have hit the airwaves is not surprising: MLS have shown textbook aggression by aiming to capitalize on a rising wave of interest in football, by proclaiming that the Orlando-Miami rivalry will be one to look forward to, according to the Miami Herald. The bullish pronouncements of Orlando City’s owners, reported here by BBC Sport, regarding the possible signing of Brazilian star and AC Milan legend Kaka merely add to the hype.

And if even that wasn’t enough, surely the recent revelation that MLS franchises have increased 175 percent in value over the past five years (c/o SportBusiness.com) will do it. The current average valuation is $103 million, with seven teams—Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City—already surpassing it. (Don’t be surprised if NYCFC and OCSC join them at the top by 2016.)

The growth will only continue. The beautiful thing about the beautiful game is that once interest starts to grow, it snowballs. And the beginnings of a real football revolution are starting to take place in America.

Which, inevitably, leaves club owners and the league with big decisions to make over the coming years, regarding the direction that they want to take the sport in. Murmurs of instituting the promotion and relegation system, so ubiquitous in the European leagues but almost nonexistent in the U.S., are growing in noise level, and with MLS expanding to a grand total of 21 teams by 2015 (22 if Miami is awarded a franchise by then), that leaves MLS wanting to join the world’s collection of elite first-division football leagues with the most number of teams in it.

The rest of the infrastructure—league-paid transfer fees, league-owned players, salary caps and Designed Player systems—is currently still a universe away from what the top professionals in Europe are familiar with, and there will need to be an inevitable coming together of practices and policies if MLS are to break into that top bracket of leagues.

While that’s being pondered by Don Garber, the MLS Commissioner, and his executive team, they’ll continue to see the steady growth of the beautiful game in the U.S.

Perhaps one day, it’ll be they who look forward to exporting their product overseas.

Also in football business: The Business and Politics Behind the Qatar 2022 World Cup Controversies

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Ever since the Los Angeles Galaxy acquired David Beckham in 2007, the big name designated player transfer policy of Major League Soccer has seen quite a few big names enter the league. 

Now, as the MLS offseason and January transfer window beckon, the name of the latest star to be linked with MLS has been released. 

According to a report by Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror, Toronto FC have agreed to a deal with Tottenham and England forward Jermain Defoe. 

At 31, Defoe would still be able to produce for the Reds, who are a side that are in desperate need of a successful season north of the border in 2014. 

Defoe has been relegated to the bench at Spurs since the summer arrival of Roberto Soldado from Valencia, and he is looking to break into Roy Hodgson's England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

There is no doubt that this would be a massive get by Toronto FC and the league itself, but is it the right transfer to highlight the offseason? 

Some of the highest profile designated players in the league at the moment are in the latter stages of their careers, including Robbie Keane, Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry. 

While all three of those world-class players have delivered a ton of quality performances for their respective teams, they will not be around for more than three or four years. 

As MLS continues to grow, it may be time for the hierarchy of the league to alter their transfer policy to bring in younger international superstars who could potentially play their entire careers in the league. 

Some may argue that the league has not quite reached that point in its development yet, but no one has really tried to institute this strategy outside of the young American players occupying the American top like Omar Gonzalez and Graham Zusi. 

It has been made clear by the 19 teams in the league that keeping young homegrown talent is a priority, and for the most part, that strategy has been a success in the recent history of the league. 

For something like this to work with international stars, it will take a bold owner to go out and convince a few young products to play in America.

With the entrance of New York City FC and Orlando City SC in 2015, this could be an option that either ownership group looks to exploit before everyone else catches on to it. 

It is inevitable that this will happen one day given the progression of MLS over the last decade, but until then, aging stars like Defoe will be the only big names moving across the Atlantic Ocean in search of glory. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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