November 24, 2009 FINALLY GETTING HIS TITLE Ex-MSG boss Checketts takes home a championship -- MLS Cup
Robbie Russell and goalkeeper Nick Rimando celebrate Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup as former Knicks boss Dave Checketts finally got his first title.
Scott Bales/Yellow Card Journalism
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
SEATTLE -- A Dave Checketts team managed to accomplish something his Knicks or Rangers weren't able to do -- it won a league championship.
Real Salt Lake stunned the American soccer community by upending the favored L.A. Galaxy, David Beckham and Landon Donovan to capture the MLS Cup.
Checketts, the former president and CEO of of Madison Square Garden, is owner of Real since it began as an expansion team in 2005.
"This is sweeter in some ways because I did not know a thing about soccer," he said in a champagne-drenched RSL locker room at Qwest Field Sunday night.
"I can't take any credit for this. This is a great, great group. The coaches and players, they deserve it.
"I'm very proud of these guys and very appreciate of the leadership of the state to build the stadium and keep the team there when it almost went to St. Louis. but this is for the kids who play soccer in utah and who want a future in the game."
During Checketts' tenure, the Knicks reached the NBA Eastern Conference final three times and the 1994 final.
"We got close," he said.
Even though Real has never finished the regular season above .500 -- RSL's best season was 10-10-10 -- the team won the league championship in only its fifth season after joining the league as an expansion team in 2005 as Checketts led the charge to join MLS.
"Now I understand it is all about human capital," he said. "It's all about putting a group of people together who can win and then creating the chemistry, creating the environment that they can win."
When defender Robbie Russell converted the game-winning penalty kick in a shootout that Real won, 5-4, Checketts admitted that he "actually couldn't believe it. It was like a dream come true to hold that cup at midfield. . . . I thought it would take us a lot longer to get to this point."
Real came close last season, missing out in the Western Conference final, losing to the Red Bulls, 1-0.
"We had a dinner in March up in my house in the mountains of Utah and I said to them [players], 'Look, we got all the way to conference finals, but when I walk into MLS board meetings, they treat me like you've got really lucky, congratulations. Your little team over there was fine. Nice job.'
"I said to my team you have to prove them wrong. We have to find out whether it was a flash in the pan that we got to the conference finals or are you for Real? I said 'You have the talent, the skill and now depth and the coaching to win it all. So go prove it. there was a time when we didn't know if we were going to make the playoffs. We just got hot at the right time.' "
Former Red Bulls midfielder Clint Mathis knows about waiting a long time. He played on the losing side with the Galaxy in 1999 and it wasn't until Sunday he received another chance at MLS glory. He came off the bench after Javier Morales came off with a knee injury, acquitting himself well during regulation and extratime and converting a penalty in the shootout.
"I've been in big time games," Mathis said. "This one really means a lot because this one has been hangingo ver my head. I am so excited, not only for myself, but for the organization and Dave Checketts, who has come in as a smaller owner, when you look at the big dogs who are in this league. Dave has put his heart and soul into this club. I know he has other things going. but this is his baby."
