SuperLiga final running blog

I've been watching from the start, but had some connection problems.
4 - DeRo from distance, off the post.
6 - Announcers discuss Igwe, correctly asses that Jay Heaps was unjustly suspended from the final in the Atlante scrum.
8 - Joseph with a scorcher from distance. High.
10 - This game has had a ton of intensity from the start.
11 - Joseph puts a ball out for a corner. Revs clear the corner.
13 - Davis gets a yellow for being just a bit late, but very aggressive on a Dube tackle.
15 - Bad final pass wastes a Revs chance.
18 - GOAL! Igwe's poor first touch leaves the ball free and Jaqua pounces, sending a low shot past a surprised Reis. 1-0 Houston.
20 - NO Goal! But so close! Igwe again loses the ball to Jaqua, who sends a pass to Ching, but his blooping shot, hit quickly to beat Reis, goes off the post. Revs escape.
23 - Poor Igwe. He made a mistake, sure, but it was really the absence of Heaps that hurt the team there. Young players are prone to mistakes.
25 - The announcers discuss how Nicol's tactics are part of the problem, leaving Igwe and Lawrentowitz isolated a lot. No help.
27 - The Revs need to stay aggressive, though. With this FK, they have a chance. Onstad puts the ball out for a corner.
28 - Ralston with a shot off the corner. High.
32 - Shot! Nyassi! But no, even though it was a good, aggressive, play, he missed the near post - shot just outside.
33 - Penalty! No, says the ref, but the announcers disagree. Waibel clearly pushed Mansally from behind, the replay makes that clear and the fans are in full voice, hating the ref for missing the call.
36 - SAVE! Reis dives to deny DeRo's hard shot. CK. Reis gets down to claim the ball from the corner.
37 - Onstad is out of the box to kick out the ball. DeRo going the other way, beats Reis, has a nearly open goal, but Albright (Chrissie!) saves the day by just reaching the ball. Corner.
38 - The kick falls in front of goal, Ries misses the grab but the rebound, lucky for the Revs, goes their way.
39 - Revs semi-clear, out for a Houston throw.
41 - No offense, but the cameras catch Taylor Twellman in a warm-up move where he is lying on the ground in the missionary position, moving back and forth slightly. I realize he's stretching is groin or something, but it looks like he's humping the grass.
42 - GOAL! Ralston! The fans roar as the veteran comes through. Ralston had a horrible angle on that shot, set up by a long Castro pass, but it didn't matter. Rally nailed it. 1-1 All square.
44 - DeRo from distance, but Reis is all over the ball and snuffs the shot.
45 - Ching misses with a header. He didn't really get his noggin on the ball.
Halftime
The announcers discuss how this is an exciting final, not just intense and filled with passion, but also with pretty good soccer. Aside from Igwe's howler, I'd have to agree.
The score is pretty deserved, because both sides have had solid chances.
47 - The announcers discuss how Barret let the pass slide past him on the Rev goal, thinking it would go out. So both goals were the result of defender errors, but Igwe's was more egregius.
51 - Reis with a save off a Davis shot. Davis should probably have passed, but he was probably trying to surprise Reis.
54 - The intensity is off just a bit in the second half - both teams are probing a bit more carefully.
55 - Davis tumbles in the box, but there's no call. Albright fell in front of him, but the ref has apparently rules that accidental.
58 - Twellman is in for Mansally, who took a knock, but might have been coming off anyway. Fernando Schwartz, the sideline dude, mimics the fans' chant for TT.
60 - Houston has had the better of play this half. NE with fewer attacks.
61 - Jaqua with an awkward shot, hits side netting, on the outside.
62 - Jaqua again, off a nice layback header from Ching, misses wide worse than before.
63 - Nyassi earns the Revs a corner, but the Dynamo clear it easily.
64 - Save! Onstad saves a ball that Twellman can't quite reach - I think Dube had the pass.
66 - The announcers debate whether this game will go to penalties. The majority think no.
68 - DeRo from distance again. Reis nabs it. He's got to be almost expecting those by now.
71 - Subs for both teams. Khano Smith in for Castro, and Kei Kamara comes on for Jaqua.
73 - Seems early for the MVP question, but Rally is my choice right now.
75 - Nyassi way wide. None of the coolness of Rally with a difficult angle.
76 - Ching! high.
77 - Smith shoots - Onstad saves!
78 - Barrett shoots! High. Why is a defender shooting? Ashe comes in for Mullan.
79 - Schwartz reports tension in the bench area.
80 - Cameron blocks a Nyassi cross - Revs corner. Dynamo clear.
81 - Joseph gets a yellow, pulled DeRo's shirt as DeRo tried to take off on a counter.
83 - The Dynamo look more likely to score as the game winds down, if only because the ball is down in the Revs own half nearly all the time.
85 - Reis cuts off a long pass, hanging on to the ball as Ching undercuts him, unable to stop the momentum he gathered trying to reach the ball.
87 - Davis fouls, but the FK is far out. Joseph serves it into the box, but the Dynamo clear the ball out.
88 - Revs having trouble with basic clearances, giving Houston hope and the ball repeatedly.
89 - Announcers discuss how the Revs seem fearful. They don't have the drive and guts of the first half.
90 - Ralston fouls Ashe. "This could be the million dollar ball!" the announcers say before the kick. Except, it's cleared.
90+ Houston still pressuring the Revs goal.
Igwe redeems himself a bit - picking the ball off Kamara's foot in the box just before the whistle blows.
Fulltime whistle!
Kinnear is interviewed before halftime. His Spanish is a bit rough, though his pronounciation is pretty good. (He forgets how to say "extra" in Spanish.) But anyway, Dom interviews that he is happy with the way his team is playing. He wants more of the same in extra time, but with one more goal.
Extra time
2 - Schwartz says the DeRo is bossing the midfield, not Joseph.
5 - DeRo called for a handball.
6 - Clark from just outside the box, but Reis nabs it.
8 - Houston circling the Revs goal.
9- GOAL! Kamara connects with a header over Reis, who failed to punch the ball to safety after he came out for it. It seemed like Reis called off the defense, Igwe in particular, who didn't contest the header. 2-1 Houston. Perhaps Reis would not have called off Heaps if he were playing.
13 - GOAL! Rally lines up a FK, and Joseph, despite being half-held, gets to it and pops in a header past Onstad. The Revs refuse to die! 2-2
15 - The announcers are still wondering about Kamara, who pulled a piece of cloth out of his shorts with a message. Toro #3 JTT. Well, Kamara played for Cal State Dominguez Hills - the Toros.
Second overtime period
4 - Both teams are looking weary, but the Revs have looked tired for a longer amount of time.
5 - Igwe clears a cross into the box. Corner for Dynamo. De Ro serves it in, Revs clear.
6 - Chris Wondolowski is in for Davis.
7 - Twellman is clearly frustrated - he must miss his set-up partner Pat Noonan.
8 - Revs with a corner of their own, but the Dynamo clear.
9 - SAVE! Reis dives down for an Ashe shot and Albright clears it. Chris looks so tired.
11 - As the announcers discuss penalty kicks, the Revs have perhaps their best run of this period. Rally's shot gets blocked, though and then Smith hits his shot wide.
12 - Albright can't clear via header and Ashe swoops in and gets fouled by Nyassi. It's a dangerous spot.
13 - But DeRo hits it high and no one even jumps for it, because it's so high.
14 - Revs give up a counter and Kamara has a chance with a shot but Reis gets down for the service. Both teams look about to fall over.
15 - Ching gets daylight between two defenders and tries a shot - wide.
15+ Reis blocks another shot, but puts it over the bar for a corner. DeRo serves it up and Wondo hits it way wide.
Whistle blows! We're off to Pks!
Selfishly, I hope Reis takes a kick. I love that.
Rally up first. He goes slowly, and Onstad moves, so Rally puts it softly the other way. 1-0 NE
Waibel next. He slams his shot in. 1-1
Reis next! Careful what you wish for Andrea - Reis is usually money with these, but he puts this one way high. Ugh. 1-1
Wondo up now. takes it quick and well. 2-1 Houston
Shalrie Joseph! Onstad almost reaches it, but it's in. 2-2.
DeRo now. Reis SAVES! 2-2
Twellman backs up a ton, but softly hits it away from Onstad. 3-2 Revs
Chingy! SAVE! REIS! 3-2 Revs.
Smith for the win - SAVE! Onstad gets to it. Revs can't get away with hitting that many soft shots. 3-2 Revs.
Clark for the tie. Upper 90! 3-3!
Ginger Jeffy Lawrentowitz is up. Slams it in. 4-3.
Barrett next. Same. 4-4.
Tierney the newbie. Slams it in. 5-4
Kamara hits the ball up, but in. 5-5
Albright. Chrissie, don't miss! He doesn't 6-5.
Ashe next - Crossbar!
The REVS WIN! The REVS WIN THE SUPERLIGA, BEATING THEIR NEMESIS HOUSTON!

Rally interview "It's fantastic to win in front of the home fans. We were due."
Castro is interviewed and says Houston is a great team, but the Revs preserved.
Albright is interviewed. "Houston is a great team and I'm very happy. It was a good game. We have a good group and we're good friends, so that helps us to achieve."
Reis wins the MVP, even with a crappy PK.
Chrissie gets the play of the game, for striking the winning PK.
Webb, the ref, is interviewed. He compared the final favorably to the soccer in England. Webb should have reffed other SuperLiga games.
Confetti is flying as Rally holds the trophy high. What's funny is that so many players have switched jerseys that through the hail of confetti, it looks like the Dynamo have won again. Nicol is happily presenting the trophy to the Revs fans.
The Revs didn't lose a single SuperLiga game, and are justifiable winners, even though they didn't dominate this match. They picked themselves up every time they were down and they never gave in, or up. The first MLS winners of the SuperLiga.