Watch: Sporting KC hits both posts on potential winning playoff PK
The Portland Timbers downed Sporting Kansas City in dramatic fashion Thursday night, ousting the U.S. Open Cup champs from the MLS playoffs in an 11-round penalty shootout for the ages after a 2-2 draw at Providence Park.
The shootout ended with Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey converting the eventual winning PK before saving the effort of his counterpart, Sporting KC backup goalkeeper Jon Kempin, sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy. That crowd could have been singing a much different tune if one of the earlier kicks had just taken the slightest of ricochets in a different direction.
With a chance to clinch the win for Sporting KC in the ninth round of PKs, rookie Saad Abdul Salaam lined up his chance and beat Kwarasey, who dove the wrong way. The only problem: Abdul Salaam's effort hit both posts. Yes. Both. Posts. And stayed out. It could have hit off either post and gone in. It could have rebounded off Kwarasey and bounced in. But instead, the shootout continued, and Sporting KC, which won both of its recent U.S. Open Cups and MLS Cup on penalties, is done for the season, while Portland has a Western Conference semifinal date with Cascadia rival Vancouver.
Watch the spellbinding moment below:
