There was a big prize at stake Wednesday night at Toyota Park.
And it wasn’t the trophy for the final of the 3-year-old SuperLiga, a tournament including four teams from Major League Soccer and four from the Mexican league first division, all of whom weren’t quite good enough last year to qualify for the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League.
It was the $1 million that went to the winning team.
“Put that out there, and it will make guys leave everything on the field,” Fire coach Denis Hamlett said of the final against Tigres.
But, in the frustrating rule-book logic that can leave an unsatisfying conclusion to big matches, the outcome was decided with the players at a virtual standstill.
Under tournament rules with no overtime, Tigres won 4-3 on penalty kicks after 90 minutes of spirited play ended 1-1.
“When you lose on PKs, it’s real hard,” Hamlett said. “But those are the rules; what are you going to do?”
It was the first international tournament triumph for Tigres, whose last Mexican league title was in 1982.
For the record, Mike Banner (wide) and Justin Mapp (high) missed for the Fire. Itamar Batista, a Brazilian who scored Tigres’ goal with its only shot on goal during regulation, put the decisive penalty kick past Jon Busch, who earlier had saved one of the Tigres’ penalty attempts.
“It’s a little unjust, but that’s the way soccer is,” Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco said.
It left the 11-year-old Fire franchise still searching for its first international tournament trophy.
That Tigres, from metropolitan Monterrey, is not one of Mexico’s more popular teams was evident in the small number of their yellow-shirted fans in the sold-out crowd of 20,000.
Deft passing, started by Blanco’s long sideline run and crossed ball, turned into the Fire goal. Logan Pause chipped a pass to Gonzalo Segares for a pass to Patrick Nyarko, who headed it home in the 10th minute.
Tigres’ speed on counterattacks began to have an impact midway through the first half.
After a turnover at midfield, Batista undressed Fire defenders Bakary Soumare and Brandon Prideaux. Batista went left, turned back right, then drilled the ball just inside the far post in the 43rd minute.
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phersh@tribune.com
