The opening goal of the match was scored in the 113th minute by Taylor Twellman, who received a slip pass from Khano Smith and made a one-touch shot from to end New England's 346-minute scoring drought in MLS Cup finals. Twellman and several of his teammates ran across the length of the field to celebrate in front of a section with Revolution fans. Houston responded from kickoff with a forward run and a cross from the right by Brian Mullan to Ching, who headed the ball into the net and tied the match at 1–1 only 71 seconds after Twellman's goal. The match remained tied at the end of extra time, setting up the first penalty shootout in MLS Cup history.