Exceptions to this occurred in 2000, 2009, and 2016, where the Most Valuable Player award went to goalkeepers Tony Meola, Nick Rimando, and Stefan Frei, respectively. Meola and Frei, with the Kansas City Wizards and Seattle Sounders FC, both earned shutouts for their respective teams in the cup, while Rimando made two saves in a penalty shoot-out to give Real Salt Lake the title over the Los Angeles Galaxy.