Three-quarters of the MLS season remains, but Real Salt Lake definitely missed a golden opportunity at putting its stamp on the Western Conference race Thursday night.
Real Salt Lake notes: By choice, Kreis sits in press box -> Deseret News/James Edward
"I really like being up there to see the shape and to see what adjustments need to be made," said Kreis
Real Salt Lake game at a glance -> Deseret News
RSL at Rapids Player Grades - DesNews Blog/James Edward
Colorado 2, RSL 0: RSL misses chance to take over 1st place - Salt Lake Tribune/Michael C. Lewis
"To be completely honest, I don't believe we deserve to be the first-place team in this conference," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "We're not ready for that yet. . . . We're not ready. We don't deserve it. Hopefully, that opportunity will come again."
MLS: Colorado Goes Top with Win over RSL -> Goal.com
Colorado and Real Salt Lake have built a rivalry the old-fashioned way—playing tight, hotly contested matches. Thursday night’s edition of the Rocky Mountain derby was not different, as a contest as tight as a Bode Miller slalom finally broke in the 65th minute when Colorado’s Omar Cummings scored to give the home side the lead. Christian Gomez then iced things with an 83rd-minute penalty.
Rapids are best in the West -> Soccer America/Ridge Mahoney
RSL could have taken over first place with a win or stayed tied in second with a tie, but while head coach Jason Kreis sent out a fairly talented lineup, the pieces didn't seem to mesh. Sweat and spirit ran astray, and with Andy Williams spending far more time chasing Mastroeni than the reverse, his few effective touches came on corner kicks.
Cummings, Gomez lead Rapids past Real Salt Lake -> ESPNSoccernet
"(My goal) was simple," Cummings said. "The ball went to Colin (Clark) and I went straight into the box. It was a classic goal - the ball goes wide, is crossed in and then finished."
VIDEO: Match Recap -> ESPNSoccernet
RSL stumbles in opening leg of Cup -> MLSnet/Geoffrey Urland
Rapids Take Care of Real Salt Lake 2-0 -> ColoradoRapids.com
VIDEO: Match Highlights -> MLSnet
MLS POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET
(Courtesy RSL Communications)
COLORADO 2 : 0 REAL SALT LAKE
COLORADO RAPIDS
Head Coach Fernando Clavijo
“It was easy to see (Salt Lake’s) game plan. Their game plan was simple, they wanted to slow us down, counterattack and look to score on a set piece. It worked for them last time. When we play at home we try to be aggressive. I didn’t feel like we were that in the first half. The level of energy was not there is the beginning. We were too casual on the ball. In the second half our touches and our technique was much better. There was an improved energy. Something we mentioned at half was that the wing play was poor. In the second half Colin (Clark) and (Jacob) Peterson created more chances. You didn’t see (Chris) Wingert getting up on the wing. I was pleased with our young guys tonight, but also with the leadership of Pablo (Mastroeni). He played his third game in a row and has become more of a mentor to the young guys.”
Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni
“These games against Salt Lake are always interesting. The team who imposes their will on the other has the better chances. We came out of half time and wanted to find Christian (Gomez) as much as we could. He finds spaces and it is our job to get him the ball. With Christian being man marked, there is more space for me. It was a breath of fresh air, it was liberating. We also came out and had some good combo passing. In this formation (the 3-5-2) you have to keep the ball and I felt like we did that.”
Midfielder Colin Clark
“It’s easy out there when you have good forwards who can score. On this surface the ball can skip and it is easy for strikers to put it on net in their stride, defenders have a harder time redirecting it away from goal. Christian Gomez draws a lot of attention and is good on the ball. If you have forwards with pace in front of him and on the wings he can find them and be dangerous. There is a long way to go, but it is nice to be up there (in first place).”
Striker Omar Cummings
“In the first half I think we were a little stretched so we didn’t have the legs to finish things off. Coach said we had to come out harder. (My goal) was simple. The ball went to Colin (Clark) and I went straight into the box. It was a classic goal: the ball goes wide, is crossed in, and then finished.”
REAL SALT LAKE
Head Coach Jason Kreis
“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t come out with a better mentality in the second half. Typically we have seen a team that responds well to half times and responds well in the second half and picks up their play. Tonight that wasn’t the case for us at all. I think there was a bit of sharpness that was lacking tonight. The play was a little bit loose all over the place. I think both teams could say the same thing. Maybe it is a little bit of fatigue. We have played a few games now in a couple of weeks so that may have played a part. This is the second team we have played with a 3-5-2. I don’t think that it gave us a whole lot of problems in the first half. The players may have been a little confused about what was going on. I think the players made a bigger deal out of it then it was. When you have a player like Christian (Gomez), you have to keep on idea of where he is at all times. Kenny (Cutler) was charged with the responsibility for keeping on eye on where Christian was.”
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman
“It was just two average teams and it got to a point where the first team to score was going to win the game. They got it, they were sharp at the start of the second half and they got rewarded for it. (The first half) was solid, both sides weren’t very dangerous. It was kind of a stalemate, and then it kind of continued, but they we sharp and we were sloppy. The 3-5-2 caught us off guard. It isn’t really X’s and O’s on defense, there is some gray area and that kind of confused us for some reason.”
Midfielder Andy Williams
“We limited their chances in the first half. We know they would come out strong in the first 10 of 15 minutes, but we didn’t take good care of the ball. They kept us pinned down in the second half. Christian (Gomez) has kind of been the linchpin for this team the last couple of games. Kenny (Cutler) did a good job and didn’t give him very good shots other than the PK. We were out numbered in the midfield. They played hard.”
