Scoreless Tie Was Not What Real Salt Lake Was Looking For, RSL Soapbox Says
Coming off a year in which they were won of the best teams in MLS, an off-season that saw them bring back almost all of their key contributors and having no shortage of motivation, it's understandable that Real Salt Lake was expecting better than a 0-0 tie in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday. Sure, the weather and a pair of ejections certainly played into that result with the Columbus Crew, but don't expect fans to be particularly understanding. Consider RSL Soapbox, SB Nation's Real Salt Lake blog, among the disappointed.
However, none of that explains the lack luster performance of RSL in the first half. I questioned the start of (Fabian) Espindola, who while always explosive and dangerous hadn’t played much in the preseason, and that showed as he seemed to be playing by himself much more than being part of the offensive plan. In turn that meant that (Alvaro) Saborio had to often get out of position to even get a touch on the ball, and to be honest he looked slow on and off the ball and I wonder if the combination of conditions and his injury kept him from being at top form.
It’s not a stretch to say that the Crew performed much better than many expected, and not just because they were a man up for more than 30 minutes. The Crew generated the better scoring chances and, if not for some regrettable misses, could have easily been heading to Rio Tinto Stadium with a lead. There’s no question RSL will need better if they are going to advance.
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