Real Salt Lake Loses a Heartbreaker in CONCACAF Final

In the biggest international sporting event in the state of Utah since the 2002 Winter Olympics, Real Salt Lake matched up with Monterrey in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League finals Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. 

Despite all of the hype and potential for Real Salt Lake to make soccer history, it just was not meant to be as the visiting team from Mexico left with a 1-0 victory.

In the aggregate scoring, Monterrey finished the series and became the champions with a 3-2 advantage. Both teams scored two goals in the first leg in Mexico.

After the match, head coach Jason Kreis pointed to a 15 minute stretch just before halftime where a defensive lapse proved to be the difference in this match.

Just seconds before the first half whistle blew, Chilean forward Humberto Suazo knocked in the only goal of the match. The goal was scored as his teammate got free in the box and Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando just missed the ball on his dive as the ball was left for Suazo instead of shot.

Real Salt Lake did have plenty of moments to pull even in the match in the second half, but just missed several opportunities to score. The best chance came in the 88th minute when the Monterrey goalkeeper swiped away a ball that appeared to be on the goal line, but not completely over.

After scoring their goal, Monterrey seemed content to settle in, play defense, and waste time by faking injuries and taking too long on throw ins. 

Perhaps the worst sight of the night for Real Salt Lake fans was to see the players of their team dejected and stunned just after the game. Several players sat on the field in disbelief that they had lost.

They did show a touch of class, however, when they stayed out on the field during the medal presentation to show proper sportsmanship for their opponents.

For soccer fans in Utah and in all of the United States, this was a tough loss to take, and one that is best forgotten.

Notes: With the loss, Real Salt Lake also saw their 37 match home winning streak snapped. They had not lost at home in nearly 2 years. Credit should be given to Monterrey, who was the best team that Real Salt Lake had played in that stretch.

With the win, Monterrey now will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup that will be held in December. They will represent the CONCACAF region.

Real Salt Lake must shake off the disappointment of this loss quickly, as they travel to Portland for a Saturday match with the expansion Timbers. Due to the playing time for the starters in this one, look for coach Kreis to juggle his lineup and use some of his reserve players.