TUCSON, Ariz. – Real Salt Lake fell 1-0 to Colorado Rapids on Saturday night in the club’s second Desert Diamond Cup match.
Real Salt Lake conceded in the 69th minute. Colorado MF Dillon Serna started the chance, sending in a high cross from the left flank. Serna’s ball fell to the feet of Colorado FW Deshorn Brown, who collected in the right side of the area and buried a 10-yard shot past RSL GK Lalo Fernandez.
RSL currently sits in a four-way tie for third in the Desert Diamond Cup standings with one point. Chicago Fire lead the DDC after its first two matches with six points and Colorado Rapids are in second with three points. RSL, New England Revolution, Chivas USA and FC Tucson are all tied on one point, with New England and Chivas USA taking each other on later Saturday night.
Real Salt Lake had the first chance of the match in the ninth minute. RSL FW Alvaro Saborio flicked a ball to MF Sebastian Velasquez outside the 18-yard box, with Velasquez dribbling into the penalty area before blasting a shot wide of the net.
Colorado had a set piece opportunity in the 15th minute. Rapids MF Jose Mari curled in a free kick from the right side, with Brown getting on the end of it and heading just over from 10 yards out.
Real Salt Lake had its best chance of the first half in the 29th minute. RSL MF Javier Morales played a ball out wide to MF Ned Grabavoy. Grabavoy streaked down the left flank and sent in a cross to Velasquez, who fired a just wide from the penalty spot.
Real Salt Lake had one of its better looks of the match in the 49th minute, when some quick passing on the right flank between Velasquez and FW Joao Plata found MF Kyle Beckerman at the top of the 18-yard box. Beckerman laid the ball off for Morales just outside the area, with the Argentine playmaker running onto the ball and curling a left-footer toward the bottom left corner that Colorado GK Clint Irwin kept out with a sprawling save.
RSL – which subbed DF Nat Borchers on for DF Chris Schuler at halftime – changed its remaining 10 players in the 62nd minute. The second group conceded seven minutes after coming on, with Serna finding Brown for Colorado’s winner in the 69th.
RSL had two chances to equalize. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s first look at an equalizer came in the 80th minute, when newly signed MF Luke Mulholland took down a bouncing ball off his chest inside the right edge of the penalty area and volleyed a shot just wide of the net.
Real Salt Lake’s second chance at an equalizer came in stoppage time. Referee Kevin Stott whistled Colorado GK Joe Nasco for violating the six-second rule, awarding RSL an indirect free kick a yard inside the penalty area. Unfortunately, RSL couldn’t make the chance count, with DF Abdoulie Mansally unable to sneak his effort around Colorado’s wall.
Real Salt Lake will resume Desert Diamond Cup action on Wednesday, when it will take on FC Tucson at 6:00 p.m. MT at North Stadium at Kino Sports Complex. Wednesday’s match will be streamed live on www.RealSaltLake.com and www.MLSsoccer.com.
REAL SALT LAKE 0-1 COLORADO RAPIDS
SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 2014
NORTH STADIUM – KINO SPORTS COMPLEX
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 0 0 0
Colorado Rapids 0 1 0
Scoring Summary:
COL – Deshorn Brown (Dillon Serna) – 69’
Misconduct Summary:
RSL – Chris Wingert (Yellow; Foul) – 30’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2): Nick Rimando (Lalo Fernandez, 62’); Tony Beltran (Rich Balchan, 62’), Chris Schuler (Nat Borchers, 46’), Carlos Salcedo (Aaron Maund, 62’), Chris Wingert (Abdoulie Mansally, 62’); Kyle Beckerman (C) (Cole Grossman, 62’); Ned Grabavoy (John Stertzer, 62’), Sebastian Velasquez (Luke Mulholland, 62’); Javier Morales (Dylan Mares, 62’); Joao Plata (Olmes Garcia, 62’), Alvaro Saborio (Devon Sandoval, 60’)
Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella (GK), Joey Dillon, Ryan Neil, Jordan Allen, Benji Lopez, Kwame Watson-Siriboe,
Guest Player
Colorado Rapids (4-2-3-1): Clint Irwin (Joe Nasco, 70’); Nathan Sturgis (Albert Edward, 70’), Marvell Wynne (Grant Van De Casteele, 70’), Drew Moor (Jared Watts, 70’), Chris Klute (Marc Burch, 70’); José Mari (Juan Guzman, 68’), Nick LaBrocca (Marlon Hairston, 68’); Marvin Chávez (Charles Eloundou, 61’), Kamani Hill (Dillon Powers, 61’), Dillon Serna (Gabriel Torres, 70’); Deshorn Brown (Edson Buddle, 70’)
Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee's Assistants: George Gansner, Felisha Mariscal
4th Official: Charles Farr
