Jeff Cassar has reviewed the video from Real Salt Lake’s 2-0 loss to Tigres in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal series last Wednesday in Mexico and the RSL Head Coach is encouraged by what he saw from his club in its first match of 2016.
And while he knows that RSL will need to play better than it did a week ago if it hopes to advance to the Semifinal round to face Queretaro, those needed upgrades are just incremental.
“The improvements are really small. They can lead to big things and I think they are really correctable,” Cassar said back at training in Utah for the first time this year. “And then the things that we did offensively, if we can continue to improve on those we’re going to really put ourselves in good positions.”
Salt Lake did find itself in positions to score on several occasions throughout the match, but a lack of sharpness on the 12 shots attempted by RSL combined with a few good efforts on the five saves by Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman conspired to keep the Claret-and-Cobalt out of the net. Whether it was Yura Movsisyan getting slipped in behind the defense in the first half or a cross from a dead ball finding the head of Jamison Olave or a breakaway by Joao Plata, RSL had its chances to net that critical road goal last week.
Now, with a 2-0 deficit, RSL knows the road ahead will not be easy at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday evening. In the locker room, they are hardly shying away from the pressure of the situation.
“These games are the ones that you get excited to play,” smiled Movsisyan. “They’re a very good team. At the end of the day, we didn’t do the job. We didn’t score the goals or else we would have come out with a really good result. I think it’s all in our hands and I can’t wait for the game.”
Added Javier Morales, “Right now we have confidence in ourselves. It’s just two goals. The way that you have to look at the game is if you score one goal, you’re just one goal away. I have confidence in this team.”
That confidence isn’t unfounded.
In 10 home Champions League matches, RSL holds an 8-1-1 record all-time while outscoring the opposition 20-6. That includes a 3-1 win over Cruz Azul in the 2010 Group Stage and a crushing 1-0 defeat to Humberto Suazo and Monterrey.
With Rio Tinto Stadium playing host to some remarkable matches and pivotal moments in the club’s history, RSL is hoping to add to that illustrious list with a decisive win over Tigres.
“We’re at home, we need two goals. We definitely have to impose our will at our house,” Cassar said. “Our fans are going to be huge. I’m pretty excited that if we’re 1-0 or 2-0, hopefully, toward the end of the game that we’re going to really feed off of their energy. I’m really excited about that.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT from the sold out Rio Tinto Stadium. The match will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 2 with the radio broadcast locally on ESPN 700.
