Real Salt Lake 0 at Houston Dynamo 1
May 15, 2016; Houston, Texas; BBVA Compass Stadium
Real Salt Lake (5-3-2, 17 points); Houston Dynamo (3-6-2, 11 points)
Man of the Match: Kyle Beckerman is always the calming influence for RSL. On Sunday, he was the one that helped prevent Houston’s fast second-half start from causing panic for Salt Lake. He even managed a team-high three shots, doing everything in his power to try and pull the game back for RSL, to no avail.
Telling Stat: 17-7. That was the disparity in shots for the match. Even more telling is that Houston outshot RSL 13-2 in the second half, putting Jeff Attinella under constant pressure in the final 45 minutes.
What You Missed: The match was postponed from Saturday night because of a lightning storm in Houston. After arriving at the stadium and beginning preparations for the match, RSL players waited for final word before finally changing back into street clothes and heading back to the hotel to get ready for the afternoon match the next day. It seems like a minor detail but players can be subject to their own gameday routines and when those are thrown off and forced to repeat another day, emotions can take their toll.
So What: RSL was hoping for a string of positive results in its five-game road stretch. Losing 1-0 in the first two is no reason to panic, particularly when the margin of error has been so close. However, now the pressure is on to get points from matches at Kansas City, Columbus and NYCFC over the next three matches.
