[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Real Salt Lake has its work cut out for it if it expects to return to the knockout stage of the Concacaf Champions League in which it finished second in 2011. It fell at Costa Rica's Herediano, 1-0, in Tuesday's opener. The MLS club finished with 10 men after Nat Borchers was sent off in the second half.

To make matters worse, Borchers' partner in the middle of the RSL backline, Jamison Olave, went off with an apparent hamstring injury just two minutes after Borchers was red carded for a sliding challenge on a 50-50 ball.

The lone goal came in the 14th minute when Kyle Beckerman slipped, allowing Elias Aguilar to launch a shot from 18 yards inside the far post from the left side.

RSL will look to bounce back in CCL play on Aug. 21, when it will host Panamanian champion Tauro FC at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The new format of the regional competition only allows one team from each group to advance to the final.

July 31 in San Jose
Herediano 1 Real Salt Lake 0. Goal: Aguilar 14.
Red Card: Real Salt Lake -- Borchers 58.
Real Salt Lake -- Rimando; Beltran, Olave (Watson-Siriboe, 63), Borchers, Wingert; Beckerman, Grabavoy, W.Johnson (Steele, 80); Morales; Espindola (Mansally, 68), Saborio.
Herediano -- Moreira; Ramirez (Alvarado, 86), Montero, Salazar, Francis; Sanchez, Cubero, Hernandez, Aguilar (Diaz, 80); Gomez (D.Johnson, 68), Ruiz.