CCL: Real Salt Lake suffers same fate as D.C. United

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Feb 25, 2016

Another solid start by an MLS club on Mexican soil predictably came up short as Real Salt Lake fell to favored Tigres, 2-0, in Monterrey on two goals conceded in the last 23 minutes. The loss left RSL will an uphill climb in next Wednesday's second leg at what is expected to be asold-out Rio Tinto Stadium.

The result was the same as D.C. United's on Tuesday at Queretaro, and like D.C. United, RSL will rue missed chances to go ahead and score an away goal. Still, RSL coach Jeff Cassar thinks his team can make up the difference in the second leg.

"We're going to get ours. We showed that tonight at their field," he said. "You can look back at last year when Pumas played them in their aggregate series. Tigres won 3-0 at home, then Pumas went back and beat them 3-0 at home. We think Tigres is vulnerable in some areas. We have to exploit them, make them pay for it, then we have to make sure that we're good and sound defensively and not give up a goal at home."

The best chance of the first half for RSL came in the 41st minute when Joao Plata put Yura Movsisyan through on a platter, but the Armenian international, in his first game back with RSL, hit his shot over the goal.

Moments later, disaster seemed to strike for RSL as Kyle Beckerman was called for a handball in the penalty area. But French international Andre-Pierre Gignac, who had already missed on three scoring chances in the first half, weakly struck his spot kick that was easily saved by Nick Rimando.

Real Salt Lake had a couple of chances from Movsisyan and Beckerman stopped by Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzman before it tired -- like United did late -- and conceded two goals off set pieces.

In the 67th minute, center back Jose Arturo Rivas beat Jamison Olave to put away a Rafael Sobis free kick. The killer came with four minutes to play when young Mexican speedster Jurgen Damm scored with his second stab at the ball from close range off a corner kick for Tigres, which fielded almost its entire first team.



TRIVIA. Real Salt Lake started five players Tony Beltran, Javier Morales, Rimando, Olave and Beckerman -- who were part of the team that reached the 2011 Concacaf Champions League final, the only time a U.S. team has advanced that far.

Feb. 24 in Monterrey
Tigres 2 Real Salt Lake 0. Goals: Rivas 67, Damm 86.
Tigres -- Guzman; Jimenez, Juninho, Rivas, Torres Nilo; Pizarro, Duenas, Damm, Sobis; Gignac, Alvarez.
Real Salt Lake -- Rimando; Beltran, Olave, Maund, Phillips; Beckerman, Morales, Martinez, Obayan (Allen 81); Movsisyan (Garcia 72), Plata.