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Sandy • The rookie leaned against the exit to Real Salt Lake player's lounge in the bustling hallway, each hand grabbing hold of a strap to his backpack, waiting for the crowd on its way to ask him the question he already knew the answer to. Sebastian Saucedo quietly explained how his split-second decision to attempt a tackle, win the ball and, somehow, provide the spark he was brought in for went suddenly awry.

His debut in Major League Soccer lasted maybe more than a minute three weeks ago. Saturday night against Vancouver was an open door for the hometown kid from Park City to make most of an opportunity when he came on as a substitute in the 64th minute. He had, he thought, about 25 minutes to change the game.

Twelve minutes later, it all went wrong for the RSL Homegrown striker. His tackle on Mauro Rosales was late, and referee Ted Unkel reached for his back pocket, eventually hoisting the red card in Saucedo's direction. RSL captain Kyle Beckerman stood next to Saucedo, going to bat for the youngster as he could only look on at what will undoubtedly be a story he'll always be forced to tell.

"I tried to get the ball and I tried to do it as clean as possible and it led to something else," Saucedo said. "Obviously the teammates [they told] me to keep my head high but it's my first opportunity to play more than 20 minutes in the game or 30 minutes in the game. It just went by really quickly with the red card, so we'll see what happens in the future."

In the hallway, Saucedo said his decision wasn't to even the score in the tackle department of a chippy game and he wasn't upset about the final decision to be sent off, but more the reality that the 11 minutes prior to the tackle he was doing what he was put there to do. Out wide, Saucedo was calm on the ball and comfortable taking it to Vancouver defenders. Six minutes after coming on, he wiggled free outside the 18-yard box and fired his first MLS shot — also a shot on goal — as it skipped once into the arms of Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted.

Six minutes after that, Saucedo took the lonely walk into the tunnel as RSL equipment manager Kevin Harter waited for the forward to take the final step off the field. Fellow Homegrown player Jordan Allen, whom Saucedo came on for 12 minutes earlier, sprinted from the bench to console his close friend.

"[Saucedo] came in [the locker room] tonight and he looked really distraught," RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland said. "He feels like he has let the team down. But as a player, we just remind him that tonight is done with. We like to see the fight in him. We know he is not a malicious player, so it's a bit unlucky. I guess he wanted it too much."

Defender Tony Beltran compared an own goal his rookie season in 2008 in Kansas City to Saucedo's emotional night.

"Soccer is about perspective," Beltran said. "That is not going to be the theme of his career."

Certainly not. But full credit goes to an 18-year-old rookie with 13 first-team minutes to his name who stood in the hallway after a loss and confidently said, "I can take the blame for getting a red card."

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani