This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

To say Saturday night's game was ugly would be an understatement.

It was more like the Major League Soccer players used Rice-Eccles Stadium as their own little playground and breaking the rules seemed like not a bad thing to do.

And, oh yeah, RSL owner Dave Checketts even got into the mix.

The end result was this: RSL lost 1-0 in front of 17,343 fans. The loss means RSL drops back into fifth place in the Western Conference, while Colorado moves into the fourth and final playoff spot.

But those aren't the only numbers that should be investigated. It should also be the number of yellow cards issued in the game:

Seven.

That's a new MLS record. And it didn't stop there.

Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni was seen taunting the crowd after the game by stuffing his jersey into his pants and committing other obscene gestures. Mastroeni's action prompted Checketts to confront the defender. The two engaged in a face-to-face shouting match.

"I am both outraged and embarrassed that players in this league - especially a World Cup star like Pablo Mastroeni - would engage in obscene behavior towards our fans, and am dismayed that no one from the Colorado organization was present tonight to discourage such boorish behavior." Checketts said in a statement.

"This is not what this league is about, nor is it representative of what Real Salt Lake or MLS stands for as we provide family-friendly entertainment and spirited competition."

Pastorino said a game official at the game has written a letter to the league about Mastroeni's actions.

Also, Pastorino doesn't know if any action will be taken upon Checketts.

The incident was the highlight of an already crazy night.

Even the game's only goal didn't come without controversy. In the 48th minute, Rapids defender Dan Gargan found teammate Nicolas Hernandez in front of the goal. The forward then headed the ball into the top right corner of the net, out of goalkeeper Scott Garlick's reach.

Soon after, Garlick stepped out of the box and argued with Rapids players and game officials, indicating that when midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy was knocked to the ground near the goal, Colorado should have kicked the ball out of bounds - which is an unwritten rule between teams.

But the play kept going, and Garlick was issued a yellow card.

"You can't stop," RSL forward Chris Klein said. "I guess that's the lesson to be learned there."

Again, the game wasn't pretty.

Both teams combined for 19 fouls, with a number of scuffles ensuing right after.

In the end, Kyle Beckerman, Colin Clark, Hunter Freeman, Gargan and Thiago Martins each received a yellow card.

And defender Eddie Pope received the second RSL yellow card.

Colorado 1, RSL 0

KEY STAT - Officials issued seven yellow cards in the game, which is a Major League Soccer record.

KEY MOMENT - Nicholas Hernandez headed in the ball in the 48th minute for the game's only score. It was his seventh of the season.

IN SHORT - Going into the game, the teams were tied for the final playoff spot.