This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Once he heard the final whistle, midfielder Will Johnson collapsed on the grass, staring up at the heavens that wouldn't deign to grant one more miracle for Real Salt Lake.
One more, is all it needed.
Instead, the defending MLS Cup champions watched their dream of winning another championship die — ironically — on the field where they never lose, against an opponent that has never won there.
"I'm just shocked right now that it's over," defender Nat Borchers said.
It's over because RSL could manage only an exasperating 1-1 draw against FC Dallas in front of 19,324 desperate and roaring fans at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night — enough to keep alive its 33-game home unbeaten streak but not enough to overturn a 2-1 loss on the road in the first leg of the two-game series.
"It's a real tough loss right now," Johnson said.
The Hoops advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 1999 by defeating RSL 3-2 on aggregate scoring after midfielder Dax McCarty scored in the 17th minute and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman stopped a flurry of desperate shots throughout the game.
RSL's Robbie Findley pulled one back on a close-range poke in the 79th minute, but all the frantic pressing and pushing and scrambling in the world was not enough to beat Hartman again and force overtime, perhaps allowing RSL to escape to the MLS Western Conference final.
"We gave it our all … but were unable to get that last one to tie it up," Findley said.
The early elimination spoils the best regular-season in RSL history, though coach Jason Kreis insisted that "you can't take away all the stuff that we did in the season."
Yet it was the pressure to live up to expectations that might have doomed RSL.
Having constructed its home unbeaten streak, survived a brutal schedule in the second half of the regular season and nearly won the Supporters Shield regular-season title, the team seemingly felt the weight of its success down the stretch.
It played poorly for much of its final three games and seldom looked like the team that had been so indomitable earlier in the season.
"We were a victim of our own expectations," Kreis said. "I really feel like … we were playing with this angst of 'what if we lose? What if we lose this series and don't repeat as champions?' We had this great season, we're the Cup holders right now. We expected more of ourselves, and that's different than it ever has been here."
So was the game.
Playing without suspended midfielder Javier Morales, RSL struggled in the midfield, usually one of its strengths, against a speedy Hoops team that turned seemingly every RSL mistake into a blistering counterattack.
And once McCarty pulled down a chest pass from Brek Shea and negotiated around RSL's Tony Beltran to beat goalkeeper Nick Rimando, RSL appeared disorganized and frustrated until pushing forward desperately in the game's final stages, with the towel-waving crowd urging it on.
Alas, it wasn't enough.
"You can only create so many chances, you know?" Johnson said, slumped in his locker stall. "You have to score."
Storylines
R IN SHORT • RSL watches its season end with a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas at Rio Tinto Stadium.
KEY STAT • RSL fires off 15 shots and gets 11 corners but scores only once.
KEY MOMENT • FC Dallas' Dax McCarty scores in the 17th minute, putting the pressure on RSL.