This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Frisco, Texas • The stadium was virtually empty, rain pouring down and lightning flashing in the distance, when a lone young fan raced onto the field to dance a little jig in the center circle and dash to a far corner, a single security guard in hot pursuit.
It was just about the most exciting thing that happened all night.
In a game delayed nearly two hours by lightning, RSL battled through another unspectacular performance without injured midfielder Javier Morales — but nevertheless managed to snap its nine-game losing streak on the road against FC Dallas on Sunday night with a scoreless draw at Pizza Hut Park that it hopes can help restore its flagging form and confidence.
"We need to be honest and say it wasn't a great performance," coach Jason Kreis said. "But it is a positive result."
That's because the team had never so much as taken a point from the Hoops on the road — its loss here in the Major League Soccer playoffs last season led to its elimination — and more than once has given games away with late meltdowns.
So while it managed but two shots on goal a week after taking just one in a scoreless home draw against Houston, RSL was encouraged to have stayed tough defensively yet again, holding the Hoops to three shots and killing off its third straight shutout after the long delay.
"We've always been jinxed here, for some reason," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "We don't show up sometimes, and just the luck of the draw, we don't get results. And to get a result, it's not like winning, but it's a step, and it's something we have to feel good about."
Rimando made two wondrous leaping saves to keep RSL in the game.
Beyond that, though, there was little for either team to get too excited about on a bizarre night that started hot and muggy and ended nearly four hours later soaking wet.
"It was interesting," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "But our main goal, before all that, was to come and get a result. We wanted to get a win, but … a draw was fine, as well."
Referee David Gantar halted the game in the 83rd minute, just minutes after menacing clouds unleashed a torrential downpour and spectacular bursts of lightning began to light up the sky.
Fans scrambled for cover — most of them headed home, though two others later dashed across the field, too — and the players retreated to the locker rooms to wait 1 hour and 52 minutes to finish the game in front of the few dozen fans who remained from the original crowd of 10,550.
"We were able to stay focused and stay sharp," defender Nat Borchers said.
In the end, RSL moved to 5-1-2 — it started veteran Andy Williams in place of Morales this time, with Collen Warner coming off the bench — while the Hoops extended their unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1) despite playing without injured midfielder David Ferreira.
"At the moment, we need to start really trying to focus on the positive things," Kreis said. "So to get our first point here, to get another shutout — against a team that's shown to be very, very dangerous on the counterattack — is a good thing for us."