This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Real Salt Lake coach Jeff Cassar's opening sentence in the postgame interview Wednesday night consisted of one word: "Disappointed."
What else could he say? Glossing over his team's 1-1 tie — resulting in a two-leg loss to powerful Tigres of Mexico — would devalue how much effort RSL invested in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Like any soccer club, RSL aspires to be internationally relevant and win trophies. The home team did just enough good things in this game to end up frustrated about being eliminated, after having ambitions that went beyond merely making the second leg interesting.
Yet everything else about Real's effort at Rio Tinto Stadium, discounting the 3-1 aggregate defeat, provided hope for 2016. Following the franchise's longest offseason in eight years, the result of not making the Major League Soccer playoffs, RSL needed some kind of positive sign going into Sunday's season opener at Orlando.
And this was an encouraging effort, in so many ways. Even the fact that RSL ended up feeling discouraged after coming so close to forcing extra time created a healthy vibe.
With the disclaimer that he's predisposed to be optimistic, Cassar said, "I couldn't be more happy and more excited about what's ahead for this team."
Some of that belief stemmed from having no other available strategy, wanting his team to recover quickly. Part of it had to do with Tigres' approach to the second leg, just trying to advance after taking a 2-0 win last week in Monterrey. Yet the playmaking ability that Yura Movsisyan displayed in his return to Rio Tinto and the way RSL pressured Tigres until allowing a late goal converged to justify Cassar's viewpoint.
There's hope for this team. Some elements of Wednesday's game will haunt RSL, inevitably. The players will always wonder what would have happened if they could have created a 2-2 aggregate tie in regulation, after Joao Plata's goal via Movsisyan's assist in the 22nd minute brought all kinds of possibilities into play for RSL.
In the end, Plata lingered on the field with his hands on his knees, processing a long list of what-ifs for RSL. If not for Tigres' late goal in the first leg or some missed opportunities for the home team in the second half Wednesday, Real eventually may have won and remained in the tournament.
In the 55th minute, Movsisyan's shot hit the crossbar. In the 74th minute, Javier Morales launched a penalty kick that looked good, only to have Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman leap and deflect the ball with one hand, then corral it just in front of the goal line.
"Sometimes," Cassar observed, "you get saved."
He meant "denied," from a home team perspective, but the result was the same, either way. With RSL in all-out attack mode, Andre-Pierre Gignac then scored on a breakaway for Tigres in stoppage time. Otherwise, Cassar could say accurately that his team dominated the game. Maybe the visitors' tactics failed to provide a true test of RSL's defense, but the back end certainly held up well.
The schedule will force RSL to regroup and refocus right away. That won't be easy. This exercise was not an exhibition; the Champions League is a major event, and the franchise always takes it seriously. In a weird way, getting excited about the MLS season opener will require some effort.
In contrast to Wednesday's immediate ending as result of this defeat, the MLS schedule will last seemingly forever. Just the same, Sunday's game represents a fresh starting point.
After last year's performance, returning to the playoffs would be considered an achievement for RSL. The team remains unproven, which makes the 2016 season both mysterious and potentially fun at Rio Tinto. As of Wednesday, a tie — and a loss — actually felt like a little bit of a victory, going forward.
Twitter: @tribkurt