This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Orlando, Fla. • A teaching point was how Jeff Cassar described the chaotic final few minutes of the game at Orlando City that saw Real Salt Lake denied all three points from a position of near-impregnability in their big season opener.
The head coach was a mixture of disappointed and disbelieving after watching a 2-0 lead evaporate in the space of less than 60 hectic seconds and become a 2-2 draw that felt more like a defeat.
But there was also encouragement for a team that has come through a preseason of intense travel and high-pressure games, with Cassar's men showing a real cutting edge at times and defending stoutly and with veteran savvy for most of the 90-plus minutes in Central Florida.
Although Orlando had the edge in possession — 52.5 percent to 47.5 — and outshot RSL 14-8, as well as piling up a massive 12-2 edge in corners, Nick Rimando was rarely called into serious action against a team that didn't seem to miss injured skipper Kaka for much of the time.
It was simply a 60-second implosion that Cassar was quick to highlight at the end.
"The last six minutes we became fatigued and undisciplined, not recognizing the dangers, and we paid the price. Things happen fast and this is a coaching point for us that you have to finish out the game, finish out every play all the way to the end. Crazy things happen in this game, and that was pretty crazy.
"But the group has come together well through all our travels. It has been busy and these guys have gone through a lot. I'm not going to use that as an excuse but it has been difficult and we just unraveled at the wrong time. Sometimes the dam breaks, but we shouldn't have let it happen."