Yesterday was not a good day for clubs named Real. Humberto “El Chupete” Suazo scored the winning goal for Monterrey in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League finals. The Mexican club won on a 3-2 aggregate and will go to the Club World Cup later this year.
For Real Salt Lake, a club linked with the Madrid giants, the loss put an end to a two year unbeaten streak at home. RSL put on the pressure in the second half creating a number of chances. Alvaro Saborio forced a save with a header. In the dying minutes the ball came loose to Javier Morales following a goalmouth but his toe poke saw the ball sail out. Moments later, Jonathan Orozco in goal was able to keep out a Jamison Olave header on his second attempt. When the final whistle was blown you could see and feel the anguish of Jason Kreis and the players.
Full credit to RSL for coming close to becoming the first MLS team to go to the CWC. They can celebrate their hard fought wins over Cruz Azul and Deportivo Saprissa. And their MLS season has gotten off to a very bright start. Which augurs well for another shot at the CONCACAF title.