Match Thoughts: Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids

RSL's Alvaro Saborio scores against Colorado.  (Getty Images)

Alright, I'm going to try and take my RSL homer hat off for this one, at least a little bit.  We'll see how I do.  Both RSL and the Colorado Rapids have enjoyed good starts to the new season, picking up the majority of the available points.  Colorado won at home last weekend against the Chicago Fire.  RSL overcame a somewhat mediocre performance to beat the Montreal Impact at home midweek.

Once the opening whistle blew though, it looked like it was the Rapids who had played midweek.  RSL possessed the ball for most of the opening half, and if I'm honest with you, the Rapids seemed to be a little surprised at RSL's work rate.  Of course all the possession in the world doesn't matter much unless you can create a goal, and that's exactly what RSL did.  In the 20th minute Tony Beltran found Alvaro Saborio as the Costa Rican made a perfectly timed run behind the Rapids defense.  Sabo deftly controlled the ball and batted it past Matt Pickens to make it 1-0 to RSL, which was the score at halftime.

You do have give the Rapids credit for trying to come out and open it up a bit in the second half.  They looked much better overall, and actually won the second half possession battle.  However it was RSL that put the ball in the back of the net, albeit controversially.  In the 57th minute Luis Gil found Fabian Espindola on a break, but Fabi pretty clearly controlled the ball with his arm.  The referee and linesman were both out of position on the RSL counter and didn't see it.  Fabi poked the ball past Pickens to make it 2-0 to RSL.  Here's my take on this: Yes it was a handball by Fabian and a missed call.  However, after watching the replay and seeing it live, Matt Pickens has to play to the whistle.  Our season tickets are right next to that goal, only 4 rows up, and it was obvious that Pickens seemed to be more concerned with calling a handball than the stopping the shot.  Still, yes, I'll give it to you that it was a handball.

In the end though RSL really didn't need it as Colorado failed to create any real chances.  They were credited with only 1 shot on goal for the entire match, and the save the of game ended up being Nick Rimando picking off a cross.  In the end. the final score read 2-0 to RSL.

While I think Rapids fans definitely have reason to be unhappy with the officiating, I think they should be unhappy with their new coach as well.  They came out with a very defensive oriented lineup, including putting Drew Moor, a beast of a defender, up into the defensive midfield.  It didn't really work as Moor lost possession for the Rapids on multiple occasions, and it didn't really help when Sabo got in behind the line.  By the time the Rapids went back to their new, more attacking style in the 2nd half, it was too late. 

A final note for RSL: with his controversial strike in the 57th minute, Fabian Espindola tied the RSL all time scoring mark.  He ties former RSL striker now Nottingham Forest man Robbie Findley with 29 goals in the Claret and Cobalt.  Both clubs will face stern tests next weekend as Colorado travel to Seattle and RSL heads to KC to take on undefeated Sporting Kansas City.