RSL Serves CCL Notice With Dominant Win

Alvaro Saborio scores RSL's first goal vs. Tauro FC.  (Reuters)

Real Salt Lake had their backs against the wall last night, there can be no question about that.  After a disappointing loss to Herediano to open CCL play, RSL had to come out of this one with 3 points to have any hope of advancing past the group stage.  It's safe to say they responded rather well.

The first half against Tauro FC was dominated by the Claret and Cobalt, unfortunately it was also punctuated by the type of histrionics that we've come to expect from the Central American sides.  The Tauro players looked for any contact then went down as if shot by a sniper, earning delay after delay.  A nice new wrinkle appeared as well, with the Tauro 'keeper going down every chance he got, forcing even longer delays and making the Rio Tinto fans chant their own suggestion of "get some Midol."

As it turns out, he was ok, and he needed to be as he faced several outstanding efforts from RSL in the first half.  Unfortunately for the 20,000+ at Rio Tinto, he was up to the task.  RSL's play was extremely encouraging though.  They kept the tempo high through much of the first half and really could have gone to the locker room up 2-0 already.

The Panamanian side was forced to abandon their diving ways early in the second half though.  In the 48th minute Paulo Jr. unleashed a brilliant 40 yard run, slipping the Tauro defense.  He slapped a shot on goal, only to have it saved once more.  However, the rebound fell kindly to Alvaro Saborio who blasted the ball into the net to make it 1-0 to RSL.

Captain Kyle Beckerman got the all important insurance goal in the 58th minute as well.  Paulo Jr was again the spark, as he slid a pass to Beckerman near the top of the area.  Kyle hit a low laser into the bottom of the net to make it 2-0.

Unfortunately that would be all the goals that RSL could muster, as Beckerman got himself sent off.  In the 72nd minute he went into a flying tackle studs up and caught a Tauro player in a rather delicate region.  RSL's captain earned a red card and the Tauro man will probably be singing soprano for awhile.  Beckerman was retaliating for a deliberate knee to the face a couple of minutes earlier that went unnoticed by the referee.

The other bad news for RSL is that FB Kenny Mansally suffered a sprained MCL from a dirty studs up tackle by a Tauro player.    The Tauro man was given a yellow on the play, and Mansally will face some time on the sideline.

RSL will face Tauro again on Sept 18 in Panama for their next CCL match.

CONCACAF Champions League: Toronto FC vs. Tauro FC

So tonight in Toronto it was Canada vs. Panama. Both of these sides needed 3 points to have any chance of staying relevant in a group topped by FC Dallas and Pumas. So, knowing that, you'd think this might be a pretty fun match to watch, right?

Wrong.

Toronto took control of proceedings right from the outset. They had a lot of good development play and a nice, attacking look about them. However, they seemed to be having a hard time getting quality chances. It looked like Tauro was largely trying to soak up the pressure and maybe catch a goal on the counter. We've never seen that from a Central American side before, right?

Danny Koevermans was by far the most active and effective offensive player all night for TFC. He continued to look impressive after dropping a brace on Colorado over the weekend. He had a couple of nice strikes and headers on target. He finally broke through for TFC in the 40th minute with an ugly back header that managed to elude the keeper and trickle over the line. It wasn't pretty, but it counted all the same. The Reds led 1-0 at half time.

Tauro tried to push things in the second half, but honestly never seemed to trouble Kocic in goal for TFC. They got a couple balls in on target, but not much that was very threatening. However, both sides got physical late as frustration set in for Tauro, and several yellows were issued. In the end TFC held on to the 1-0 win and three points to keep them at least in the picture for the next round should Dallas or PUMAS slip up. Stuck on 2 points through 4 games, you have to figure Tauro is pretty much toast.

CONCACAF Champions League: FC Dallas vs. Tauro FC

Well, there's really not a lot to say about this one. Tauro is having trouble getting anything going in the group, and they're probably already toast. FC Dallas was missing some key folks, including Brek Shea. Still, after winning their two previous matches, they knew a point would suit them just fine in this one.

That's pretty much exactly how it all unfolded. Dallas got a goal in the very first minute. Jackson received the ball right off the kick off and dished in to Daniel Cruz who calmly slotted it past the stunned Tauro keeper to make it 1-0.

Dallas didn't exactly take their foot off the gas after that, but you could tell that the match was going to lack intensity. Both sides traded half chances until right before half time, when Ugo Ihemelu needlessly hacked down a Tauro player in the box to concede a PK. Tauro captain Luis Moreno stepped up and slipped the PK just under Kevin Hartman to equalize at 1-1 as we went to the interval.

The second half was more of the same, perhaps a touch more sloppy and physical. Tauro did a great job of wasting time, of course. They also had a shot bounce off the crossbar with about 15 minutes to go, but that was about it. The match puttered to a 1-1 finish. Dallas will take the point, and a point wasn't really enough to save Tauro's bacon.