MLS Real Salt Lake

RSL Falls in U.S. Open Cup at Seattle, 1-4

Published on April 29, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


TUKWILA, WASH (Tuesday, April 28, 2009) - Real Salt Lake (3-2-0, 9 pts., 3rd in MLS Western Conference) saw its road to the 2009 U.S. Open Cup end with a 1-4 loss to fellow MLS competitor Seattle Sounders FC at Starfire Sports Complex, with MF Will Johnson providing the lone highlight for RSL, his 32nd-minute goal briefly cutting the Seattle lead in half. With the loss, RSL fell to 3-5-0 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, a 95-year old tourney which is among the oldest cup competitions worldwide. Including two Open Cup losses, RSL is now 0-8-3 all-time on the road and on artificial turf, being outscored 27-10.

Led by striker Sebastien LeToux's two goals and two assists, Seattle (4-2-0, 12 pts., 2nd in MLS Western Conference) was in control of nearly the entire match. After testing RSL GK Chris Seitz with a pair of shots and several dangerous crosses in the early going, LeToux put Seattle on the board in the 24th minute after being awarded a questionable penalty kick following Real DF David Horst's ball-winning challenge in the box. Just two minutes later, LeToux set up teammate Sanna Nyassi as he streaked through the middle of the RSL defense to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

A piece of individual brilliance by RSL MF Will Johnson cut the lead in half in the 32nd-minute, Johnson receiving the ball on the left flank, cutting not once but twice inside along the top of the box, blasting home a right-footed rocket inside Sounders FC goalkeeper Chris Eylander's near post. Early in the second half, Johnson nearly tied the game up, RSL MF Andy Williams springing the Canadian international in alone on Eylander. However, Johnson's strike was parried away by the former USL 'keeper, maintaining Seattle's advantage.

Another pair of Seattle goals just two minutes apart blew the game open, as Roger Levesque set up both Stephen King and LeToux in the 53rd and 55th minutes to give Seattle its decisive margin in the expansion MLS teams' first-ever U.S. Open Cup foray. While Sounders FC MLS standouts such as Kasey Keller, Freddie Ljungberg and Fredy Montero had the night off, it was a quintet of former USL Division I Sounders - LeToux, Eylander, Levesque, Taylor Graham and Zachary Scott - that started the game at their former Starfire home.

"Obviously, we are extremely disappointed with the result and the match, as tonight's performance is a big letdown after Saturday's win (a 6-0 victory over New England) back home," said RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis. "It's important for everyone to remember that it is still a young season, we have several games left to accomplish our goals. Tonight we played a lot of guys that hadn't had extensive minutes in their previous opportunities, and to be honest, tonight they didn't make the most of this opportunity. So now we have to wipe this one from our mind as soon as possible - it's over, and it is what it is. We have another game Saturday in Colorado, its a big rivalry, and it'll be a fantastic opportunity to get back on track."

RSL travels to Commerce City, Colo., for a 7:30 p.m. MT kickoff in the team's lone trip to Colorado this season. Saturday's game can be seen LIVE in its entirety on KUTV 2.2 / Comcast 111, or heard on KALL 700 AM Sports (English) or Ke Buena 1600 AM (Spanish). The America First Credit Union Pre-Match Report kicks off both TV (7:00 p.m. MT) and radio (6:30 p.m. MT) coverage. The rival Rapids - who have not hoisted the Rocky Mountain Cup since 2006 - visit Rio Tinto Stadium on June 6 (part of the Stadium's "Charity Begins at Home" event, featuring David Archuleta) and in the MLS regular-season finale on October 24.

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