SALT LAKE CITY - In another exciting matchup of Western Conference heavyweights, it was just one mental lapse that allowed Real Salt Lake to sneak past FC Dallas with a 2-1 win at a sold out Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
After a lackluster first half that saw the home side take a 1-0 advantage to the locker room, head coach Oscar Pareja inserted Tesho Akindele into the second-half lineup and it paid immediate dividends. FCD came out of the locker room flying, controlling the lion's share of possession and finding a deserved equalized through a 62nd trademark free kick from Michel.
However, not even ten seconds after substituting into the match after a multiple-month injury layoff, Costa Rican forward Alvaro Saborio headed home in the 77th minute to send FCD to their second-straight road defeat.
MATCH RECAP: Real Salt Lake 2, FC Dallas 1
"To give up two goals like that is not what we wanted. The guy just coming on the field we know how to mark him, but it just didn’t happen," said Matt Hedges. "We fought back to get in a position to win and to give it up like that is hugely disappointing that’s all you can say about that."
FC Dallas was certainly the better team in the second half of the match and saw playmaker Mauro Diaz return to the field late in the match, but the one moment of madness still dominated post-match thoughts.
"It’s unfortunate to give up another goal on a set piece," said Zach Loyd. "For us that’s something that we’ve been strong with for a couple months, and these last few weeks we’ve gotten away from that so I think this week we need to get back to the drawing board and clean up some things on set pieces."
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With two tough road games now behind them, a return home next Saturday night against Vancouver Whitecaps FC will be just what the doctor ordered for an FCD team still solidly in the Western Conference playoff positions.
"It’s been tough the last two weeks with road trips getting no points, but that’s the league. The league is tough like that and I'm proud of this team," Pareja said after the match. "They’ve done an excellent job so far and they control their own destiny. The boys have done so much good things this year and maybe these last two results can’t bring us down. We need to keep pushing. We know where we are, we know where we want to be at and we will be fine."
