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SANDY -- Real Salt Lake will again take a mid-week road trip to face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, but could be tested as they will be playing right off of the frustrating draw that took place last Saturday night at Rio Tinto.
"It feels like a loss, we lost some points, so a bit disappointing," said RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman.
Being just five minutes away from a win and having that taken away by a penalty kick off of a controversial call can make any team's spirits fall, especially a team that has already been going through a cold spell.
The 85th minute was a haunting minute for RSL on Saturday night as D.C. United just barely snuck a penalty kick past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
The penalty kick was awarded to D.C. United's Charlie Davies who had entered the game in the second half and was going for a goal when RSL's Chris Wingert went to slide the ball away, but got called on a tackle as Davies went to the ground.
Video of the apparent tackle show Wingert with little or no contact with Davies.
Wingert was sticking to his strong belief that the call was frustrating as he exclaimed, "It wasn't even close."
Wingert continued, saying, "I was almost more sliding to block the shot, thinking he was going to shoot it and he just kicked it away and jumped over. It's almost laughable. Charlie's a friend of mine; we roomed together at National Team camp. He even looked at me and was kind of smiling. He knew. He (Davies) said, ‘That's football,' that's what he told me."
RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis, however, refused to say anything but a strick, "No comment," regarding the play that cost them two points and a big win at home.
Officials in any sport have a tough job. They are the ones that fans, players and coaches either love or hate in when calls are made and especially in instances like that when it decides the game.
Although Beckerman expressed that instances like the controversial call against his teammate was frustrating he simply explained, "The referee's are trying their best."
"We just have to keep working hard and get more dangerous," said Beckerman
Whichever way the call was suppose to go, it is kind of just how it goes in any sport. There's always some who will disagree with the call, but there's also the one or many that will praise the call that was made. It's a toss-up and happens in almost every game and in every sport.
Beckerman also commented on what they need to do, rather than dwell on calls like this saying, "We just have to keep working hard and get more dangerous."
RSL's kick with Chicago is set for 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Wednesday.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
