Late goal hands RSL 2-1 loss in Houston to start 1st round of playoffs

Real Salt Lake seemed to be right where it wanted to be — back against the wall as a road underdog in a 1-1 game in the playoffs — until the weakening dam finally broke, and Houston took a 2-1 lead in the 79th minute to take game one of a three-game first-round series.

"With 10 minutes left, it was a tough pill to swallow," RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "We've just got to be better with the ball; we've got to take our chances, but I think the effort was fantastic."

A first half that saw Houston dominate 74% of the possession was suddenly an even match with one swift counterattack and a goal by 20-year-old wunderkind Diego Luna in the 54th minute.

Second-half subs Andres Gomez and Anderson Julio combined for a fast break down the right flank that got Luna the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, and the youngster didn't hesitate, becoming the youngest goalscorer in RSL playoff history. He's also the youngest MLS player to score in the playoffs since 2020.

"You're happy when you score goals, and I don't think what type of game or whatever it is changes," Luna said of his first playoff goal. "You feel happy at the moment, but the most important thing is the result and my goal means nothing if we couldn't get the (win)."

RSL was able to hold onto the tie for 25 more minutes until Griffin Dorsey's run into the box for Houston resulted in a deflection right at the feet of Dynamo Amine Bassi, who slotted home the game-winner for the higher-seeded home team.

An already-depleted RSL defense missing Justen Glad and Marcelo Silva lost outside back Bode Hidalgo in Sunday's match and was forced to bring on Kevon Lambert — the only remaining pure defender on the bench — early in the second half. Glad, Silva and striker Chicho Arango were all "questionable" coming into the playoff opener but Mastroeni is optimistic they can return for the next game.

The series now shifts to Sandy, as RSL hosts a must-win Game 2 on Monday, Nov. 6 at America First Field. A win for RSL would force a winner-take-all Game 3 in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 11.

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