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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Real Salt Lake was eliminated in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup Wednesday in New Mexico after making it all the way to the semifinals last year.
USL Championship side New Mexico United took it to the No. 1 team in the MLS Western Conference early on their home turf of Isotope Field with two goals in the opening 20 minutes and a 3-1 halftime lead.
"We completely tuned out," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said of the early goals. "The emotion is like, 'Poor me,' and when you operate from that space, you can never think reasonably."
Fidel Barajas got his first goal in an RSL uniform for the lone score in the first half, and Diego Luna got the second-and-final goal for the Claret and Cobalt in the 49th minute.
Moon boy starts the second half off right #NMvRSL | 3-2 pic.twitter.com/hsa3bz0vYZ
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) May 9, 2024
Luna's strike just minutes into the second half made it a single-score game, 3-2, but Jacobo Reyes ended all hopes of an RSL comeback with New Mexico's fourth goal in the 85th minute.
RSL made six changes to its starting lineup in its first Open Cup fixture, granting Zavier Gozo, Tommy Silva and Philip Quinton their first starts at the club.
"I think Fidel and Luna in particular did really well," Mastroeni said. "I think Tommy Silva did a good job and Gozo helped create that first goal before he got knocked in the head. So from that part, I think there's some experience gained."
Leading scorer Chicho Arango came off the bench in the 82nd minute to try and find an equalizer, but Reyes shut that door three minutes later as the second-division squad secured a win in its first-ever matchup against RSL.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for RSL following the loss, traveling to the third-place team in the West on Saturday in a classic clash against the LA Galaxy.
