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SANDY — Real Salt Lake was unable to convert a penalty and conceded a late goal to FC Cincinnati in a 2-1 loss at America First Field Saturday.
"The way the balls are going in — just, it's painful. Before, we were rigid; I feel like now we're porous," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said of giving up a late goal.
It was the same starting 11 as usual for RSL, with one change: 19-year-old Diego Luna was in the lineup and veteran Justin Meram was not.
Luna had a good showing in his second start of the season Wednesday in Austin, and head coach Pablo Mastroeni felt he had no other choice but to start him given what he proved.
The youngster proved Mastroeni right with RSL's first real chances of the night around the 20-minute mark. First, he dribbled into the box and laid it off to Sergio Cordova, only to be given the ball right back to take a shot of his own that went just wide.
Then, Luna received the ball just outside the box and attempted a one-touch shot that, once again, curled just around the goal and out of bounds.
After a lull around the 30-minute mark, things pick up in a hurry when Jefferson Savarino got the ball on the right side of the box and found Maikel Chang for a header goal in the 35th minute.
Cincinnati launched its attack in the other direction and striker Brandon Vasquez immediately picked up a penalty in the box on Marcelo Silva. The decision went to a video review and the referee called off the penalty, much to the relief of the RSL faithful.
The visitors got their equalizer not long after, however, when Brazilian striker Brenner fired a shot at Zac MacMath in the 44th minute and it was too powerful for the keeper's hands — going through and into the back of the net.
Things only continued to escalate from there, with Cordova earning a penalty for RSL in first-half stoppage time. Pablo Ruiz stepped up to take it, but his shot was saved by Cincinnati keeper Roman Celentano. After a breakneck final 15 minutes of the half, the teams went into the locker rooms tied 1-1.
"The other part is to not score that PK kind of validates the feelings that you've had from that last game a little bit and starts to bring in a little bit of doubt (and) lack of confidence," Mastroeni said.
The referee went to the video monitor for the second time in the game early in the second half, and for the second time in as many tries, Cincinnati was denied a penalty.
MacMath came up with a save on a Cincinnati breakaway in the 62nd minute to keep the score level, and RSL made its first two attack-minded subs soon after with Justin Meram and Anderson Julio to try and go for the win.
The best chance yet in the second half for RSL came in the 70th minute when a long ball found Cordova and he got into the box to lay it off to Savarino on the right side. Savarino got a good crack at it, but the keeper was up to the task, keeping the score level at 1-1.
Brenner got his second goal of the night in the 76th minute on a shot from the center of the box to take a 2-1 lead; all but sealing RSL's fate Saturday — and possibly for the season.
RSL now finds itself in eighth place in the Western Conference and below the playoff line, with LA Galaxy ahead in seventh place on goal differential.
RSL gets a two-week break for international play before playing the final two games of the regular season on Oct. 1 against LA Galaxy on the road, and the regular season finale on Oct. 9 against Portland Timbers at home.
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Caleb Turner
