Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
There’s a magical thing about being in a cup competition that really doesn’t compare to anything else. Last night’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Houston Dynamo should have been a continuation of that magic, with a massive opportunity on hand to earn an automatic CONCACAF Champions Cup berth with a victory.
A side note: CCC, formerly CONCACAF Champions League, affords qualification spots to the Leagues Cup winner and the U.S. Open Cup winner; because Inter Miami has already won Leagues Cup and will be appearing in the Open Cup final, the qualification slot goes to the remaining U.S. Open Cup finalist.
Instead, the magic left the air from kickoff, with Real Salt Lake looking second-best from the very beginning. Houston, looking like a team that was prepared to frustrate RSL throughout, didn’t have much with which to deal, aside from extra time and an Anderson Julio goal. And those two things alone should have been a huge boost — but the team’s sustained inability to defend with any sense erased the goodwill of those two aspects.
Too many times we saw Real Salt Lake defending in a way only properly described as amateurish. Whether it was the defensive mishaps that led to all three goals or simply ceding the ball immediately after winning it (possession in your own half can be a great defensive approach — let’s not forget that), there was a sense that if there was going to be that CCL berth, it was going to come unexpectedly.
