Real Salt Lake settled for a 1-1 draw on Saturday against Colorado after going five games without a win.

Real looked to be on its way to a victory until Rapids forward Omar Cummings scored in the final minutes of the game to tie it up. Despite the draw, coach Jason Kreis is staying positive.

“At the end of the day I’m pleased with the guys’ effort,” Kreis said. “Obviously I’m not pleased with the result, but I think this might be something to build off of.”

Real started the game in a 4-3-3 formation to make up for the absent Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales, both out on suspension. Salt Lake established a great offensive presence in the first half, outshooting Colorado 12 to 2. Despite several close chances Real was unable to capitalize with any goals.

Yura Movsisyan came out in the second half to score Real’s first goal of the game in the 79th minute. It was the forward’s first goal in five games. Movsisyan caught a cross-over pass on the left corner of the goal box and dribbled back around two defenders to take a sweeping shot to the back of the net.

“He [Movsisyan] was another player I thought was very dangerous tonight,” Kreis said. “He did a lot of very good things, served a lot of nice balls in the box and has worked extremely hard through all the difficult times.”

Real’s luck faded three minutes later when Robbie Russell was issued his second yellow card for tripping.

Colorado capitalized on the outnumbered Real defense and tied the game with their only goal of the night. Cummings drove the ball on the right side and took a hard shot at Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who tipped it into the goal.

Despite the draw, Kreis feels there is reason for the team to stay upbeat.

“I was really pleased with the commitment, the dedication and the hard work the guys put in tonight,” Kreis said. “They really played with some self belief and I thought they really looked like a team that wanted to fight and do all those things together.”

Movsisyan insists this is the start of Real’s comeback in the western division.

“We’re a good team,” Movsisyan said. “We believe in ourselves, our coaches believe in us, and we believe in our coaches. The only way for us is up.”

Real now prepares for a tough two-game road trip against the L.A. Galaxy and Houston Dynamo. Real still remains winless on the road with only one goal scored all season away from home.

After the game, Real fans were treated with a special performance by former American Idol contestant David Archuleta. Archuleta was part of Rio Tinto’s “Charity Begins at Home” event in support of military personnel.



Copyright Brigham Young University 8 Jun 2009