Faced with another chance to claim first place in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake saw their efforts to take another step in their evolution end on a red card and a chorus of boos.
Officiating was definitely the sorest spot among RSL's players, fans and head coach Jason Kreis in a 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Thursday night.
Chris Wingert was red carded and ejected following a scuffle with Corey Ashe in the 90th minute -- a decision that brought a shower of debris from the stands to the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Tempers became further inflamed when referee Mark Geiger brought the match to an end after four minutes of added time. RSL argued the allotted added time should have run 4-1/2 minutes instead of four.
The time added on and Wingert's red card pushed Kreis to his boiling point and the second-year RSL coach exchanged heated words with the referee before heading off the field. He was unhappy following the game with what he perceived as a lack of consistency from the referee and the linesmen.
"Every single week we play here, I feel like we're playing away," Kreis said. "Every 50/50 call goes against us. My man gets pushed down in the box. The defender has his arms up in front of him -- showing everybody he's clearly pushed my man down in the box -- and we don't get a thought of a penalty kick.
"Where's the linesman there to help the referee? He was certainly there a few weeks ago to call a non-offside against us," Kreis continued.
Wingert's late red card will prove especially costly. It will force RSL to go without one of their backfield anchors when they take on the Columbus Crew next week.
Wingert justified his role in the altercation as an act of self-defense.
"I was on the ball, ready to walk away, and I got pushed off the ball for no reason," Wingert said. "First of all, I don't think there should have been any red cards. But, for sure, if I'm getting a red card, someone else (should)."
Officiating issues aside, the match seemed to be there for the taking for RSL. Real had plenty of chances to put the ball in the net with 16 shots. But RSL could not overcome its old nemesis -- an inability to finish around the net, as just three shots found their way on target.
Robbie Findley set up Real's best scoring chance in the 24th minute when he latched onto a long ball that came into his path and drew out Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad to the edge of the penalty area.
Rather than go for goal, Findley laid it off to Kyle Beckerman just outside the top of the box. As soon as Beckerman penetrated the area, he drilled a shot through Onstad's legs that was perfectly on frame. But Bobby Boswell came up with perhaps the play of the half when he cleared the ball away while standing on the goal line.
Many RSL shots after that were assortment of misdirected headers and long bombs that just couldn't find their mark.
"This year, in all our ties we've been the better team," Beckerman said. "We just haven't been able to get that final touch."
It wasted a brilliant second-half effort by Real on the defensive end. RSL did not allow Houston a shot on goal until Ricardo Clark drilled a solid left-footer that Nick Rimando scooped up in the 77th minute.
Brian Mullan nearly struck for the Dynamo with a right-footer in the 84th minute only to see Rimando parry away the ball at the last second.
Tony Beltran made an even bigger play a couple of minutes later. Dwayne De Rosario nearly worked a flick header into the back of the net off of a corner kick, but Beltran -- who gave up an own goal in the loss at Kansas City last week -- headed it off the line.
With an improved scoring touch, RSL's defense could make it more of a force to be reckoned with. Findley thinks such a time isn't far away for Real.
"That's where we've been struggling a little bit the past few games is getting that last touch on the ball and putting it in the net," Findley said. "But we got to keep doing what we're doing. They'll eventually fall."
The tie essentially did nothing to resolve the deadlock between Houston and RSL. Both clubs remained deadlocked in second place behind Los Angeles, which plays the New England Revolution at home on July 4.
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
