Houston Dynamo's unbeaten streak was halted at 11 games as they fell to Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The only goal came in the 84th minute after Robbie Findley took advantage of a rare defensive misplay.
Playing their fifth game in two weeks after finishing SuperLiga group play, Dynamo's streak was brought to end by RSL's second win of the season.
Dynamo nearly fell behind in the first minute when Chris Brown slotted a square ball to a wide open Kyle Beckerman at the top of the penalty area. Beckerman took a touch and luckily rifled his shot short of the near post and into the side netting.
Salt Lake were on the attack again in the fifth minute after Beckerman found a hole in the Houston back line and sent Findley racing toward Pat Onstad's net. However, as Findley crashed the area he put his shot into the seats.
Houston's first dangerous moment in the attacking third ended with a whimper in the 13th minute. As Brian Ching muscled his way past an RSL defender he placed an easy ball right at Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
In the following minute, Onstad was perfectly positioned to grab a shot from Beckerman. The Salt Lake midfielder redirected a low cross on goal with a single touch, but the ball went right into the chest of the Houston 'keeper.
Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark decided to test Rimando from distance a few minutes later. As he received a throw-in about 25 yards from goal, Clark spun and fired a wicked shot that was well wide of the post.
The home side pressed for another pair of chances, with neither of them requiring a save from Onstad. In the 35th minute Eddie Pope got his head on a corner but didn't get enough on it to put it inside the far post. Then in the 36th, Findley put his header just high of the crossbar.
Stuart Holden was on the receiving end of a nifty set of passes from the visitors. After a few passes across the top of the area Holden stepped up and launched a grass-burner that beat Rimando, but skidded just to the wrong side of the post.
And just before the break, Onstad benefitted from Salt Lake's poor form in front of goal. After Findley skipped past Wade Barrett out wide the RSL striker touched a short pass into Kyle Brown, who was waiting just outside the goal area. Fortunately for Dynamo, Brown skied his chance over the frame of the goal.
The new half brought new energy to Dynamo, as they applied fierce pressure on the Salt Lake goal from the opening whistle. Nate Jaqua came onto the field to start the second period in place of Holden and made his presence felt almost immediately.
In the 50th minute Jaqua got his head on a cross from Joseph Ngwenya, but his chance fell lightly in front of Rimando as the Salt Lake 'keeper scooped it up.
Five minutes later Clark broke past an RSL defense that was pressing high toward the center line. Clark carried -- uncontested -- until he laid an easy ball out for Richard Mulrooney about 15 yards from goal. Mulrooney ran onto the pass and drilled it toward the far post, but it wasn't enough to beat a sprawling Rimando.
Salt Lake went on the attack just after the 60th minute. While getting within striking distance a few times in those few minutes, the end result was a shot from Findley that shaved the top of the crossbar.
Another sequence of tightly played passes led to another scoring opportunity for Dynamo in the 64th minute. Near the sideline, Ching played a quick ball into the area for Barrett. The Houston defender drew a few RSL counterparts to him before dropping the ball back to the top of the box for Clark to crack a shot that was punched away by Rimando.
Houston were awarded a freekick in the 73rd minute when Ngwenya was taken down by Ritchie Kotschau just outside the area right in front of goal. Mulrooney stepped up and curled his chance just over the bar.
Dynamo fell behind in the 84th minute. Barrett misplayed a through ball, letting it slip away as Eddie Robinson covered behind him, and Findley pounced on it. The Salt Lake striker charged toward goal and buried his shot just inside the far post past Onstad's dive.
It looked as though Houston would draw level in the 90th minute when Robinson went high to challenge Rimando. But, the Salt Lake goalkeeper was able to snag it off the head of the Dynamo center back and Houston had suffered a first league defeat since May 26.
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
