SALT LAKE CITY - It might not count in the Major League Soccer standings, but Real Salt Lake doesn't care. Beating the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 after extra time Wednesday in a U.S. Open Cup qualifying round game gave RSL all the boost it needs.
"It's a confidence thing; the guys in the locker room, the first thing they said was that we are still unbeaten," Real coach John Ellinger said. "You take the wins any way you can; it's a habit, just like we found in the past that losing is a habit, and now winning is a habit. It's good to finally get a win against a good team."
Likely, no player feels better about the win than Andy Williams, who for the second time scored an overtime game-winner in Open Cup play for Real Salt Lake. Williams has now scored the game-winner in each of RSL's Open Cup victories.
Williams entered the game in the 68th minute as a substitute for Chris Klein when RSL was ahead 1-0. Before the end of the game, he had his first goal of the season. In the 109th minute, Williams took a pass from Jeff Cunningham and fired a 15-yarder that hit the goal just inside the left post and went into the net to give Real a 2-1 lead.
"Andy did exactly what we expected him to do," Ellinger said. "We expected him to hold the ball more, and he was doing that, and he created some opportunities for us to get additional chances."
Between the two teams, only three shots were taken in overtime. Williams took two of them; his first shot, a 25-yard bomb in the 101st minute, came dangerously close when it banged off the crossbar. Williams also started RSL's second game of the night, a friendly featuring the Real reserves against the Fiji national team.
After getting draws at Rice-Eccles Stadium in the last two weeks, Salt Lake was ready for a victory.
"It's huge for this team. When you have two ties like that, two disappointing ties at home, you have a tendency of questioning yourself a little bit, but this team doesn't do that," midfielder Freddy Adu said. "This team comes out, and wants to play and wants to win."
Adu was largely responsible for Real's first goal. After pulling down a long ball from Willis Forko, Adu streaked into the penalty area with only Kansas City 'keeper Kevin Hartman to beat. Hartman came off his line, dove for the ball, and sent Adu into a cartwheel. Jeff Cunningham buried the ensuing penalty kick into the upper-right corner of the goal.
RSL's Daniel Torres made it stick. In the 24th minute, the Wizards' Eddie Johnson juked past Torres and Real goalkeeper Chris Seitz and found himself streaking toward an empty net. But Torres recovered, tracked him down, got position and stole the ball away.
"That defensive play may have been the play of the year so far," Ellinger said. "It's a credit to how well he's been playing all year."
Kansas City forced the game into extra time with a goal in the 88th minute. Off a cross from the right, Will John hit a header against Seitz's forearm; the ball bounced right to Sasha Victorine, who buried the shot inside the near-right post.
"We've just got to do a better job of keeping the ball with the lead and the end of the game," Ellinger said. "Luckily, we did whatever it took this time to get the win, and a win is a win, so that's good."
Klein, certainly, believes Real will turn around its late-game misfortunes before the end of the season.
"At the end of the day, it's good for us to win a game, no matter if we give up a lead," Klein said. "That's going to happen. But you are going to see us get those late points by getting that late goal ourselves this year."
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the aapproval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
