and the first time ever at the Chivas USA home stadium -- the Real Salt Lake players' spirits were high following their 1-0 win against Chivas USA.
The win was RSL's first on the road this season and also its first ever on the road against Chivas USA in more than four seasons.
"It's been a long time coming," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "I'm so proud of the guys, they've taken a big step forward."
Robbie Findley scored a goal in the first half and the RSL defense, including several key saves by goalkeeper Nick Rimando, made the result stand to erase a five-match losing streak on the road this season and a seven-match winless streak at The Home Depot Center since 2005.
"We've been getting a lot of slack for not winning on the road but we didn't really panic," said midfielder Kyle Beckerman. "We knew we were all right all along and that eventually it would happen. After we got the goal it was all about fighting and our defense played great and Rimando was amazing."
Beckerman setup the game-winning goal in the 34th minute when he sent a through ball to Findley from midfield. Findley collected the ball before shooting past Dan Kennedy for the goal.
"You don't get much time in midfield against Chivas," said Beckerman. "It was just a small segment that I got some time and was able to slip it through to Findley and he knows what to do to finish."
Added Findley: "It was a good ball by Kyle. I was able to take a couple of touches and I saw the 'keeper coming off his line so I took one more touch past him and that was it."
With a lead in hand, it was unclear whether RSL would be able to hold it. Three times this year, RSL has taken a lead only to see it lost, leading to two ties and a loss. Their ability to hold the lead until the final whistle was a major step for RSL.
"To pick up a win like this will be a huge boost for us," said Kreis. "Not because we played particularly well but because we picked up a hard-fought win."
The win was RSL's second in three matches and moved them into a tie for third place in the Western Conference standings. Now, RSL must quickly shift its focus toward a midweek home match against San Jose. RSL's confidence will be high heading into that match.
"We got that first road win off our back and now it's time to roll with it," said Beckerman. "We're still going to have some bumps in the road but this was a big win. We raised the bar today."
Danny Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
