a draw.
Neither the Houston Dynamo nor RSL found the net in a 0-0 result at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday evening. Each team finished the game a man down after having a player sent off in the first half.
RSL concentrated on getting its offense going early through a series of short passes and runs. But the Claret-and-Cobalt's first serious chance at a goal did not materialize until the 15th minute when Will Johnson misfired on the tail end of a breakaway.
Johnson intercepted the ball near midfield and darted down the right side toward the goal. He pulled up slightly as he closed in on the 6-yard box and tried to curl a shot inside the right post. The ball sailed wide and bounced into the netting.
Houston nearly struck in the 25th minute when Stuart Holden made a length of the field dash toward Real's goal. Once he reached the edge of the penalty area, Holden unleashed a long booming shot at RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. The shot ended up not turning into much of a threat as the ball sailed high and wide.
The Dynamo had another chance in the 29th minute when Geoff Cameron latched onto a poorly cleared ball and blasted it right back at Rimando. Once again, though, the shot was not on target and sailed high into the stands.
RSL had no better luck getting their shots to go on frame. Javier Morales swung a corner kick into a scrum of players in the 35th minute. Robbie Findley emerged from the group and got his head onto the ball. Findley's efforts to slot it inside the left post met with failure and the ball sailed wide instead.
Things got sticky for Houston a minute later when Andrew Hainault was sent off with a red card in the 36th minute for picking up his second yellow card of the match -- both of which came after Hainault had committed fouls on Fabian Espindola.
RSL stepped up the attack to take advantage of Houston being a man down. Kyle Beckerman uncorked a line drive shot from about 25 yards out in the 42nd minute that forced Pat Onstad to make a diving catch to his left to keep the clean sheet intact.
Things turned ugly for RSL in first-half stoppage time when it lost its man advantage. It started when Findley got behind the Dynamo defense and latched onto a cross from Tony Beltran. Findley had a point-blank shot from inside the goalmouth that was denied by Onstad.
Findley chased down the ball but went down hard in the box after being challenged by Cameron. Referee Paul Ward did not call a foul on the play and his no call earned an animated protest from Clint Mathis. After slamming the ball down in protest, Mathis was shown his second yellow card (his first had come after just four minutes) and sent off just before halftime.
An unlucky bounce took away what appeared to be a sure goal for Findley in the 49th minute. Espindola tracked down a ball served into the left corner and crossed it to Findley in the goalmouth. Findley unleashed a header as he dived forward. The ball however hit off the underside of the crossbar and bounced away.
Another near miss occurred for RSL in the 54th minute when Tony Beltran corralled a corner kick by Morales on the right side and let fly from 25 yards out. His shot was on frame, but Onstad managed to push the ball up and over the bar to make the save.
Houston struggled to generate much offense at the same time because RSL played wide while the Dynamo tried to play up the middle. It meant that Houston had to absorb pressure repeatedly in its own half.
Still, RSL struggled to get on the scoreboard. Morales had consecutive free kicks blocked in the 67th and 68th minute. Johnson tried to slip one past Onstad from the middle of the area a few minutes later, but the ball went straight into the keeper's hands.
RSL's last good chance came in the 85th minute when Morales missed on a strike from 20 yards out that missed by inches to the left of the frame.
Both teams return to action next Sunday, Aug. 23, with Real Salt Lake facing a trip to take on the New England Revolution, while the Houston Dynamo return home to take on Seattle Sounders FC.
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com
