It was cruel irony for Real Salt Lake, especially after Robbie Findley was denied on a similar moment in the sixth minute. After a precision pass from Mehdi Ballouchy, Findley's shot caromed off the right post, but instead of then bouncing in off the left post like Cunningham's, the ball rolled harmlessly through the goal mouth and was cleared away.

Despite being denied early in the first half, RSL came through late in the first as it equalized on a penalty kick that Toronto FC was furious about.

Kipre made a darting run toward the penalty area from the right sideline and hammered a ball toward Alecko Eskandarian at the top of the box. Eskandarian kept possession despite being blanketed by defenders Jim Brennan and Tyrone Marshall.

Somehow he split the defenders, but the ref deemed he was then dragged down in the box after doing so. Toronto pleaded that Marshall cleared the ball first, but it didn't matter. The penalty kick had already been awarded, and Eskandarian buried it for his first goal in a Real Salt Lake uniform.

"We came into the locker room, fired up after the PK, that's what you want to do come in even," said Kotschau. "Then we come out on the field a little laxed."

For whatever reason, the effort just wasn't there in the second half, enabling Toronto FC to hang around and eventually steal the three points.

RSL doesn't have much time to dwell on the loss. It has an away match at Columbus this Saturday.

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com

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