Tie sends Real Salt Lake to the playoffs

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — In the biggest match of the season, Real Salt Lake played terrible. In fact, after the match RSL coach Jason Kreis said it was probably the worst his team has played all year.

Who could've ever guessed that RSL's worst would be enough to push the club through to the Major League Soccer playoffs for the first time in franchise history?

That's precisely what happened Saturday night as Yura Movsisyan scored a 90th-minute goal against rival Colorado, a strike that earned RSL a 1-1 draw — a result good enough to clinch a playoff berth.

"I couldn't believe it. I thought we played poorly, to be completely honest. I thought overall it was one of our worst games of the season," said Kreis, who added that he was happy "to see the guys just continue to stick with it and continue to believe."

Real Salt Lake will open the first-round playoff series next Saturday at 4 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium against Chivas USA. The second game of the two-game Western Conference series will be the following Saturday at Chivas USA.

All year, as RSL was dropping points along the way, the consensus was that RSL would need 40 points in the standings to earn the franchise's first-ever playoff berth. Movsisyan's goal pushed Real Salt Lake (10-10-10) to the magic 40-point threshold, securing the Western Conference's third and final playoff seed.

"We've worked really hard this year, and I think anything but making the playoffs was going to be very disappointing for this franchise and for us as players," said Movsisyan, who's scored five goals in the past nine matches. "That's what was keeping us going. We never gave up during the year. Now it's a different game."

The victory also allowed Real Salt Lake to retain the Rocky Mountain Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series between RSL and the Rapids. The two teams tied in 2008 — trading 2-0 wins before Saturday's 1-1 tie — so Salt Lake maintains possession after winning it in 2007.

For 90 minutes, however, it looked like RSL had no chance of getting its much-needed tie.

Colorado came out the aggressor, dominating an opponent that seemed content to drop back and try and defend for 90 minutes.

In the opening 20 minutes especially, the Rapids played like the team that needed the victory — which they did — and they were justly rewarded with a goal in the 19th minute.

Colorado's Conor Casey easily chipped the ball over the head of charging RSL keeper Nick Rimando, putting the home team in front 1-0 by capitalizing on a lovely through ball from Jordan Harvey.

Just like that RSL's advantage of needing only a tie to advance to the MLS playoffs vanished.