Real Salt Lake needed a victory, gets a tie

SANDY — The dream scenario played out for Real Salt Lake in the first half Saturday.

In a relative must-win situation against MLS best Houston, the visitors were reduced to 10 men on a 36th-minute red card. With the game still scoreless, there was plenty of time for RSL to exploit the man advantage and produce a winner at Rio Tinto Stadium.

It never panned out that way. Clint Mathis received a red card of his own shortly before halftime, and despite creating more opportunities in the wide-open second half, Real Salt Lake was forced to settle for a 0-0 draw.

"It's quite disappointing. We're at home, the other team gets a red card, and that's a huge, huge hit to them, especially playing against us the way we move the ball around," said RSL's Robbie Russell. "It's one of those things. It happens. It's a part of football. Clint apologized to us in the locker room, but you just got to be smarter about that stuff."

Real Salt Lake improved to 7-8-6 (27 points) with the draw, but three points were there for the taking.

Mathis was unavailable for comment after the match.

Mathis' red card was the club's fourth in its past 10 matches, a disturbing trend for a team fighting for its playoff lives.

"The game was starting to come to us. The second half would've been a nice one to be up a man finally against an opponent for an extended period of time, especially here at home with the altitude," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.

"We all realize, as does Clint, that it was a real bad mistake that potentially cost us. Who knows (though). Maybe we play up a man for the entire second half and we still don't have the finishing touch."

There would've definitely been more opportunities with an extra man, but there were still plenty before and after Mathis' ejection as RSL outshot Houston 16-3.

"I do think the work and commitment our guys showed tonight was good, it was very good from the first whistle to the last whistle. Everything was there but the finishing touch," said Kreis.

In the 15th minute, Will Johnson put a close-range shot from the right side of the box inches wide of the near post.

Over the next 30 minutes, Robbie Findley missed three great chances. He headed a corner kick wide, he was denied by Pat Onstad on a close-range volley. And then in the 49th minute, Findley's diving header just in front of Onstad bounced off the crossbar.

Onstad's save in the 45th minute indirectly led to Mathis' red card.

After the save Findley regained possession but could never get a quality shot off while be draped by Houston midfielder Geoff Cameron. Mathis — who had already been yellow carded — slammed the ball in frustration after the ball rolled out of bounds.

Findley was just as frustrated about being denied, but he kept his cool.