Real Salt Lake stood 45 minutes from glory, but it took less than two of those minutes for Deportivo Saprissa to score and put the pressure right back on the visitors from MLS in their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal second leg on Tuesday night.
Rather than fold under the pressure of an intimidating crowd and motivated home team, Real Salt Lake stood firm. The MLS representatives defended intelligently, passed smartly and pushed right back, finding a vital road goal thanks to a Jamison Olave volley that all but crushed Saprissa’s hopes and helped Real Salt Lake make history.
Defending a 2-0 first-leg lead, Real Salt Lake dropped a 2-1 decision at Estadio Saprissa, but advanced on aggregate to earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions League final in the process. In doing so, RSL became the first MLS team to reach the tournament’s final since CONCACAF moved to a group stage, Champions League format in 2008.
"It was a difficult, difficult game for us and that one goal got us through to the next leg," Kreis said of Olave’s goal. "What we did at home turned out to be extremely, extremely important."
On a night when the team put in every bit of an impressive team effort in battling a fast and fiesty Saprissa side, Olave delivered the dagger, scoring a 61st-minute goal of a deflected Javier Morales corner kick. The goal turned a one-goal lead into essentially a three-goal lead thanks to the away goals rule.
"Fortunately it was a goal that really calmed the team down," Olave said of his third CONCACAF Champions League goal of the campaign. "They had already scored the goal in the first minute (of the second half) and that really complicated the match.
"The team kept playing very strong and playing well and we didn’t worry too much because we knew we had the advantage," Olave said of the team’s response to Saprissa’s first goal.
"We knew if we could find the goal we’d win the series."
Olave’s goal deflated the packed Estadio Saprissa and took the life out of a Deportivo Saprissa side that kept RSL under steady defensive pressure for long stretches of the match. After Olave’s goal, Saprissa simply didn’t have the same attacking quality or drive until the very end of the match. A late penalty kick goal gave Saprissa fans some hope, and a 2-1 lead on the night, but it wasn’t enough to win the series.
In the final, Real Salt Lake will face Monterrey, which defeated Cruz Azul 3-2 on aggregate in the other Champions League semifinal series. Monterrey led the series 2-1, and then tied host Cruz Azul 1-1 on Wednesday in Mexico City.
The CONCACAF Champions League Final is a two-leg series, with the first leg being held on April 20 at at Monterrey's Estadio Tecnologico and Real Salt Lake playing host to the decisive second leg on April 27 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"I think that both of them are very different teams," Kreis said of RSL’s potential opponents in the final. "It was really exciting to play against Cruz Azul (in the group stages) because I think they play a very similar style to the way we do. I think it would be very exciting to play Monterrey because I think they play almost the exact opposite of the way we do.
"In some ways maybe it would be nice to have a new challenge and not play the same team we played in the first round."
Saprissa started the second half in dream fashion on Tuesday when Luis Diego Cordero blasted a 20-yard shot past Rimando to make the aggregate score 2-1. The goal rejuvenated a large home crowd that had grown quiet in the latter stages of the first half.
Instead of caving into the pressure being applied by Saprissa, Real Salt Lake responded with stingy defense and Olave’s vital goal.
"I think our guys kept it together pretty well (after Saprissa’s goal) and it’s another bit of evidence of them being a mature group," Kreis said.
Real Salt Lake came close to finding the crucial road goal on multiple occasions in the first half, but goalkeeper Victor Bolivar delivered clutches saves twice, the first on a Beckerman shot in the 27th minute and the second a dynamic reaction save of a close-range Saborio header.
Deportivo Saprissa came out flying to start the match, as expected, but the RSL defense was organized and limited the home team’s chances. Centerback Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave won every aerial challenge and midfielders Will Johnson and Andy Williams provided invaluable defensive support as Saprissa sent its fullbacks forward.
RSL began to find its passing rhythm mid-way in the first half, as Saprissa began to tire. The midfield trio of Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales and Williams began finding more space to string passes together, though RSL’s best chances still came on set pieces.
Saprissa finally started to find chances late in the first half, but Josue Martinez sent a clear chance screaming over the crossbar while Jairo Arrieta saw his own chance go zooming past the far post.
Alonso Solis converted an 87th-minute penalty to bring Saprissa to within 3-2 on the series, but RSL held on and celebrated the victory in modest fashion. In part because of the fatigue caused by holding off Saprissa for 90 minutes, and in part because Real Salt Lake’s work isn’t done.
Now RSL is focused on becoming the first team since the 2000 Los Angeles Galaxy to win a CONCACAF Championship (The Galaxy won the CONCACAF Champions Cup).
"We did accomplish something (tonight), there’s no doubt about it," Kreis said. "But I think all of us feel that the real history is to be made in the next round.
"We got to the dance and now we’ll see what we can do."
"There are still games to play," Morales said. "We know that this is very important for us and soccer in the United States, but we’re not satisfied. We know there are still games to play, against Cruz Azul or Monterrey, we’re ready for the final and hopefully we can win it."
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
