Real Salt Lake 1, New England Revolution 1.

It seems like New England may finally have RSL figured out on the Rio Tinto Stadium field.

In the 22′, New England started the scoring when Rev’s forward Blake Brettschneider beat the RSL defense soundly and put a solid shot past a diving Nick Rimando.

RSL wasn’t without its chances early, however. Despite multiple opportunities early, it wasn’t until the 33′ that an RSL shot found the back of the net. Kyle Beckerman served the ball into a crowded 18 yard box where Javier Morales headed it to the feet of Alvaro Saborio. Sabo put the shot away and equalized the first half score.

RSL looks ok so far, but they need to clean it up if they want to put this one away.

Here are a few of our favorite scenes from Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday. Thanks to Rob Gray (Twitter @the_robio) for submitting the photos. Submit your own to webmaster@espn700sports.com. If we like them, we’ll post them.

Great crowd at the Riot.

Looks like Wingert may have deserved that penalty…

What it looks like when you lose your 7th game in a row.

Real Salt Lake (6-3-1, 19 points, West #2) kept pace with its Western Conference rivals around the League – all winners – with its third consecutive home victory, downing winless Toronto FC (0-7-0, East #10), with first-year MF Jonny Steele scoring in the 93+’ to lead RSL to a 3-2 win.

Before 17,629 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium, RSL jumped out to the early lead as Captain Kyle Beckerman slammed home the ball for Real Salt Lake’s first set-piece goal of the year. A seventh-minute corner kick by MF Javier Morales – starting for the third consecutive game this week – went far post to find DF Jamison Olave, whose header back across the face of goal was chested down by DF Chris Schuler and slammed home by Beckerman, for RSL’s earliest tally of the young season.

RSL would enter the halftime break up 1-0 after seeing FW Alvaro Saborio’s header disallowed on a much-debated offsides call, while DF Chris Wingert also saw a one-on-one with Toronto FC GK Milos Kocic nullified for the same reason.

Toronto FC equalized early in the second half as a pair of players familiar to RSL – former Dallas playmaker Eric Avila and 2006 RSL draft pick Ryan Johnson – combined to knot the game at 1-1 in the 48^th minute. After centerback Adrian Cann cut off a clearance by RSL DF Tony Beltran, Johnson – the former Oregon State product drafted by RSL and traded to Chicago in exchange for centerback Jack Stewart – fed Avila at the top of the box. Avila, a third-year player who scored the decisive goal for Dallas in its 2010 MLS Cup Playoff elimination of RSL in leg one of the West Semis – juked RSL DF Jamison Olave and curled a right-footed blast past RSL GK Nick Rimando.

Four minutes later, Avila hit the crossbar with a similar blast, but RSL went ahead just moments after that, as a 58’ cross from Beltran nearly found the head of an onrushing Saborio inside the six, but was kneed home for an own goal by Toronto FC DF Richard Eckersley to give RSL the 2-1 lead. That advantage lasted nearly 20 more minutes, until Toronto broke back against RSL’s one-way traffic with a set-piece goal that saw substitute Doneil Henry redirect a Miguel Aceval corner kick to equalize, 2-2, with 10 minutes remaining.

RSL thought it had the game-winner in the 82^nd minute when Saborio again saw an apparent goal disallowed, this time the header nullified due to a foul call in the box. Throwing bodies forward and pushing for the home win, RSL was fortunate that a few Joao Plata opportunities went wanting in the waning minutes, setting the stage for stoppage-time heroics by Steele.

Real Salt Lake 3, Toronto FC 2.

Where do I start…?

MLS referees are absolutely terrible. They are a big part of the reason MLS doesn’t have as much credibility in the United States as the fans think it should. Anyway…

I don’t think RSL quite expected Toronto to come out of halftime as determined as they did. Toronto was pounding RSL and for several minutes it looked like RSL might fold.

In the 48′ Toronto forward Eric Avila juked past Jamison Olave in the 18 yard box and powered a shot past a diving Nick Rimando, evening the score and completely deflating the crowd at Rio Tinto Staduim.

Determined not to lose on their home field, RSL warded off several Toronto attacks (one shot nearly missing the top corner of the goal) and countered.

In the 57′ on an RSL counter, Fabian Espindola dished a beautiful cross into the box to Alvaro Saborio. Sabo dove head first at the ball and at first look seemed to get the ball in the back of the net. On review the ball actually missed Sabo and ricochet off the knee of a Toronto defender. RSL lead 2:1 after the own-goal.

Toronto, however, kept fighting and in the 78′ off a corner kick, Doneil Henry leveled the score at 2:2.

Just as the team seemed deflated and would accept their fate of giving Toronto its first point of the season, Jason Kreis subbed in Jonny Steele and Luis Gil to provide a spark and some fresh legs to the offensive attack. And provide a spark it did.

After several chances and a Saborio goal that was waived off due to an offsides penalty, 4 minutes of stoppage time was added, giving them teams their final chance to pull off a win.

In the final minute of stoppage, Kyle Beckerman found Jonny Steele in the perfect position in front of the Toronto FC goal. Steele destroyed the ball and the chance for Toronto FC to earn its first point with one powerful kick.

Once again, despite terrible refereeing, RSL pulled off a victory and Jonny Steele was the hero of the Riot as the crowd chanted their team off the field.

Real Salt Lake 1, Toronto FC 0.

Another goal for the captain is the difference so far as Real Salt Lake look to extend the Toronto FC losing streak.

In the 7′, after a melee in the 6 yard box, Kyle Beckerman got the last touch on the ball before it shot past Toronto FC goalkeeper Milos Kocic.

Despite owning possession throughout the first 45′, RSL had a few defensive miscues that nearly cost them a goal. The closest came in the 17′ when Toronto FC was awarded a very questionable penalty kick (surprise, surprise). This time the soccer gods were on the side of RSL. As Toronto FC midfielder Torsten Frings took the penalty, Nick Rimando guessed right and forced Frings to take the shot wide left.

Overall I think RSL looks good, but could do bettering both the offensive attack and on defense. Chris Schuler has had a few noticeable miscues on defense and both Espindola and Saborio could benefit for some backup from the attacking midfield. Regardless, I expect a few more goals from RSL in the second 45′.

For the second straight season, Real Salt Lake was able to exorcise its North Texas demons – or at least neutralize them – as the Utah side used a second half equalizer by FW Emiliano Bonfigli to salvage a point from a 1-1 draw at FC Dallas. The share of the spoils at FC Dallas Stadiumallowed Real Salt Lake to ring something out of its season-long three-game road trip, which began with losses at conference leaders Sporting Kansas City and San Jose Earthquakes the last two weekends. With the tie, RSL has now claimed a share of the spoils from its last two league visits to Dallas, bringing its record in all competitions at FC Dallas to 0-10-2.

After a bright opening 10 minutes, Real Salt Lake (5-3-1, 16 pts.; 2^nd in West) ceded control to FC Dallas (3-3-2, 11 pts.; T-3^rd in West), as the Claret-and-Cobalt saw chances by the forward tandem of Álvaro Saborío and Paulo Junior within the first five minutes stand as the lone shots in the opening 45 minutes. Despite being outshot 9-2 in the first stanza, Real Salt Lake nearly got to the locker room at 0-0, only to see DF Tony Beltran get whistled for an inadvertent handball inside the area just as two minutes of stoppage time began. Dallas FW Brek Shea finished the penalty kick chance inside the right post after sending RSL netminder Nick Rimando the wrong way, allowing the home side to enter the lockers up 1-0.

The second 45 minutes saw Real Salt Lake become the aggressor, as evidenced by its own 9-2 shot advantage after the halftime whistle. Bonfigli would be a part of that renewed attacking energy, entering the match for Paulo Junior in the 69^th minute and taking only three minutes to put his stamp on the proceedings. A deftly chipped ball by MF Will Johnson found the onrushing Argentine, who touched once at the edge of the area before finishing low and to the left of former RSL netminder Chris Seitz to even the match at 1-1. Saborío nearly made it a full three-point ambush for the visitors minutes later when he latched onto MF Kyle Beckerman’s ball into acres of space down the right, but after cutting past a back-tracking Shea the Costa Rican striker failed to round Seitz for what would have been an open net finish.

Real Salt Lake 1, FC Dallas 1.

In the 69′, Jason Kreis substituted Paulo Jr. with Emiliano Bonfigli. Three minutes later, Bonfigli recorded his first goal as a member of Real Salt Lake and Major League Soccer. When it looked like the RSL offense could use a spark, Bonfigli provided that spark, leveling the score and putting just enough wind in the sails of RSL to allow them to hold on for the tie. Credit to Will Johnson for the assist, who put the ball in perfect position for Bonfigli to capitalize.

RSL looked much better in the second 45′. Johnson and Gil played much more aggressively, which opened up the RSL offense and provided them more opportunity for scoring chances. Overall it was just a much better effort in the second half.

Real Salt Lake 0, FC Dallas 1.

Another questionable decision by an MLS referee gives FC Dallas a penalty kick in stoppage time. Dallas forward Brek Shea took the shot to the bottom right and caught Nick Rimando diving left, giving Nick no chance to add to his league-leading 15 PK’s blocked.

The penalty came when Dallas took a shot in the 18 yard box. The ball bounced off a few people and *barely* scraped Tony Beltran’s elbow before bouncing across the end line. A handball in the box was called against Beltran, giving Dallas the PK and the lead. Maybe I don’t like the call because I’m bitter at MLS refs right now, but I still think a more seasoned ref wouldn’t have called the handball.

Overall, RSL doesn’t look to be playing as a unit. The defense is playing solid, but Paulo Jr. and Alvaro Saborio really aren’t in sync up top, making it very difficult for them to get any scoring chances. Credit also should go to the Dallas defense for disrupting the flow of RSL’s game.

My hope is that RSL comes out firing like they did last week after going down 0-1 to San Jose. Playing like that with all 11 men on the field could easily yield a positive result for RSL.

Real Salt Lake (5-3-0, 15 points, West #2) dropped its second consecutive game Saturday night, as a pair of controversial red-card decisions by referee Elias Bazakos doomed the Claret-and-Cobalt to a 1-3 loss against the San Jose Earthquakes(5-1-1, 16 points, West #1), who moved atop the Western Conference standings with tonight’s result, one point ahead of RSL. 

Facing the prospects of a three-game week for the second time in this young 2012 MLS season, RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that dropped an 0-1 decision a week ago at Kansas City, welcoming back talismanic playmaker Javier Morales to the lineup for the first time in 17 days, with first-year MF Jonny Steele penciled into the selection for only the second occasion this year. 

In a choppy first half that saw the Earthquakes come out with more energy than an unusually flat RSL, San Jose outshot RSL 9-4, testing the resolve of RSL GK Nick Rimando and the veteran backline of Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers and Chris Wingert – a group that has played more than 6,000 minutes together since 2008. 

Rimando – appearing in his 151^st RSL game, all starts – kept San Jose off the scoreboard despite the ‘Quakes’ onslaught until the waning seconds of the first half, when Khari Stephenson headed the ball off the outstretched fingers of Rimando, the topspin landing the ball in the net for the 1-0 home-side lead at the break. 

San Jose played the final 16 minutes – plus the two minutes of added time – of the first stanza with a man-advantage, as RSL FW Fabian Espindola saw a straight red card after leaving both feet to enter a 50-50 challenge with Earthquakes’ MF Sam Cronin at midfield. The ejection marked the third of Espindola’s career with RSL. 

Eight minutes into the second half, RSL Captain Kyle Beckerman knotted things up at 1-1, scoring the short-handed equalizer following a feed from Steele and a dummy feint from FW Alvaro Saborio before a slalom run through the San Jose defense for his second goal of the season. 

Just 16 minutes after the Beckerman equalizer, as RSL continued to absorb pressure from San Jose’s 11-on-10 attack, Olave was adjudged by Bozakos to have denied a goal-scoring opportunity by SJ FW Steven Lenhart and was subsequently ejected, resulting in the second red card of the game for RSL and reducing Kreis’ team to nine men for the first time in the eight-year organization’s 226-game MLS history, and 276 games overall (including MLS postseason matches, CONCACAF Champions League games, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and exhibition matches). Television replays show that Lenhart actually dragged Olave down by his shorts, as the Colombian defender absorbed the contact initiated by the San Jose forward, who was carrying a yellow card at the time. 

Ultimately, the valiant nine-man RSL side held firm for the final 21 minutes of the match, until the full-strength San Jose side was emboldened by a lengthy six minutes of added time, which saw Simon Dawkins and Chris Wondolowski score to give Earthquakes’ Head Coach Frank Yallop his 100^th career win. The Wondolowski score was his first-ever tally against RSL, leaving Houston as the only MLS team that the prolific Golden Boot winner has not yet scored against.

Real Salt Lake 1, San Jose Earthquakes 3.

Another red card for RSL, another incredible goal from Kyle Beckerman, another terrible referee, and way too much stoppage time pretty much sums up the second 45′.

First the good.

The shining moment in the second 45′ came in the 53′. Down a point and playing with 9 men on the field (more on that in just a second), the RSL offense led a full frontal assault into the San Jose 18 yard box. Led by Jonny Steele on the left wing, RSL brought numbers with the ball. Just before entering the 18 yard box, Steele crossed the ball to a running Alvaro Saborio, who wisely ignored the pass allowing it to land at the feet of Kyle Beckerman. With all the class and skill you would expect from someone wearing the captain’s arm band, Beckerman powered his way through two San Jose defenders and powered a shot past Earthquake keeper Jon Busch. The goal equalized the score and held up until the third minute of six stoppage minutes added to the end of the game.

Now for the bad.

A terrible call from tonight’s referee will have Jamison Olave missing the game vs. Dallas on Wednesday. Olave was defending one-on-one against San Jose forward Steven Lenart. Just before they entered the RSL 18 yard box, Lenart got tangled up with Olave, tripped and pulled Olave down to the ground. Somehow, the referee decided the whole thing was Olave’s fault and issued him a straight red. It was a terrible call. Watch the video replay if you don’t believe me.

Despite all the negative, the game was tied 1:1 heading into stoppage time. Unfortunately, six minutes was added and San Jose was relentless. As time winded down, the RSL defense just had too much and conceded two goals, one in the 92′ and one in the 93′, to Simon Dawkins and Chris Wondolowski respectively.

Here’s hoping the guys can shake this one off and earn a positive result in Dallas on Wednesday.