RSL falls in penalties to Minnesota in playoff opener

SANDY — Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath matched his season high in saves with seven and added another one during Tuesday's penalty shootout at America First Field.

Still, it wasn't enough in a playoff-opening loss to Minnesota United FC.

The temperature dipped below 40 degrees as the new MLS playoff format dictated the game go directly to a penalty kick shootout with all zeroes on the scoreboard after a chilly and somewhat stale 90 minutes.

MacMath made the play he needed to with a save on the third penalty attempt from Minnesota, but Justen Glad missed the ensuing shot for RSL to take the shootout deeper into the near-freezing late autumn night.

Minnesota made its next three penalty shots, and Braian Ojeda hit the crossbar for a miss on the sixth RSL attempt for a 5-4 shootout loss.

"We gave ourselves a really good chance to win this game," MacMath said. "And obviously fell short."

United entered the day as one of the hottest teams in the league with four wins in five straight unbeaten matches and brought the fight to AFF with a lead in both total shots and shots on target. Keeper Dayne St. Clair proved a worthy opposite to MacMath in goal with six saves of his own.

The Minnesota defense frustrated RSL's advances throughout the game with a five-man "low block" that made it difficult to find spaces in the final third of the field.

Head coach Pablo Mastroeni said the team just needed to "make plays" and lamented that "you can't tactic your way into the back of the net."

Diego Luna had the best chance of the evening for RSL just 13 minutes in but St. Clair got to it for his first block of the night. Luna exited the match in the 70th minute and Mastroeni said the MLS Young Player of the Year finalist was "cramping up."

Whether it was cramps or the lack of goals, Luna's frustration was evident as he kicked over a cooler of drinks on his way to the RSL bench. Minnesota has now held RSL to zero goals through the last two meetings between the two teams, dating back to another 0-0 draw on Oct. 2 near the end of the regular season.

"We'll go back to the drawing board and just figure out ways to get guys in dangerous areas," Mastroeni said of the offensive struggles. "And hopefully, you know, this weekend we'll get a goal that changes the landscape."

RSL now heads to Minneapolis on Saturday for a must-win Game 2 in the best-of-three first round of MLS Cup playoffs.

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