RSL bows out of CONCACAF Champions Cup with 2-1 loss at home to Herediano

SANDY — Real Salt Lake's opening week struggles seemed to be evaporating Wednesday at America First Field following a first-half goal from new striker Forster Ajago, but the sunshine didn't last.

A 1-0 halftime lead turned into a 1-1 draw in the 70th minute, and then a 2-1 loss during stoppage time as Costa Rican side Herediano stole the opening round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup to cut the Claret and Cobalt's first international appearance since 2016 short.

"I think we dominated the game and sort of let it get away from us, which is disappointing," midfielder Lachlan Brook said. "We know that we are way better than that, and, luckily enough, there's always another game that we can prove that."

From a statistical standpoint — apart from goals, obviously — RSL did dominate the match. The home team put up 30 total shots, including 18 in the box, while holding Herediano to just six total shots and 39% possession. The goal by Ajago was the team's first of the season and his first in an RSL uniform.

The first Herediano goal — just seconds after RSL made a trio of subs in the 69th minute — gave the road team the tiebreaker advantage on away goals after a 0-0 first leg last week in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The second goal was a penalty conceded by keeper Rafael Cabral nine minutes into stoppage time that the road team converted to win the game outright.

"The way it works in football is, if you don't score the goals that you should, the pressure on the back line starts mounting," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "And it takes one poor decision with the ball close to your goal to kill you."

So, what's next for RSL after a disappointing start to 2025? First, practice tomorrow. Then, another game on Saturday.

"The more we can recreate a game-like environment (in practice) on a day where there's no fans, no one cares, that, for me, is what greatness is — doing all the little things when no one's around," Mastroeni said. "We prepare the right way tomorrow, we prepare the right way Friday, and then we execute."

Mastroeni pleaded with his team to, "make this craft the most important thing in our lives."

"How bad do you want to be great?" Mastroeni said about his team. "It's doing all the things that nobody likes to do. It's a 24-hour job. It's hard to speak to a younger group about it, having experienced it myself and you unfortunately have to go through these moments as a group to gain the understanding of what the words spoken feel like.

"If no one has experienced anything, words are just words. But when they live the words, it resonates, and then you're looking for a change of behavior."

If the team's leadership is any indicator, there is still some maturing and stepping up to do. Three players — Emeka Eneli, Justen Glad and Pablo Ruiz — have worn the captain's armband through three games, and Mastroeni's comments imply some work and development is yet to come for his "young squad."

As Brook said, the team always has another game to demonstrate change and improvement; and in this case, that opportunity comes quite quickly.

RSL welcomes longtime rival Seattle Sounders to America First Field for its MLS home opener on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MST, where Mastroeni expects to see a permanent starting lineup start to solidify after heavy player rotation through three games.

"I think now, moving forward, we have to solidify the group in order to build better chemistry within the team, create competition within the team and put the best group on the field to get results," Mastroeni said, while highlighting the work of newcomers Kobi Henry, Sam Junqua and Tyler Wolff in early opportunities.

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