Another away game, another disappointing loss. Nobody can explain it. Perhaps another long boring day on the road followed by a night game allowed a certain lethargy to creep in.
Maybe it was the recent fixture pileup complicated by the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Perhaps convincing victories over a Montreal B side and a hapless New York Red Bulls filled the team with a false sense of confidence.
Altitude can play a role as Rio Tinto Stadium perches at 4,300 feet. Or maybe the home team just wanted it more.
Any way you look at it, it was discouraging.
But the people running Real Salt Lake have certainly done it the right way. Owner Dave Checketts has a lengthy history in the business running both the Utah Jazz and Madison Square Garden over the years. Checketts and his people certainly put plenty of thought into the construction of Rio Tinto Stadium.
Craig Forrest and I both agree on this point. We have seen every soccer specific stadium in the league, and Rio Tinto tops them all. The construction is solid, the design is spectacular and the amenities are first class. Their underground heating and watering system is state of the art, resulting in what is arguably at least, the best pitch in MLS. The location is superb, hard against the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the desert to the west resulting in magnificent views.
It's in Sandy, only 20 minutes south of Salt Lake City proper. Think of Sandy as Oakville with snow capped mountains and everything is new. Toronto's three game winning streak is old. And now they'll have plenty of time to think about what went wrong here. Or maybe they'll forget about the entire mess. They don't play again until another away match at San Jose July 11th.
The good news is, the Earthquakes are a not a very good team. The bad news is, the Reds have a habit of coming up with dismal performances on the road.
