COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- A goal in the 90th minute was enough to give Real Salt Lake the 1-1 draw they needed to reach the postseason for the first time in club history.
Yura Movsisyan's goal, from a rebound after Bouna Coundoul saved an Andy Williams shot, also kept the Rocky Mountain Cup in Utah for the second consecutive year.
Conor Casey had put the Rapids ahead in the 19th minute, and it seemed they would hold out to the very end and snatch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference away from Real.
But Movsisyan popped up for the dramatic equalizer to send RSL into a Western Conference Semifinal Series against Chivas USA. Real will play host to the first postseason game in club history next Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium.
With both sides going after the match from the opening whistle chances came early and often. In just the second minute, RSL fullback Ian Joy was beaten by Omar Cummings along the sideline. Cummings turned the corner to goal and sent a low cross to a charging Nick LaBrocca at the near post. LaBrocca couldn't get enough on his first-time chance and pegged his shot into the side netting.
Real didn't waste any time forming an attack of their own. In the fifth minute Movsisyan broke free down the left side before sending a low, driven ball toward the penalty spot. Clint Mathis was there for RSL, but let the ball go through, where it continued to roll until it went over the sideline.
Movsisyan was pressing the issue again in the following minute. The RSL striker chased down a bouncing ball in the Colorado box and struck a shot that went inches to the wrong side of the far post.
In the following minute the game was back in the Salt Lake area as Casey turned Nat Borchers near the edge of the six-yard box. Borchers was still able to recover and block Casey's shot with a sliding tackle. The deflection fell to Cummings, who pumped his close-range shot over the bleachers behind the goal.
The scoring opened in the 19th minute when Casey received a ball over the top from Jordan Harvey and then chipped goalkeeper Nick Rimando from just inside the box.
The goal initiated a long period of possession for the Rapids as Salt Lake had a hard time stringing more than a few passes together. The RSL defense also saw much of the ball. In the 41st minute a LaBrocca shot was deflected out for a Rapids corner.
On that corner, the ball was cleared to the top of the area where Colin Clark rifled a shot that Rimando had to go completely horizontal to keep out of the net.
As the half came to a close RSL mustered a few more promising chances. Chris Wingert whipped a precise ball into the middle of the Colorado area. Mathis drove a strong header on frame that only a diving save from Coundoul could keep could keep out. The outstretched Coundoul was able to get enough on the ball to push it onto the post.
Two minutes later Wingert was attacking again, this time on his own. Wingert carried the ball in from the sideline and then cut toward the front of the goalmouth. From nearly 25 yards, Wingert's shot forced another save from Coundoul.
Rimando was up to the task again for RSL. In the 49th minute the Salt Lake 'keeper did very well to keep out a shot from LaBrocca.
Real began controlling the match around the hour mark. Wingert swung a dangerous cross in front of the goal that was put over the bar for a corner. Six minutes later Movsisyan rushed a shot on a bouncing ball coming out of the top of the penalty area and skied his chance well over the goal.
In the 67th minute Movsisyan crashed into the Colorado area with a pair of defenders hanging off him. As he sent his shot well wide of the far post, Movsisyan fell to the ground, but no foul was forthcoming from referee Alex Prus. Mathis received a yellow card for forcefully appealing the decision.
A pair of injuries occurred simultaneously, on separate plays in the 69th minute. First, Will Johnson caught Wingert in the face with his cleats. As Wingert went to the ground Javier Morales was whistled for a reckless foul on Kosuke Kimura. After several minutes, with Kimura on the ground, the referee showed Morales a yellow card.
As Salt Lake pushed forward they were caught on the counter from the Rapids in the 82nd minute. As Clark streaked toward the RSL goal Borchers brought him down just outside the area. The ensuing free kick was headed for the upper corner before Rimando flew to get a hand on it and punch it over the bar.
In the final moments, Salt Lake threw everything forward in search of the equalizing goal. A chance fell to Williams in the box, but was stopped by a firm tackle by Ugo Ihemelu.
But, in the 90th minute, the equalizer finally came. Williams took another blast that was deflected away by a diving Coundoul. The clearance fell to the right side of the goal area where Movsisyan strolled in to place his shot into the open net.
For the five minutes of stoppage time, the Rapids tried desperately to regain the lead and the playoff spot. In the added period, a chipped ball in from Terry Cooke looked menacing until it fell into the arms of a rushing Rimando.
With the final whistle the Real bench -- and their supporters who had make the trek over the mountains -- erupted into wild celebrations. The loss marked the second consecutive season the Rapids have missed out on postseason play, the first time in the club's history they've sat out the playoffs in consecutive years.
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