A punch to the gut.
There’s no other way to describe what happened at the end of the game on Sunday night in Sandy, Utah.
TFC found an equalizer after clawing their way back from a first half deficit. Without five starters, including three defenders, it was a valiant effort for a team playing at a stadium where the Reds have found zero success in past years.
Two substitutes, Jackson and Bright Dike, combined to tie the game in the 88th minute. One minute later Real Salt Lake took back the lead and it was over.
Yet another controversial call by a referee marred the proceedings, but that moment has been discussed at length.
Here are three other takeaways from the game.
Finding Giovinco
When he was on the ball Sebastian Giovinco was the most dominant player on the pitch outside of Javier Morales. It wasn’t until the latter stages of the second half, however, that TFC was able to find Giovinco in space. That usually happened on the right hand side, with Ashtone Morgan and later, Jackson, making incisive runs to open up room.
WATCH: Match Highlights from Sunday night's game
From that point on the Italian dictated play. He forced a wonderful save from RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella off of a free kick and set up Nick Hagglund’s “goal” minutes later. On set pieces Giovinco was deadly, but getting the 28-year-old on the ball during open play remains a work in progress.
“I thought when we brought him into the game he was dangerous,” said head coach Greg Vanney.
“It wasn’t until the mid-to-late second half that we started finding the entry passes across the game channel, which was opening up the field and Sebastian was getting on the ball in dangerous areas.”
It sounds simple in practice: Get Seba the ball. Obviously, there’s more to it than that.
“We need to find ways to continue to get him on the ball and have more confidence to play into him, and play into our forwards and allow those guys to do what they do,” Vanney continued.
“When [Sebastian] is involved and on the ball he does a lot for us.”
Simonin Impresses
You could forgive Clemont Simonin for feeling his stomach churning in the leadup to kick off.
“I was very nervous,” admitted the French rookie after the game.
Injuries to Steven Caldwell, Damien Perquis and Eriq Zavaleta meant Simonin’s “welcome to the show” moment happened sooner than planned.
The North Carolina State product didn’t disappoint in his first MLS game.
WATCH: Simonin speaks to the media following the game
“It was an interesting game because they allowed [Clement] time on the ball,” Vanney said.
“You give him time on the ball and he can pick out passes on the field. On the ball he’s special. People will start to figure that out pretty soon.”
A positive start helped ease the 23-year-old into the game.
“I think a few good touches, good passes, were helping me a lot to get my mind in the game and get going,” he said.
The injury situation at the back was dire this week. But with Justin Morrow returning from suspension and Simonin introducing himself as a viable option, things could get much better, depth wise, in the coming weeks.
Erasing The Past
The headline is a misnomer. The past is what it is. There is no erasing it.
When Real Salt Lake stormed up the field and scored the game winning goal one minute after TFC tied it memories of the past flooded into the TFC timeline on Twitter and the timeline in our heads. The original Twitter so to speak.
It was hard to be optimistic in the immediate aftermath of the game, but in the hours since I believe there’s reason to be hopeful.
A team missing five regulars, including two designated players and three starting defenders, took the game to RSL in the second half. The game ends 1-0 and it’s a moral victory. It ends 1-1 and it’s a victory, not in the technical sort, of course.
Obviously it didn’t end that way. How TFC responds this Saturday in Chicago will say a lot about the squad’s resiliency.
Onward.
