Real Salt Lake's funk continues with 3-0 home loss to Houston Dynamo

The second-largest announced crowd in club history wasn't enough to prevent consecutive losses to the same team in a three-day span.

Real Salt Lake has lots its spark.

Following a long layoff, a 3-1 setback at Houston in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals, and — perhaps most importantly — the loss of midfield maestro Pablo Ruiz to a devastating knee injury, RSL dropped its first game in MLS play since May 31 with a 2-0 setback to the same Dynamo that knocked them out of a Cup final with Lionel Messi three days prior.

Real Salt Lake has been outscored 14-4 in the last five matches across all competitions, a run that includes Leagues Cup, Open Cup and now MLS regular-season play.

“I think the execution wasn’t there tonight; we gave away so many balls in midfield,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “When we’re at our best, we’re going forward, breaking lines, and going to goal.”

But it’s not all about tactics, even the tactical influence that a player like Ruiz can have on a team. It’s about confidence, and right now, RSL is lacking, Mastroeni added.

The club has lost four of its last five matches across all competitions, a similar run of form to the beginning of the season — before winning (or drawing) 20 of 23 and rising to become the Best Road Team in MLS™ and a home-field playoff contender.

“I would say it’s similar,” Mastroeni said of the skid. “I think the biggest thing for us is the loss of Pablo, and that’s easy to throw out there. But if you look at what Pablo has been able to do for us — and he wasn’t available in the first part of the season — it’s our ability to build from the back, to make successive passes, it would be like Houston missing Herrera. They’d be a completely different team.

“Now we’re asking everybody to put in a couple more percentages, to press a little more. But I think his ability to. break lines and play beyond, and now we’re asking Jasper, Nelson and Ojeda to do that — it’s a big burden. There are very few players in this league that can break lines like he does. There are very few players in this league with a left foot like he does.”

Former RSL Homegrown forward Corey Baird opened the scoring just nine minutes in, punctuating a round of boos for his goal with his crab imitation that the San Diego native is apparently attempting to trademark throughout the 2023 campaign.

Daniel Steres doubled the advantage in the 29th minute, finishing off a play from Hector Herrera that put the visitors comfortably in front at halftime as boos rained down on the officials as quickly as the club’s annual Teddy Bear Toss benefitting Major League Soccer’s bid to eradicate childhood cancer, and before an hour-long weather delay at America First Field.

By then, most of the RSL faithful had gone home. Rain, late nights and a miserable performance will do that to plenty of fans.

“I think the leftover from the midweek game was definitely there in the first few minutes. But I think the goals that we conceded were disappointing,” Mastroeni said. “They’re two goals that are so containable … and I think the group lacks a little bit of confidence, given recent results.”

The announced crowd of 21,471 — the second-largest in club history — was a shell of its original self by the time Coco Carrasquilla, the second-half sub who also scored Wednesday, shattered the hope of a comeback with a goal in the 75th minute.

A few dozen more fans hit the exits at that point. Can you blame them?

Most of them missed the debut of Kevon Lambert, the former Phoenix Rising defensive midfielder who appeared as a substitute for Justen Glad in the 85th minute. Lambert, a Jamaican international and one of the top defensive players in the USL Championship, became the ninth player to make his debut for Salt Lake in 2023 and 202nd overall in the franchise’s 19 seasons.

Passion. Aggression. Winning the ball. That’s what Lambert hopes to bring to this team. He only had a few minutes to show it Saturday night.

The 6-foot-3 big man played most of his minutes with Phoenix as a defensive midfield, but played center back in his limited substitute role Saturday night. He sees himself able to play both positions, priding himself on being a versatile player moldable and adaptable by the coaching staff.

“I see myself as a versatile player,” Lambert said. “I feel comfortable playing either, and for me it’s just helping the team. Where ever I can help the team and the coaches see me fit, that’s what I’ll do.”

Right now, the team needs help. Can Lambert play center forward?

“Hey, whatever the coaches need,” he said with a tongue-in-cheek laugh. “I’m up for it.”

RSL travels to Portland next Wednesday for an 8:30 p.m. MT kickoff with the Timbers. The club’s next home match is Saturday, Sept. 2 against Colorado.