This is a lesson I have been taught from a very early age, but I wish I didn't have to relive it this time. Michelle and I flew to Utah to watch Real Salt Lake play against Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League Final. This was the biggest game in RSL history and we wanted to be a part of it (I interned for the team for 2 years when it first came into the league and wasn't very good, so this was a pretty neat experience). A majority of people in the US Soccer community were also calling this the biggest club soccer match in US history. Let me put it into perspective....no US soccer club had ever won the tournament (let alone make it to the final) and by winning RSL would go on to the Club World Cup and play teams from all over the world (Barcelona, Manchester United, Estudiantes, etc.). To add to the excitement, this two-leg final only required that RSL win at home (unbeaten in 2 years), or just have a tie at less than 2 goals (because they tied 2-2 at Monterrey). Needless to say, we were all very optimistic and in good spirits.
The pre-game festivities were fantastic!
Kick-Off
The team ended up loosing 1-0 on a goal coming from Monterrey at the very last second of the first half. RSL had the majority of the scoring chances, but couldn't put one in the back of the net.
Despite the loss, the atmosphere in the stadium was the greatest that I had ever experienced (including games seen abroad), I was so proud to see my little ol' Real Salt Lake come so far in just a few years (when I interned there we didn't have our own stadium and hardly had more than 10,000 people out to a game, but for this game there were 20,000 screaming die-hard fans), and most importantly we had the opportunity to catch up with family and friends that we hadn't seen in a long time (this aspect of the trip made the feelings from the loss dissipate very quickly)!
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