Real Salt Lake’s playoff hopes took a tough blow on Saturday night with a 0-0 home draw against the Houston Dynamo.

Needing three points to stay on pace with the rest of the Western Conference, RSL battled hard but ultimately failed to score.  Despite taking 17 shots, only six were on goal, including one second-half effort from Robbie Findley that bounced off the crossbar.

“We’ve set goals for ourselves at home games — three points — and when we don’t get that we’re disappointed,” said coach Jason Kreis.  “There are a lot of things to take away from that game, a lot of talking points. The work and commitment that our guys showed tonight was very good. From the first whistle to the last whistle the focus was there. Everything was there tonight except the finishing touch.”

Disciplinary problems, which have plagued the team all season, affected RSL once again.  After gaining a man advantage on Houston after Andrew Hainault’s second yellow card 35 minutes into the match, the opportunity was squandered when Clint Mathis was sent off just before halftime, also for a second yellow card offense.  Mathis’ ejection, which came after he threw the ball on the ground in frustration with the officiating, marked the fifth time an RSL player has been sent off in 2009, often for what Kreis has deemed to be unnecessary infractions.  In addition, four Real players went into the game on yellow-card warning; Jamison Olave’s booking will keep him out of next week’s match at New England.

While RSL was frustrated with the result, Kreis was glad to get both Robbie Russell and Yura Movsisyan, who have been recovering from injuries, back into action.  Russell started in place of Chris Wingert, who was suffering from illness and dehydration, and played 82 minutes, while Movsisyan came on in the second half for Fabian Espindola.  Those minutes are likely to pay off next weekend, since both will likely see more playing time in Mathis’ and Olave’s absences.

On the defensive side of the ball, RSL was extremely effective, limiting the Dynamo to just four shots, none of which were on goal.  Brian Ching and Stuart Holden, both of whom played for the US national team in Mexico on Wednesday, were kept at bay by a tenacious Real effort and failed to give Nick Rimando much trouble.

However, Houston did its best to frustrate Real in its own defensive end, clearing six corner kicks and blocking several free kicks.  Coach Dominic Kinnear noted of his team’s defensive effort, “It was pretty good. We had the post to thank in the second half.  It was nice to have Ryan Cochrane back as an option.  Overall, we kept our shape and made it difficult for them.”

Certainly, the match had all the hallmarks of a tough defensive battle, with a flurry of fouls and a riled-up Salt Lake crowd booing the referees at the end of each half.

“We’re proud of the point we earned, and we feel like we had to earn it,” said Kinnear.

Likewise, it was RSL’s second consecutive shutout.  Ultimately, however, the result may prove costly for a side that has only nine more games to climb its way into a playoff spot.

Match Facts:

Real Salt Lake 0, Houston Dynamo 0

August 15, 2009 — Rio Tinto Stadium

Real Salt Lake:  Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell (Chris Wingert 83′), Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran (Pablo Campos 86′), Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson, Clint Mathis, Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 65′), Robbie Findley.

Substitutes Not Used:  Andy Williams, Ned Grabavoy, Chris Seitz, Rachid El Khalifi.

Houston Dynamo:  Pat Onstad, Andrew Hainault, Ryan Cochrane (Craig Waibel 90′), Bobby Boswell, Wade Barrett, Kai Kamara, Stuart Holden, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis (Mike Chabala 83′), Corey Ashe (Brian Mullan 69′), Brian Ching.

Substitutes Not Used:  Dominic Oduro, Ade Akinbiyi, Danny Cruz, Tally Hall.

RSL Player Assessments:

Nick Rimando:  Had a fairly quiet evening, but made the plays he needed to and kept things organized in the back for RSL.

Tony Beltran:  Thwarted Dom Kinnear’s attempts to exploit his relative inexperience by switching his wingers in the second half with some key tackles, showed more confidence going forward, and nearly scored on a long-distance shot.

Nat Borchers:  Borchers has really come into his own in the last few matches, making intelligent plays and providing critical leadership in the back.

Jamison Olave:  He and Borchers teamed up well to effectively neutralize Brian Ching, and even made a few runs up the field late in the match, trying to spur his teammates forward.

Robbie Russell:  Had a solid but somewhat quiet game.  Russell didn’t make as many of his usual forays into the attack, but that’s not unexpected for his first game back.

Kyle Beckerman:  Fairly typical effort for Beckerman defensively, but the team could have used a bit more attacking spark last night.

Javier Morales:  Continued the improved defensive effort he showed last week, but struggled to connect with the strikers.

Will Johnson:  The effort was there, and he threatened Houston’s goal with some long-range shots, but still seems a little “off”.

Clint Mathis:  Not only did he miss on an excellent chance at the beginning of the match, but he let his temper get the best of him for the second week in a row.   This time, the consequences were devastating, though.

Robbie Findley:  Had his chances to score, but got pulled out of position frequently as well.  His physical abilities are obvious, but needs to work on his tactical awareness a bit.

Fabian Espindola:  Much improved from last week.  He was better on the ball and beat Houston in one-on-one situations, but still isn’t threatening opponents’ goals with frequency.

Subs:

Yura Movsisyan:  Looked very energetic when he first came on, but his impact waned as the game went on.

Chris Wingert:  Came on late as a substitute due to illness and didn’t have much time to make an impression.

Pablo Campos:  Also came on late and didn’t get much of the ball.  Like last week, not enough time to warrant a judgment.