Real Salt Lake beat defending MLS Cup champion Columbus 3-2 on Thursday night and 4-2 on aggregate to advance to the next round of Major League Soccer's playoffs. Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto returned to the lineup after being benched for game one and looked like the hero. He scored in the 19th and 35th minutes to put the Crew ahead on aggregate. Salt Lake brought the series level two minutes later, through Javier Morales, and took the lead back when Robbie Findley converted a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time. RSL's Andy Williams finished off the scoring in the 74th minute.
“There’s a reason why Columbus is the champions," Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis said. "There’s a reason why Columbus ended the season with more points than anyone else. It’s because they’re the best team. So yeah, it’s fantastic that we’ve managed to beat the best team, and I think we’re ready for the next one.”
Columbus exits the playoffs after breaking a three-game scoreless streak. The Crew last got a goal in MLS play on October 10th against New England. They remain in contention for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, waiting on that tournament to resume in 2010.
“I’m proud of the team," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "We won the Supporters’ Shield. We are in the second round of the Champions League. We won the Eastern Conference and all the goals that we talked about before the season and the last one, which was the championship, we came up short. Sometimes the better team doesn’t win. That’s the sport and that’s the beauty of the sport, that the team that played attractive soccer, the team that played good soccer doesn’t win, but it’s like I told the guys, there’s always next year."
