Snapshot

By Theo Gochnour


He scores the winning goal. Yes Yura Movsisyan the Englishman has done it. He scored the winning goal on the road against Real Salt Lake’ rival Colorado. It is a historic day. Never have the fans of RSL seen it before. For the first time since they started in the league they have made it to the MLS cup Playoffs. The joy on his face and his teammates face starts a chain reaction with the few RSL fans in Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colorado. The few fans are so loud it nearly sounds like it does in Salt Lake City when they are playing at home. It is amazing how one goal can make so many people happy.

On the other side the Colorado Rapids players and the fans are chuck full with anguish and a sense of failure. The 18,634 fans that came out to see a game got that feeling. As the wet tears drip down the player’s heads they remember another heart stopping thing. They were on the verge of winning the Rocky Mountain Cup but RSL took it right away. That is also the first time that RSL has accomplished that feat. It is a sad night in Colorado.
This picture means a lot to me because this is a chance for the little state of Utah to make it big in professional sports.

The only thing that stands in their way to receiving the MLS cup is their other rivals Chivas U.S.A and the 2 time reigning champs the Houston Dynamo. This would be the first pro sports team in Utah to win the big championship. Not shown in the picture but equally great is when they storm the field. Even when the game is in Colorado there are still a few RSL fans to help out the coaching staff and players. If I were in Colorado I would be filled with shame. During the excruciatingly long field storm coach Jason Kreis congratulated Yura Movsisyan and Nick Romando (goalkeeper). The sweat dripping down their tired faces mixes with cold tears of joy. The saddest thing is that they had fireworks set up to launch because they truly thought Colorado would win.

Connor Casey scored a beautiful goal that hit the back of the net like a needle through the heart for Real Salt Lake. Soon later Yura Movsiyan scored equally painful goals to give RSL come from behind win. This amazing win was all over the news headlines. The main reason was that they had been called “a doormat in the MLS,” and “the worst team in soccer.” This picture proves to me and the MLS that Real Salt Lake is one of the elite. I know that when the players of Real go to their locker rooms they will have wet tears… tears of joy and accomplishment. On plane ride home Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Finley (the player with the assist) will remember that one shining moment for now and forever.