Nick Rimando worked hard for his paycheck Sunday night.
The keeper faced a brutal assault from Chivas USA as it beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 at the Home Depot Center and extended Real’s winless ways away from Salt Lake City.
Rimando and RSL are winless in 2007 on the road and haven’t won an away match since Aug. 16 of last year, when it defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1.
The loss came despite a tireless effort from Rimando.
The keeper faced seven shots on goal and turned away six of them. But Jesse Marsch’s shot snuck past Rimando in the 31st minute and stuck as the game-winner.
The goal came after a Chivas corner kick was snuffed out by the RSL defense. Ante Razov gathered the loose ball to the right of the net for Chivas and fired a cross to the near post, where Marsch craftily deflected the ball into the net before Rimando could react.
Chivas’ offensive onslaught continued in the second half, with Razov leading the way.
The forward collected one of many loose balls after Chivas cleared it from the offensive third in the 65th minute. Razov turned and found too much open grass in front of him to not make a run and took off with only defender Ritchie Kotschau between him and Rimando.
As Razov neared the penalty area with Kotschau quickly retreating, Paulo Nagamura entered Razov’s vision to the right. Razov attempted a cross to Nagamura but sent the ball long and Rimando smothered it, quieting Real’s pounding hearts.
Razov was far from calling it a night.
Rimando saved two more of Razov’s strikes — once in the 71st minute from point blank range and again in the 73rd minute when Razov received a beautiful pass that allowed him to split two defenders.
Despite Chivas’ consistent attack, Real had its chances to equalize late in the match.
Kyle Beckerman and Chris Brown — who entered the match for Robbie Findley in the 56th minute — spearheaded Real’s surge for the tie.
Brown wasted no time getting to work.
Beckerman lobbed a pass in the 56th minute that Brown headed wide left of a gaping goal.
Beckerman tried his foot at scoring in the 78th minute.
Chris Wingert sent a pass into the penalty area where Beckerman picked the ball from mid-air with the bottom of his foot and poked a shot just left of the post.
The 79th minute saw Beckerman head a free-kick volley over the crossbar and narrowly missed equalizing again.
Atiba Harris received a no-look pass from Beckerman in the 85th that he was unable to convert. His shot on goal — Real’s first and only — was blocked by Chivas goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
In extra time, Beckerman gave one last glimpse of hope to Real when he chipped a cross from the endline just left of the goal to Brown. Again Brown got his head to it, but the last-hope shot sailed over the crossbar.
Real’s continued offensive futility piles onto the frustrations of the club flirting with historic failure.
Despite Rimando’s efforts between the posts this season, Real (2-11-6) is on track to record the worst record in MLS history. The infamous mark is currently held by the 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny team that went 4-21-2.
Real did catch a break this weekend.
Toronto FC surpassed Real’s record for consecutive minutes without a goal by extending its drought to 642 minutes Saturday night. Real slid 557 minutes without a goal in 2005.
