This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It was difficult for Real Salt Lake to get past the disappointment of losing in the Western Conference Championship to the L.A. Galaxy.Yet, there was a distinct sense of pride about finishing as the third best team in Major League Soccer. "It's all about winning.," RSL midfielder and captain Kyle Beckerman said. "We wanted it to be a special year, but it wasn't to be."If you get into the playoffs and get past that first round, you really feel close to the finals. I guess we'll just remember the way we feel right now. Build on it for next year.RSL keeper Nick Rimando agreed that the 3-1 loss to the Galaxy felt a lot like the entire 2011 season compressed into 90 minutes."We started off well, like in the season," he said. "We played great. We had some injuries and some mistakes that kind of got highlighted a little bit. "I hope this will make us a better team, a hungrier team; and something I hope everybody remembers and puts in the back of their minds for next year."martyr@sltrib.comTwitter:Rsltribune