Gary Smith said Wednesday night's 1-0 loss to Real Sal Lake was not because his Colorado Rapids side performed badly.
The Rapids were hoping to bounce back from their disappointing 3-0 loss in the 2010 MLS Cup final replay against FC Dallas on the weekend but had to succumb to a late goal from Fabian Espindola - although questionable as he was off-side - and go away be empty-handed.
Despite that fact, Smith was happy with the overall showing of his players.
"These were two very competitive teams and it's just a real shame that things were decided on a bad call," he told MLSsoccer.com.
"Especially in that first half when, on one or two occasions, the final ball wasn't maybe as clinical as it could have been.
"The energy and the focus on the job in hand were so much more elevated (than the Dallas game)," he added. "Everyone's attitude was so much better and that makes it all the more galling it was decided that way."
