Real Monarchs attempt comeback, lose 2-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2

After going down 2-0 in the first half, Real Monarchs mounted a stab at a comeback against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, but the visitors found themselves unable to rescue a point on the road.

A late penalty from Lucas Baldin, earned after Sebastian Saucedo was fouled in the penalty area after some great control, gave Monarchs a late opportunity.

A second yellow card for Phanuel Kavita in the 89th minute left the Monarchs with little chance of recovery; his first came in a dead-ball situation, while his second came after giving up possession incredibly cheaply around the halfway line, then fouling an attacker to prevent a counterattack.

Goals from Caleb Clarke in the 21st minute and Ben McKendry in the 33rd minute for the Whitecaps put Monarchs in a difficult position. Some woeful defending created both of those moments and some other opportunities for the opposition, but defending as good as the rare (and capitalized upon) bad moments kept the scoreline from bloating out of control.

Baldin nearly opened the scoring inside the first minute with a shot directly from kick-off, but the goalkeeper swatted the ball out for a corner kick.

Danilo Acosta, in from the Real Salt Lake academy in Casa Grande, Ariz., continued his appearances with Real Monarchs, starting this time at left back. Acosta injected himself into good attacking moments on the left flank and even found himself more central than you'd expect a full back — but without opening too many defensive gaps in the process.

There were several other lineup changes for Monarchs, with several starters sitting from the midweek win over Long Island Rough Riders in the US Open Cup.